Abortion is such a touchy subject that I rarely discuss about it with my parents and friends. However, there are a couple of exceptions where I do talk about it with people who are very close to me. Those people are very open-minded, and willing to hear from both sides. In fact, my best friend from high school whom I still talk to were talking to me about a hypothetical situation where if she got pregnant now, she would choose to have an abortion because she said that she still has her life ahead of her. She told me that when she talked about what she would do with her boyfriend, her boyfriend immediately rejected her hypothetical choice. He said that she should go through the pregnancy, and if she does not want the baby, he will raise it instead. But, she got upset because she retorted back saying why did she have to go through the birthing process if she did not plan to have the baby. In this, I realized that based on the article, “Are Mothers Persons,” when the author mentioned the father’s “reproductive rights,” my best friend’s boyfriend was acting on that very same rights in that he should have a role in deciding whether my friend should give birth or not. It seems that what is always, always omitted in these types of conversations is the the innate rights of those involved, whom in this case is the women.
Another example of this omission is present in the reason why I do not talk about abortion with my parents. I was raised in a Christian family due to my father being a minister, and my mother being actively involved in the church. So, it is obvious that both my parents are very religious because it is such a huge part of their lives. It is specifically because of that reason that it is really difficult to discuss social issues with them. When I have asked them what their opinions were on abortion, they told me that they believed that it should not be an option because it is taking a life of a human being which goes against the laws in the Bible. Yet, when I told them about considering the pregnant woman's choice to choose whether she wants to abort or not, they still believed that abortion should not be available. My parents did not truly take in consideration of the rights that belong to women.
Those rights should be factored in issues such as abortion. These rights are a natural part of women especially those who are pregnant. They should have the ultimate right to decide what is best for them while at the same time, knowing all the options and consequences for those options. In class, we discussed what bodily integrity was. Wikipedia defines this term as “the inviolability of the physical body and emphasizes the importance of personal autonomy and the self-determination of human beings over their own bodies.
Many times, we have seen women’s bodily integrity being violated. Through acts of domestic violence, sexual assault, and mainly through the limited access to contraception such as abortion. I want to mention the state senator Wendy Davis who delayed the new, current Texas abortion law with a marathon filibuster. Unfortunately, this law still passed, and has closed many abortion clinics, preventing the women to choose the option of abortion. I found an article where recently, the Supreme Court blocked the abortion law, therefore allowing 13 abortion clinics that were once closed to now reopen. What I want to question is why the women ’s rights so easily disregarded are? Especially by the mainly male Texas legislators who, in truth, have no right to make these decisions related to reproduction system. It is the same concept with the fathers’ “reproductive rights” where in this case, it is the Texas politicians deciding what are available for the women without considering the women’s choices. In the words of Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
“Politicians are interfering with the personal medical decisions of women who already have the least access to birth control and preventative health care. If this law goes into effect, there is no doubt it will end safe access and legal abortion for many women, leaving some resort to desperate and dangerous measures. We won’t let that happen.”
Take note of the phrase, “interfering with the personal medical decisions of women.” Women’s bodily integrity is tarnished. It is completely invaded by people who clearly do not understand the women’s lives, and thus is disregarded. I wonder if how many people realize this problem, and that we need something to change especially in women’s reproductive rights.
I was discussing the article, “Are Mothers Persons?” with my one of my close friends, and I asked her the question of why do people do this to pregnant women. Why did the government force upon C-sections on pregnant women against their will because of the state’s interest in the fetus. Why. Why. Why. I feel frustrated and upset just thinking about it. My friend responded something that made me feel resigned. She said that things will not change unless men are somehow able to reproduce. If not, then it will be very difficult to change the way things are. She explained how women’s only purpose was to reproduce and make babies, and it has been that way in history for a long time which is why it is still transcending to modern day. That idea is still fixed because women are seen to not even consider abortion as an available option, but rather if pregnant, they should go through with it like in the case with my best friend and her boyfriend.
In conclusion, I can truly say that I learned a lot especially on the reproductive rights of women. I also found that we really have more work to do, and that we cannot think that we are content with the way things are now. Yet, I am as to unsure on how to make a change because the issue on the violation of women’s bodily integrity is so deeply rooted that it will be very difficult to change the perspectives of people who do not clearly understand the true meaning of bodily integrity.
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