Sunday, November 13, 2011
Not Pro-Life OR Pro-Choice? You're not alone.
Concerning the issue of abortion, growing up being a Catholic and attending church every week, I normally only got to hear one side of the story: that pro-life is the only right way to think, no matter what the case is. Then on the news I would hear the other side of the Pro-Choice activists that were all about the right for women to be able to choose. Naturally, when thinking about where I stood, I felt out of place because I felt like my stance fell somewhere in between. It was especially troubling in junior high and high school when we would have debates for class or papers to write, we were forced to choose one or the other and support that view. This is why when we started talking about the subject in class and Professor Marable explained that most theories on the issue are in-between ones, I was happy that we wouldn't just be going back and forth between pro-life and pro-choice and why we thought each one is right or wrong. Personally, I found both Marquis's and Thomson's views to be the most fitting for my opinion that abortion is immoral for most cases besides extreme ones such as rape or if the mother's life is in jeopardy. Thomson's violinist analogy was very odd but it did bring up a good point I suppose. Overall though, I think abortion is going to be a hot topic in politics for many years to come because there are so many different opinions stemmed from personal or religious beliefs, and what can and can't be regulated, that coming to a consensus on one will be tough.
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I find your view on the topic to be interesting, and I feel that you are not alone. A lot of people do fall in between the debate. I'm kind of like you where I grew up going to church and being taught that abortion is 100% wrong. I still agree with what I was taught in my church about abortion, but now I can also see some reasonings as to why some people like rape victims went thru with the procedure.
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ReplyDeleteYeah now that I think about it, I didn't make it completely clear in my post, but I think I would consider myself more pro-life than pro-choice. The only way I find it acceptable is in those extreme cases we talked about, such as a rape victim, and even then I believe abortion should be considered as a last resort if no other means such as adoption are possible.
This has always been a very uncomfortable topic for me as well, because I'm never completely sure of where I stand. I definitely lean towards being pro-choice, but there are always those arguments that make you reconsider where you stand. I agree and think that it's great to hear those in-between theories, because this issue isn't as clear cut as pro-life or pro-choice. Even just the terms "pro-life" and "pro-choice" imply two very different things: supporting a fetus' right to life or a woman's right to chose what happens over her own body. There are so many different definitions of when life starts that these alternative theories definitely need to be considered more in the public debate over abortion.
ReplyDeleteI can only agree that abortion is going to be a VERY hot topic for the future, not only because of the fact that you are taking someone's life, but if abortion was banned, than that would spark a whole other list of debates. I am torn because I truly am pro-life and don't see abortion as an option unless that mother's life is at stake, but I also believe in that views of this country. We as individuals should have the freedom and the decision to do what we want with our bodies becuase we are all unique and our own person. HOWEVER, when thinking of this also, that embryo, fetus, baby, or whatever you refer to it is as, is a person also. They have the respect and the freedom that all of the rest of the people in the world deserve. But how can they voice their opinion? Shouldn't they get a say too? So with all of these factors considering, that makes viewing people's decisions on abortion rather difficult because I can see their opinion, but I think they are missing a whole chunk to that debate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you've said here. I grew up in a very pro-life environment so my views tend to lean that way, but I agree that there are instances where it would be reasonable to allow an abortion to occur. I feel that these instances should be controlled and only allowed in specific cases where a panel of doctors are in agreement, either for the safety of the mother or if there is a severe consequence to not performing the abortion.
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