Today is the 34th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, a Supreme court decision that put a lot of much needed power in women’s hands. That power was the power to make the decision as to whether or not to have a baby that was conceived inadvertently. I think it is safe to assume that no one aborts a baby who was conceived consciously so I’ll stick with the word ‘inadvertent’ knowing that it might mean due to rape, due to failed birth control, due to miscalculation, or due to carelessness.
I fully support anyone’s right to be horrified at the very thought of abortion. I fully support anyone’s right to cry bitter tears at the lost babies. I fully support anyone’s moral indignation that a woman would terminate a pregnancy. I do not support your right to stop a woman from making that choice for herself, though.
We cannot pick and choose who gets to have an abortion and who doesn’t. You can’t legislate ‘in the event of rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life’ for several reasons. First of all you can’t always define a rape. Is it rape if a long time boyfriend holds his girlfriend down and forces penetration while saying “I love you baby – I just can’t stop” and she lies there crying and terrified, unable to utter a “no” or a “stop – you’re violating me”. I think so but a court might not. Is it fair to say that a young girl who is impregnated forcibly by her perverted uncle has to have the baby? Is it fair to say that a woman on the way to her car in a shopping mall parking lot who is grabbed, thrown in a van, driven away and raped and then released has to have that baby? And who is to define ‘danger to the mother’s life?” Is giving birth to a rapists baby and then giving the baby up not without long term risk and danger to the mother’s health and well being? Who is to say?
The motions and cases that threaten to bring down Roe vs. Wade today generally decree abortion to be illegal – no exceptions. I believe we need to keep abortion legal without exception or reservation because it isn’t up to you or me or a judge to decide on the course of a woman’s life or how that pregnancy might impact her life. There is only one person who can make that decision and we need to maintain the right of women everywhere to manage their lives.
21st-century-mom.com 
Thank you – one of the most rational posts I’ve read so far today!
Very well put. I completely agree and could not have put it any better. It wasn’t emotional, just logical. I think emotional arguments get in the way in these sorts of issues.
Very good post.I was raped 17 years ago and I actually had a false positive pregnancy test afterwards. Of course I didn’t know at the time that it was a false result so I went through all the angst of trying to decide what to do. It was obviously a big relief when I discovered the truth. Sitting here now, imagining that my choice could have been removed and that I would now have a 17 year old as a result of that incident is frightening. Whatever I would have chosen, it had to be just that – my choice.
This was an excellent post. Do you want to know what ticks me off most about this whole abortion issue, it’s that they’ve made it so political. It is NOT a political issue. I am a died in the wool conservative yet I would NEVER presume to tell another woman what she can or can not do. There are a thousand situations that may cause someone to choose this option. It’s absolutetly no ones business but the people involved. Abortion should not only be legal it should never be discussed on the floor of the House or the Senate. Laurie’s right, once you start dragging emotions in the entire issue gets all muddled. Excellent handling of a touchy subject.
Nicely said! Not Pro-Abortion, Pro-CHOICE. My body. My choice. I found you on the Blog for Choice site list. I too Blogged for choice on both my Blogger and LJ sites.Keep speaking out!Kim
As a 47 year old woman, I am glad that I will never have to make this agonizing choice. As a mother with an 18 year old daughter, I pray that she never has to make this choice, but if she does a safe and legal abortion is a viable option. As the daughter of a mother who had to seek this alternative in 1971, as she struggled to leave an abusive marriage with two children I pray that we all learn from the past, and keep personal private decisions just that- personal and private.
Happy Anniversary Indeed!Are you having any luck getting your blog to work in Firefox? I still can’t view you there – I have to move over to Safari.
Wonderful post. I agree 100%.
Amen, sister.
I grew up in a country where abortion was illegal. People who want that have no idea what they are asking for. They do not know how horrific the consequences are -for each woman, for entire families, for a whole nation. All the bloody, barbaric, unspeakable consequences. And they have never seen those unwanted babies that ended up rotting alive – literally – in orphanages.
Beautifully said.