Row vs. Wade Thoughts

 I feel the need to voice  my opinion about abortion laws/rights in light of Row vs Wade being overturned and the reactions on social media of which many have chosen to attack people of faith. 

 I have never been pregnant with a baby I did not want, so I cannot say I formed an opinion based on personal experience from that point of view. I base my opinions on my religious views and my personal feelings from being pregnant with my children along with my ability to understand that there are other reasons for people to seek this option other than just plain not want to have a baby.

I do not believe abortion should be used as birth control. I believe both men and women should be more careful with their sexual practices. For the most part, people having sex know that a baby could result from it. I understand that birth control could fail. I was told by my mom that I am the result of birth control failing in some way. 

I am not sure where the line is drawn between a baby being trash and a baby deemed valuable enough to let live. It seems like if a pregnancy is not expected or wanted, it is not reasonable to expect a woman to keep the pregnancy. If the woman is excited about a pregnancy, it is a loved and real from the beginning. If a woman was excited about her pregnancy when she was murdered, we hear all about it no matter how far along she was: her due date, the sex of the baby, the baby's name (if it is known). For example, when Shannan Watts and her daughters were murdered, along with the wonderful things said about them, we heard about that baby, including the sex and name. There was even outrage that he was not charged in the baby's death. However, if a woman is pregnant and as far along as Shannan was with an "unwanted" pregnancy, it is perfectly acceptable for her to kill the baby by having an abortion. I do not understand this logic. 

I believe that all life is precious and should be treated as such. (To put that into perspective, I also don't believe in the death penalty, but I won't go into that right now.) Abortion for birth control spits in the face of that belief. God created life, and that should be respected. President Kimble said, "Abortion must be considered one of the most revolting and sinful practices in this day...to submit to or perform an abortion except in rare cases...should be done only after counseling...and after receiving divine confirmation through prayer." He sends us these precious spirits to teach and love, not to throw away like trash. 

I understand that there are pregnancies that are a result from one night stands or a drunken mistake or whatever other "mistakes" happen. Here’s an idea, don't have sex if you don't want there to be a chance that a baby could be the result. Is this a lot to ask? Maybe, but that is how I see it. That is truly taking control of your body and your choices. By the way, I think men should do the same. When sex results in a pregnancy, they should be held responsible at least financially.

When a baby is the result of rape or incest, if there is no possibility of the baby surviving outside the womb, or if the mother's life is in danger, abortion could be an option. This should only be done after careful consideration. I could understand why this would be necessary in these cases. I have known someone who carried a baby to term knowing she would not survive outside the womb. She was crushed knowing that her precious girl could not live on her own. When she was told  by the insurance that he only way they would cover the "birth" would be if she carried the baby to term or miscarried, it added to her pain. She loved her baby more each day, knowing that their time together was limited. After the baby was born, she live only a short time, and the mother had to heal from a C-section and go through the process of forcing her milk to dry up without the reward of caring for her daughter. Her pain was real. She would have been in pain either way, but it seemed to be extended by the insurance company's decision to not allow a medical procedure that may or may not have helped the healing process. It was legal for her to have an abortion, but she was not able to do it. My question: Where were all of the people who claim to care about these mothers when she needed the money and support? My (possibly cynical) answer: They didn't care because she was not their target. They only care about supporting the women who didn't want the baby. 

Am I happy about the "trigger laws" that resulted from the overturning of Row vs. Wade? Not necessarily. Outlawing all abortions can be dangerous. If the mother dies as a result of a pregnancy, the baby would most likely die, too. How is that saving a life? If there is no chance of a baby surviving after birth, why put the family through the prolonged pain of anticipating a birth knowing there would be death at the same time? If the baby is the result of rape or incest, there should not be a forced, constant reminder of the trauma they endured more than the resulting PTSD that is inevitable thanks to the horrible person who thought it was their right to force themselves on someone. That being said, there should be careful consideration in these cases to assure more mental or spiritual trauma would be caused by this choice because it is a permeant decision.