Pro life and Pro choice
My four kids are the most important accomplishment of my life- I have been lucky to see them grow into amazing adults who are making the world a better place; as parents, as spouses, as advocates and in their work, both paid and volunteer. They and I have also been privileged; with enough to eat, with relatively good health in spite of some hiccups along the way, with a safe place to live, and with people who love us.
Growing up, I watched my mother chafe under the burdens of being a parent to six kids; my dad was an incredible support- he took us to sports and music lessons, the dentist, frequently cooked on the weekends, and he pushed my mother to go back to work and eventually to graduate school where she accomplished her dream of becoming a scientist at the age of 40 and in spite of getting pregnant while she was working on her degree and giving birth to a three months premature baby when I was 16. I went to Planned Parenthood for birth control before I ever had sex; so great was my fear of getting pregnant.
I gave birth to my first child when I was 28 (and married) and my second child when I was 31. Six months later, I got pregnant while using two forms of birth control with what turned out to be twins. I never considered not having them; I always wanted kids; but I also wanted a career and was able to complete my Master’s Degree right before that third pregnancy. Being pregnant with a toddler and a baby was tough and I got phlebitis (pre blood clot) when I was 8 months pregnant and had to be hospitalized. I was given heparin and could have bled to death if I had gone into labor- again- being lucky, it resolved and I was able to give birth to a 9 and a 7 pound baby a month later. (Yes you read that correctly, I carried 16 pounds of baby while chasing a one year old and a three year old around full time. ) By the time the twins were 5, I was a single mom.
I am revealing all of this personal stuff because at the age of 69, I am appalled that an elite group of judges and primarily male legislators in many states including Indiana where I live, have taken away the rights of women to determine their own and their families futures. Not content to stop at abortion, under Mike Pence, Indiana passed a miscarriage bill which punishes women who are already dealing with the trauma of miscarriage.
Republican legislators and judges do not care about the sanctity of human life and they lie when they call a fetus a “person” or a “child.” If they cared about human life, they would not pass permitless gun carry bills as the Indiana legislature recently did in spite of statewide opposition by law enforcement. (along with the recent Supreme Court decision to provide gun owners with more rights) If they cared about human life, they would support President Biden’s coverage for childcare so poor working moms and dads would be able to earn a living wage, public funding for education and healthcare, and bills designed to change the fatal trajectory of climate change which is already causing deaths and destruction worldwide.
Prochoice means supporting women and their families to choose a good, safe and equitable life for themselves and their kids. I have been a clinic escort for Planned Parenthood for years, and the women I see going to make their own choices desperately care about the children they already have in many cases. Prolife means providing everyone, not just the wealthy and elite judges at the Supreme Court and the primarily wealthy men in the US Congress who want to take away choice, with the opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
