Abortion, Right and Wrong By Rachel Richardson Smith

Since I wrote and posted  NARAL Takes The Coward's Approach on Amendment 69* I've continued thinking about the bigger question of a woman's sovereignty over her own body and legislative bans on abortion funding.  Obviously I think those bans are very wrong.  But there are the deeper questions that need to be faced and discussed.  Back in about 1994 I read an essay that to this day remains the most insightful review of the topic I've read.  I believe it ought be perquisite reading for all who speak out on abortion one way or the other.  Originally published in Newsweek, March 25, 1985, it has been republished and even studied in writing classes.

NARAL did have valid points that must be addressed.  My only argument with NARAL is that they've chosen to run from the problem rather than showing a willingness to confront it and fix it.  I don't think that's acceptable.  I share the following essay because it adds depth to this discussion.

* also see: Passing Amendment 69 - Why the Fear? Embrace the Challenge!

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Abortion, Right and Wrong

By Rachel Richardson Smith

I cannot bring myself to say I am in favor of abortion. I don’t want anyone to have one. I want people to use contraceptives and for those contraceptives to be foolproof. I want people to be responsible for their actions, mature in their decisions. I want children to be loved, wanted, well cared for.

I cannot bring myself to say I am against choice. I want women who are young, poor, single or all three to be able to direct the course of their lives. I want women who have had all the children they want or can afford or their in bad marriages or destructive relationships to avoid being trapped by pregnancy.

So these days when thousands rally in opposition to legalized abortion, when facilities providing abortions are bombed, when the president speaks glowingly of the growing momentum behind the anti-abortion movement, I find myself increasingly alienated from those pro-life groups.

At the same time, I am overwhelmed with mail from pro-choice groups. They, too, are mobilizing their forces, growing articulate in support of their cause, and they want my support. I am not sure I can give it.

I find myself in the awkward position of being both anti-abortion and pro-choice. Neither group seems to be completely right—or wrong. It is not that I think abortion is wrong for me but acceptable for someone else. The question is far more complex than that.