Leethan Grandison, Outlook Youth Writer
Abortion is a topic I have strong opinions about. Some may argue, however, that my opinions are unimportant, first, because I am male, second, because I have never impregnated anyone, and third, I don't have the worries of becoming pregnant.
I want to banish these absurd arguments. Just because someone's gender is male doesn't mean that he's not intelligent or informed enough to pass judgement on the matter. If I were to be in a situation where my partner was pregnant, I would not be irresponsible about it. I would not tell her it's her fault and that she will have to deal with that problem. So the options are almost as much mine as they are the potential mother's.
The term 'pro-life' is really
laughable, if it is used in the context
of simply being against abortion. To me, I am pro-life because I respect the fact that a child should only be bought into a world if it can be looked after and provided for sufficiently.
In my opinion, it is far more cruel to allow a child to be born in a world where it isn't wanted, where he/she will be neglected or looked after unsatisfactorily. I do believe that as soon as a woman becomes pregnant the child inside her has some rights. But I also believe that it is far more merciful to abort the child than allow it to have a life it's not going to want to live.
The society does not allow children to make decisions of importance. Society thinks we are unable to make justifiable choices fully, so it takes away the power from us and do so. This is just the case here.
unprotected, stupid sex
On the other hand, abortion should not be used as a remedy for unprotected and basically stupid sex, but as a last resort for people. It should not be seen as an encouragement for underage sex either. Who really wants to be put through such a traumatic experience?
But we cannot deny people, who know their situation best, the chance to correct a wrong they have made. We cannot punish an innocent child because of one person's mistake. What we should do instead is hope that people in our society are responsible enough to learn from their mistakes. Even if there are those few who abuse the right to abort pregnancies, should we penalise the majority who use it as a last resort? I don't think so!
