Isn't it true that women need to take responsibility for their actions? Shouldn't they be aware that when they have sex there is a possibility they will get pregnant? - Male. Ethics class. 2016.
Prior to this comment, I gave a presentation on the ethics of abortion. Obviously a controversial topic that would solicit opinions from every side of the spectrum. I was aware of this, and frankly, I chose this topic for that reason. Perhaps I gave my audience the benefit of the doubt in thinking they would at least agree that, despite what anti abortionists deem "the woman's responsibility", it takes two people to have sex. And in the case of pregnancy, it takes a man and a woman. Not a woman. A man and and woman.
So this is where I was shocked when one of the two males in my class raised his hand and posed that not-rhetorical-but-not-answerable-question. I was recently talking to my best friend, and we were talking about how it is unfortunate that so many people in this world have closed minds. And this is especially the case when talking about abortion and women's rights. Because when it comes down to it, in my opinion, it is not about abortion; it is simply about basic human rights that are taken away from half of the world's population (ie. women).
So to have the decency to look at me, clearly a pro-woman and pro-choice advocate, and tell me that WE are the ones who need to be aware that sex leads to pregnancy is idiotic and close-minded. The right for a women to have an abortion and choose what she wants to do with her body is her choice. The desire to have sex is just a part of life, and unfortunately we have yet to supply universal contraception. This is what it is about. It is about the fact that the world loses 200,000 women per year due to unsafe abortion procedures. It is about the cold-hard fact that basic human rights are being overlooked.
So to the man in my ethics class, I really encourage you to look at the bigger picture. To put yourself in the shoes of a pregnant woman in a third world country who can't even support herself, let alone a child. To stop blaming women for having sex, and to blame governments for not giving us resources.
Also, I encourage you to not cross me again.
