Friday 1 June 2018

FFS Friday - Rise

Last weekend Ireland voted to repeal the 8th amendment to the constitution, meaning that abortion is now legal there. Yes, that's right, until recently, abortion was not legal in Ireland. Seems barbaric doesn't it?

In the lead up to the vote there were a lot of arguments for and against, with people labelled either for abortion or against abortion. It's not about that though. It's about a woman's choice to control what happens to her body. 

I'll say that again. People were voting to decide if women should have control over what happens to their body.

This angers me on so many levels. 

Name me a situation where people get to vote on what happens to a man's body. Name me a situation where men doing something to their body is illegal. Name me a situation where a man will be forced to go through with something that may kill him.

Men have no right to any say about what happens to a women's body, just as women have no right to say what happens to a man's body. 

It's also much more than being pro or anti abortion. It's not that simple. I'm not pro abortion. I'm not anti abortion. I am pro choice. Whilst I may not choose to have an abortion, I cannot say what is right for another woman. There are many reasons why women would want or need an abortion. They should not have to explain these reasons to anyone. 

Long term readers will know that I was raise in a very strict, religious family. They were anti abortion. I've always thought it wasn't black or white. One day at school we were discussing abortion. We had to go to the right side of the room if we were against abortion and the left side of the room if we were pro abortion. I wanted to stand in the middle because I am neither for or against abortion, I think it's up to the woman to decide. As I was forced to pick a side, I chose the left side (for abortion) and explained my reasons why. 

The teacher was part of our religion. Next church meeting he pulled mum aside for a chat. When we got home mum hauled me over the coals for being pro abortion. I was 14. We had a discussion that I'll never forget. I was trying to explain to mum that it's not black and white and that there can't be a hard and fast rule. Mum disagreed. So I gave her the following scenario: What if I, as a 14 year old virgin, was raped and became pregnant with my rapists baby. What would mum do? 
She said that she wouldn't allow me to have an abortion that I could either have the baby and keep it, give it to her to raise or put it up for adoption.

Let's take a minute to think about that. A 14 year old child gets raped. That in itself is a very traumatic event. As if that's not bad enough, the child is then forced to carry the rapists baby for 9 months, endure the examinations that are bad enough when you're an adult let alone a 14 year old child, give birth (which in itself would be extremely traumatic for a child), then face the heart breaking choice of keeping the child or giving it away.

How could anyone believe that would be god's will? God is supposed to be loving and kind, so why would he/she willingly put an innocent child through all that unnecessary trauma? Makes no sense to me. 

Life isn't black and white. There are many situations where abortion is necessary. Even if it's not necessary, a person has the right to control over their body. No-one should be able to dictate what happens to another person's body. It's not okay. 

I love that women are standing up for their rights. For too long we've been treated as inferior, been dictated to and told what to do. No more. Without us men would not be here, and until they manage to grow babies outside of the womb, men need us. It's time we demanded respect and slowly but surely we are doing that. We're standing up and taking back control. Northern Ireland, I'm so proud of you. 

Note: I read on twitter that abortion is illegal in Queensland, surely that's incorrect?

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