Void at Birth

Controversy stemmed over President Barack Obama's commencement speech to the graduating class of the University of Notre Dame; at the centre is the difference of opinion over abortion. Traditionally, the Democratic position has been to favour a woman's right to choose, an opinion in which many students of this independent Catholic university do not agree; some went so far as to boycott commencement and protest the coming of Mr. Obama.

This event had me pondering the issue of abortion. The more I think on it, the more I wonder if we should be treating this in isolation. Personally, I would rather not see the abortion of a foetus, but that is not a decision for me to make, seeing as how I have no right over a woman's body. Having said that, I do not believe a wholesale ban on abortion is the answer, nor do I truly understand the position of those who profess to be "pro-life".

For starters, it seems the right to life of a foetus ends once s/he starts breathing on her/his own. Children are routinely shortchanged, either by having to live in poverty or receive a substandard education, yet this is rarely, if ever, addressed. The same lobby groups who extol the rights of the unborn do very little for them after they are born (except, of course, tell them to pray).

And why is there such a need for abortion in the first place? How many young women run to the abortion clinic out of fear of persecution of their peers and authority figures? How many pointed fingers and whispers of "whore" can a girl endure? How many of these "pro-lifers" realize their actions are exacerbating the very problem they profess to combat?

And what is so wrong with homosexual couples adopting children? If heterosexual couples are unable to raise these children for whatever reason, would it not be wise to allow another set of parents, regardless of sexual orientation, the opportunity to raise them? Would we rather the child be denied this right to life than be raised by two parents of the same sex? Is it wrong for a child to think it is perfectly fine for someone to be homosexual?

And where do these "pro-lifers" stand on all these wars we are fighting? How do most of these young women and men end up as soldiers? Do they not have the right to life? Do Iraqis and Afghanis not have the right to life? Where is the anti-war cry from the pro-life crowd? Why, for the most part, do I see the "pro-life" representatives in Government so eager to send these children off to war? Are they protecting the unborn so as to keep the war machine going? More fodder for the cannons?

If Barack Obama is right on one matter, it's the assertion that there needs to be dialogue on this issue, and this dialogue cannot be of the token one-side-versus-the-other variety. We need to realize the consequences of simply taking a stance for or against. We need an environment far more nurturing to young women than the one we have now so that they know what options are available to them. There are many infertile and same-sex couples who would make outstanding parents; why are expecting women not in contact with them? Why are these women forced to decide between raising a child in a hostile environment or annihilating it altogether? Where is the love and support from the community?

If some people wish to call themselves "anti-abortion", fine. My hope is that they realize the consequences of adopting the "pro-life" label, for there is much more to life than simply being born: one's right to life does not become null and void upon birth.