Many people feel strongly about
abortion-whether they are morally opposed to it, or strongly support the rights
to it. I have really changed my views about abortion in the last few months. I
was raised in a conservative Christian household, where abortion was morally
opposed, even shunned. When I came to college, I had the opportunity to be a
part of VOX: Voices for Planned
Parenthood. I was still learning about contraception and women’s rights when I
joined, and being around so many strong women have really made me understand
abortion and has completely changed how I felt about it. I had gone from being
very against it, to viewing it as a personal choice that should be available to
all women. Even though I had come to accept abortion as a woman’s rightful
choice, I still held reservations about it in my personal life, viewing it as
morally wrong for myself because of my religion. All of this changed on
November 24, 2012.
I had reconnected with an ex after a tough
break up. I trusted him, and after a great night watching fireworks at the
park, he invited me to his house to watch movies, because it was still early.
My decision to go with him turned out to be a terrible idea. I was raped and
abused, then left to walk home. I did not have money for Plan B, and had not
been taking my birth control faithfully, so I was afraid, and felt like I had
nowhere to turn. If I was pregnant, I
would have to drop out of college and move home. My mother would have made me
keep the baby or even sign it over to her to care for. She has told me many
times that she would disown me if I even considered an abortion, and that I
always had the option of giving it to her or putting it up for adoption. I had
a tough decision: Carrying a baby for nine months only to dump it on my parents
or the government, or abort it. I was completely sure that I would not be able
emotionally to have the baby and care for it myself. This was the first time
that abortion became a reality, a reasonable choice for me.
Thankfully, I was checked out and
was not pregnant. The birth control must have saved me from having to make that
difficult choice. This scary event has made me realize that it is impossible to
judge other women for wanting an abortion if you have never been in that
position. I never would have considered abortion as an option for myself, but
this incident changed my mind quickly. I felt that abortion was the only
option, the only way for me to continue working towards my future with the
support of my family. I am glad that I did not have to go through with the
abortion, but being in such a vulnerable situation and having the option of
abortion was a relief, to say the least. I now know how important it is to the
women that are considering abortion to be able to legally and safely obtain
one, and it only makes me more glad to be part of an organization that believes
in giving complete information and resources to women in need of it, whether
for STIs or unplanned pregnancy.
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