Women's Rights

The older I get, the more interested I become in politics.  Who would have thought that would happen, because I spent most of my life thinking politics were a) boring and b) confrontational, which is something I typically like to avoid.

I just filled out my Absentee Ballot for the upcoming election, because Ryan and I will be in NY on election day.  I've been very interested in local and national politics the past many years, although I still don't claim to have an opinion on every issue, since I'm still researching and studying some of them.  I'm registered as an Independent because I like to study an issue/person before I base my decision on my beliefs. 

I often talk about current events, including political views, with my children.  I want them to become critical thinkers who believe in the future of our country.  It's fun to "debate" with them and see if they can defend both sides of an issue.  At the same time, I make sure they are aware of my viewpoint, whether or not they agree.

Most voters have at least one issue that is the most important to them.  For someone struggling to find or maintain a job, that might be the economy.  For a military family that might be the war in the Middle East.  Although I have opinions on many of the issues, there is one issue that trumps the others.

Abortion. 

The battle between pro-life and pro-choice is a non-issue in my mind.  The headlines call the issue "Women's Rights," so as a woman I'd like to make a stance as to what right we have.

We have the right to have sex.

If a child is created during the act of having sex, the decision is no longer the woman's as to whether or not she should allow that child to develop inside her until it can survive on it's own outside the womb. 

As a parent, I often talk to my children about consequences for their actions.  These consequences can be both positive and negative.  If my child chooses to wash his laundry, he will have clean clothes to wear to school.  If my child chooses to study and finish her homework, she will get good grades and make me proud.  If my child chooses to hit their sibling, they will have a privilege taken away.  If my child chooses to eat all their Halloween candy in one sitting, they will feel sick.  I tell my children that they can choose their action, and they will often be able to choose their positive consequence, but they cannot choose their negative consequences.  There will always be consequences for our actions.  Cause and effect has been in place since the world began.

My children will ultimately be able to choose if they will engage in sexual behaviors before they are wanting to start a family.  But they will not be able to choose the consequence of that action, whether that be a pregnancy, a loss of emotional stability, a loss of spiritual strength, a loss of health, a loss of future goals, etc.  From the moment life is created inside a female, her body is no longer just her own.  The argument of being able to choose what a woman does with her own body is no longer in her control.  Her choice was to engage in sex, but now she must deal with the consequence.

I've know of parents encouraging their daughter to get an abortion because she's too young. They might not want her to have the stigma associated with a pregnancy, or they might want her to be able to continue participating in a sport she loves, or they might see how a child would hold her back from going away to college.  They have essentially gone against the lesson they've been instilling in their daughter since she was only a baby; you can choose your action, but you cannot choose your consequence.  A girl might choose to get an abortion because she doesn't want to take on the added expense, responsibility, or "ruin" her body with a pregnancy.  She is literally playing with life.

We should not murder our neighbor.  We can choose to do so, but we will suffer the negative consequences.  I don't see how this is any different than killing the unborn child.  If a pregnant girl does not want to raise a child, she can give that baby up for adoption so it can be raised in a home where it is wanted.  I have witnessed the miracle of adoption many times in my life.

Only God should decide when a new life will enter this world, and when that life will be taken back to Him.

There is no easy answer to abortion in the cases of incest or rape, and I can only hope that someone suffering from such a traumatic event can receive inspiration and comfort from their loving Father in Heaven.

For the reason of abortion alone, I am voting for conservative candidates who support birth control, health care for pregnant women, and adoption for unplanned pregnancies.

The other issues I find to be the most important during this historic presidential election year are the economy and the deficit, which will ultimately be the fall of our country if we continue on this path.  I tend to be very conservative on some issues, and very progressive on others.  I couldn't possibly consider myself a "Republican" or "Democrat" because I almost always agree with parts of what each candidate stands for, whether local or higher government.  If only we could pick and choose parts of each candidate's viewpoint, so we could create the Perfect President.