Welcome to my Ted Talk.
A very controversial topic that I have found myself becoming more immersed in every day is the debate on Pro-Choice versus Pro-Life.
To start, I am Pro-Choice. Why?
I'm pro-choice because I believe that becoming a mother should be taken seriously. Almost all female bodies can nurture a baby; shout out to antibiotics, cesareans, and anti-hemorrhage drugs, some women are able to persist pushing a baby into the world.
But parenting is a lot of work. Doing it well takes dedication, attention, patience, support, mental health, and a whole lot of money. I am no parent, but I have spent hours collectively reading articles on articles about this disputable topic. Becoming a parent is the biggest, most life-changing experience ever endured. The thought that people in society are dictating that a woman should conceive a child when they are pregnant after a one-night stand, rape, incest, or a broken condom (because believe it or not, condoms are not this magical force field that will block any particle of sperm from escaping) completely underplays what motherhood should truly be.
I'm pro-choice because contraceptives are imperfect, and people are too. The highly popular, contraceptive pill, is mid-1900s technology. For years, women were told that the pill was 99% effective, and they pinned blame on themselves if they got pregnant. But that 99% is a "perfect use" statistic. "Perfect use" is only sustainable when you use it at the exact same time of each and every day. Newsflash: people are not perfect. In the real world, one out of every eleven girls that solely depend on the contraceptive pill gets pregnant each year. For a couple who relies on the contraceptive pill, that is every one in six. Consistency with taking the contraceptive pill is crucial. As college students, younger children, or working women, it can be simple enough to miss a pill.
Now, will I ever have an abortion? Personally, I do not think I could ever do that, and I have my reasons. But if I was raped, it would be a completely different story. I would want to be ready to be a mother. I would want to be mentally and financially stable to raise my child in a right, healthy manner. I would want my child to be brought into the world knowing who she came from. I would not want to carry a child with constant stress and anxiety, because that is an unhealthy aspect of carrying a child.
But that is my choice and how I view this sort of situation.
That being said, it is also not my place, or yours, to tell another woman what she can and cannot do with her body.
It's nobody's business, really.
Sex is not illegal, and we should stop living in a society that thinks women should live with the consequence of getting pregnant. We should let women make the choice to become the women they have dreamed of becoming. To let mothers be good mothers and let them become one when they are stable in every way and ready.
You have a choice! Use it. You are your own person, nobody else defines you, nobody else can tell you what you can and cannot do with YOUR body. You come first, do what is best for you.
