William T. Robinson, Jr.
As it stands today, woman’s reproductive rights are a controversial topic. But should it be? When all is said and done shouldn’t the sole decision be up to the individual woman to decide what she feels is in her best interests—whether others agree or not. She will be left with the primary responsibility of raising and providing for a human being and there is no guarantee those pressuring her to have a child will be there to help. In fact, you find many citizens advocating to take away or reduce state and federal funding that the taxpayers provide for mothers, subsidized by these programs. Maybe if women’s reproductive rights concerning pregnancy, birth control, and abortion were not controlled by state and federal laws, women could take ownership in what they feel is personally right for them.
I find it very ironic and hypocritical that some of the very same people complaining about unwed mothers being a dead weight on taxpayers are critical of women who choose birth control or abortions. Special interest groups who push their agenda on women (preying on their emotions) shouldn’t pressure women to make a choice they may later regret. Regardless of what some may believe, all mothers don’t bond with their children. They may take out their hostility on the child, especially if they resent the biological father not being there to help raise the child. This is only exacerbated when they feel abandoned by the man when he is cajoling with another woman.
Some single women and married couples just don’t want a child. They may feel it can be a detriment from fulfilling their dreams or goals. Some women and men are extremely immature and lack the parental skills necessary to be a productive and responsible parent. It is not in a child’s best interests when its mother or father feels trapped and resentful, making their child’s life a living hell. Some people believe that some children are treated so badly that maybe it would have been more merciful if they were never born.
Perhaps some people don’t want to consider the negative aspects of bringing children into the world. But the fact is that all children are not loved and embraced. A woman raising a child alone may be hampered by economic woes and lack of time to properly supervise or take appropriate care of a child. Let’s be real—raising a child is a serious time consuming and expensive endeavor. The decision is not to be taken lightly.
While some women (married or single) are in a comfortable position financially and career wise to raise a child, many are far from it. Few people would argue that life is not precious, but it is ultimately the woman’ decision—especially if she is alone. You‘ll find many men who deny that the unborn child is theirs and go on about their business. But the woman doesn’t have that option and is subjected to a lifelong commitment to the child she is carrying.
Then you find some men who take responsibility for their role and want to be a part of raising the child even if it means marriage. This is a positive scenario that is, unfortunately, not often the case. If we lived in a perfect world and everyone did the right thing, all children would be welcomed by both parents willing to do anything to provide for the best interests of the child. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and the realities of people’s lives are not always conducive for raising children.
Do we have a right to be judgmental about a decision that is between God and an individual woman? Nevertheless, we find church groups and some men advocating for laws telling a woman what she can or cannot do with her body. Ironically you’ll find that many of these advocates trying to dominate women’s reproductive rights being White men, primarily politicians. If the truth were told, many of these politicians have had clandestine relationships with mistresses, aborting the embryos conceived from their trysts. Many ministers advocating pro-life from the pulpits, are guilty of the same iniquities. Hypocrites like these, are not in a position to try to sway their opinions on others. Do as I say and not what I do, isn’t working among people who are not blind.
Many onlookers are confused because their religion has taught them that abortion is not an option. Whatever your personal feelings, deciding on whether to keep or abort a child is perhaps one of the greatest decisions a woman, especially an unwed woman, will ever have to make. Unless you are in her shoes, you may never understand the circumstances for her choice.
Maybe if men could have babies; if they were raped; or the pregnancy was life threatening; or they were carrying a deformed child that would suffer most of its life—they might have a different opinion about someone dictating their choices. I guess the question one must ask is: “Does a man who has never carried a baby have the right to dictate a woman’s reproductive rights?” It seems only logical that reproductive rights should be a woman’s individual choice. Judgment is mine sayeth the Lord.
