I am grateful and thankful for the many blessings in my life. I was raised Roman Catholic – that included attending church every day and confession every week. The dogma of my religion goes deep, so does guilt. For me, guilt was a huge part of being a catholic. Although I had difficulties believing everything that was being taught, those lessons stuck with me.

Why am I telling you this? Is this my confession? Kinda. I have to take a deep breath and look deep (but not too deep) to tell you how I feel.

I am Pro-Life. For me, this idea of abortion would live within me for the rest of my life. I think it would destroy me, change me, make me not who I am today. When I think of the idea of having an abortion, I get sick to my stomach with fear and worry.

What if I were raped? What would I do then? How could I carry and nurture a child created from violence and fear? What if my life were in danger with maybe a 3rd or 4th child? Who would raise these babies and love them as their mother if I were to die during their birth?

Life is filled with hard choices.

I acted as a Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Advocate several years ago. That meant middle of the night calls from hospitals to intercede for women that had been raped. These women were filled with fear and shock. Many didn’t know who to call or what to do afterward. Some called angry parents that threw blame at them and just made the matter worse. My job was to speak for those who couldn’t speak for themselves at the time.

I learned a great deal from being in that position. One that has changed my life forever. I would never, ever expect to tell a woman that she has to see a pregnancy through and have a reminder every day of a child that violence created.

Life is filled with hard choices.

What would you do? Would you have to think about it for a long time? Adoption?

According to adopt.org, the time frame, like the cost varies with the type of child being adopted. Currently there are about 120,000 children waiting to be adopted. The time frame is between two and seven years for a healthy infant.

So, are you prepared to adopt? How about supplementing adoption facilities so these children awaiting adoption can have a decent life before they find their forever home? How about being a foster parent?

Come on, someone has to do it since you’ve now put a gun to someone’s head to have a child they didn’t want to have. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Are you prepared for this option?

Did you know that the rapist has biological rights to a child conceived out of rape? Unless convicted of the crime, a rapist would have the same rights as any other “father.” Then, the rape victim has to try and get child support from him. Good luck with that one.  Following is a website, broken down by state as to what a woman’s legal rights are. https://www.womenslaw.org/laws it may be of interest to you.

I am Pro-Choice and I will fight for the right to choose.

Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v Wade, that women have the right to choose what to do with their bodies. The current Supreme Court, by overturning that law, have decided that it was NOT a woman’s fundamental right to choose whether to have an abortion. This United Nations News Global perspective is included here https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1121312

To overturn Roe v Wade is telling women that their right to decide about their own bodies is no longer an option. Let me repeat that – There is no option. Was this a political decision or a religious one? It certainly wasn’t a moral one.

I have been called a murderer for my beliefs of being Pro-Choice. Did you know believing in both was even an option? It’s actually not difficult.

Would you be able to live with your choice of having an abortion? This would totally be your choice – answer – it’s none of my business.

How would your abortion affect me? Easy – It’s none of my business.

What about if I had an abortion? Also easy – Its none of YOUR business.

In my mind, there is absolutely no situation where your beliefs, religious or otherwise, should infringe on my rights as a human being. Or at least this was the case before Roe v Wade was upturned.

How does the Supreme Court have the right to jam their religious beliefs down my throat or anyone else’s for that matter? Where is the separation of state and religion? What were they thinking? How does this help women? Horrifically, it simply is meant to control them.

When something or someone rescinds or removes my rights as a woman, a person, a human being, because of their own personal beliefs, it is not just simply wrong, it is fundamentally wrong and flies in the face on which this country was founded – all people being treated equally. 

My entire adult life, I knew I had the CHOICE to CHOOSE what was a viable option FOR ME. I will be damned if my kids and grandkids have less choices than I have had. This is a time for all women to come together and fight for what is right. You don’t believe in abortion FOR YOU? That’s fine, but it used to be my right to choose.

Life is filled with hard choices.