Monday, November 9, 2009

Abortion isn't genocide.

I was going to post this as a reply to a comment someone left, but I figured I'd blog.

Genocide is the systematic destruction of a group of people. No one group- white people, the government, etc.- is MAKING women get abortions. Women are choosing to get abortions- in the worst of situations and in the best of situations. And that's their choice.

I am against forced abortions, adoptions, childbirth/parenting and sterilizations. It doesn't matter the reasoning behind what women choose, it matters that it is their choice, the best decision they could make with the tools and options they have in front of them right then (regardless of what others try to say or tell them).

Abortion is one of the most distinctly unique situations- legally, politically, emotionally, physically- a person can be in. Comparing it to other situations comes up short and, often, is just insulting or ridiculous to the people who find themselves in the situation that abortion is being compared to.

2 comments:

placenta sandwich said...

Right on! It's so messed up for people to claim things like (for example) "black women are genociding their own people" -- what the hell?? To me, they are assuming women can't tell the difference between being oppressed and making our own reproductive choices. For sure, our situations are affected by society and government, and in turn affect our reproductive decisions -- so society and the government shouldn't be let off the hook for failing women and families of color -- but if a particular woman's need for an abortion is due to that failure, it still isn't wrong for her to choose abortion. Some women want to have a child, some want to have an abortion, and many will choose both at different times -- all are her right! Sorry this is getting long-winded, the topic just burns me up. Anyway, thank you for writing this.

Gaylon said...

Em and Placenta....
Thanks for this post and comment! Really appreciate it. Women are not just their wombs or vaginas. Women should be treated with dignity and respect. When "others" refuse to recognize a woman's worth and her ability to make her own decisions, that is the ultimate level of disrespect there is. We are human and we can decide what's best for us.