Friday, September 23, 2011

Abortion...sigh

I really wished that Dr. Yang on Grey's Anatomy did not go through with her abortion last night.

My first introduction to abortion was while working at a summer job in the late 80s as a File Clerk. This job was one of the worst jobs in creation - so bad that I never listed it on my resume. The requirements of the job were to file pertinent papers pertaining to a client’s file all day. For 8 hours this was all we did. The pay was horrid - minimum wage. The room where all of this filing took place was grey, full of files and about the size of a standard basement. My co workers were all women from different walks of life; I remember that some of the girls smoked marijuana religiously on their lunch hour and seemed to have been beaten down by life even though they were relatively young. Then there was an older lady probably in her late 30s; she was married and was doing this job as a means to support her family. One day she told me that she wouldn't be coming in for the next three days because she was pregnant, but she couldn't afford to have another child so her and her husband were going to take care of it. She didn't seem comfortable telling me this as a matter fact she seemed quite pained, but it seemed that they had decided this was the best they could do at the time. This was my first introduction to abortion and I thought to myself this is surely not how it's portrayed in the media.

Fast forward a couple of years - I'm now married, have a couple of children and am working. I worked with a young lady who was very “giving” of herself, and if she got pregnant, she aborted. When I met her, she had already had three abortions, but was still living the same way. I tried to influence the best I could, but I don't know if I made difference. I hope I did.

Every election year, abortion comes up. I don't see how abortion becomes a litmus test for who is a great politician or who will run the country well. In my mind, both parties are guilty since neither is acting on the greatest commandment, which is to love. Any how, within my circle of friends I randomly decided to ask if anyone ever had an abortion. To my surprise more than half of the group had.

So what has all of this taught me?
  • For the most part a woman does not come to this decision lightly.
  • Last night on TV - they said it’s better to have no child than an unwanted child; I can't agree with this. In the long run a career does not equate to a human life.
  • Having children forces you to think outside of yourself; I know all of us aren't always ready for it when it happens, but you learn to put yourself aside.
  • If you're here - someone did it for you. They might not have done it perfectly, but you're here and you now have an opportunity for hope; an opportunity to do things differently.
  • Once you've gone through a pregnancy and delivery you recognize the miracle of creating another life - even if the circumstances around the pregnancy aren't ideal.
  • When you abort they're lingering feelings/emotions that may show up at the oddest times for both you and the dad.
I am pro-life but not judgmental. I recognize that life is complicated and sometimes things happen that we wouldn’t have planned for ourselves. Bad things happen to good people all the time. But I know I’m not always in control of my circumstances. When difficult situations arise, I turn to God to provide wisdom and direction. Turning to God will not lead you in the wrong direction.

So if you’re wrestling with this, forget the politicians. Be still. Stop – do nothing. Talk to God and let Him lead you in the right direction.

I will leave you with Psalms 139 which has helped me many times, particularly verses 13-18. God made you (and your unborn children) and knows you.

6 comments:

  1. I think you know where I stand on this. I'm pro-life for myself and pro-choice for others. I'm also well aware that it's been relatively easy for me to be pro-life as I've never been faced with an unwanted pregnancy.

    I am of the mindset that each woman needs to be able to make the decision for herself and be willing to live with the consequences of whatever action she chooses.

    I am not comfortable with the fact that my stance is not the church's stance, but I'd be lying if I said I was adamantly pro-life.

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  2. The episode of Grey's Anatomy wasn't the ending I would have liked to have seen either. I still love the show and will continue to watch, but I kind of envisioned the baby being adopted by Meredith because she really wants to be a mom.
    But I do believe it is important to understand both sides of a person's decision.

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  3. There are so many thoughts I have regarding this post; however I will try to keep this comment short. I believe abortion is a woman's personal right to choose. Until one has a situation where they feel abortion is the only option, I do not think one can begin to understand why a woman chooses to abort. I may or may not agree with ones reason to choose abortion but the choice should be the woman’s and she should not have to be judge by anyone. God is the ultimate judge. I do not think abortion should be a method of birth control. As for the Grey’s episode well … it was a fictional (although subliminal) example of another woman’s life and her choice.

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  4. I'm completely pro-choice, however, I do resent those that use abortions as birth control. I do agree with the statement though regarding an unwanted a child. A woman has a right to reject being a mother. It's the greatest thing to ever happen to me and my life, but I know others who regret the decision to birth a child. Sad but true.

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  5. Saw many online journals. Read numerous works. This is something else. Something astounding.
    Resumeyard

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