[lbo-talk] "I Had an Abortion"

[Dwayne Monroe]

Joanna:

NO. A foetus is not a polyp. It IS a moral decision
albeit one that a woman must make.

………



Yes, I think this is precisely right.


For now, at this stage of our social development, the
abortion debate (argument – shouting match – war –
what have you) centers mostly around the issue of
women’s right to control their situations without
interference from men.

But because the decision to abort or not is indeed a
moral choice – one that can properly only be made by
the woman involved, without societal, family or other
forms of coercion – we can imagine a future in which
although the oppression of women has disappeared
(remember now, I used the word “imagine”) the debate
over abortion, exclusively between women of differing
circumstance and opinion, would continue with almost
as much fervor as we witness today.

…

When making an argument, there is always the
temptation to move towards excess and so it is with
abortion.

Pro-lifers assert the fetus’ absolute right to be born
– above any consideration of the potential mother’s
opinion of the matter.  This is, at heart, a religious
belief, founded on the idea of souls and similar
mysteries.  Even pro-lifers who are not particularly
or conventionally religious are dipping from the
theocratic well for their arguments’ sustenance.  Cut
loose from the heavenly tether, their pronouncements
often sound merely cranky or misogynist (which, of
course, they often are, but the source is obscured by
veils labeled “responsibility for your actions” and
“you’ve had your fun but you don’t want to face the
consequences” and similar old man with shotgun on
porch style statements). The self-consciously
religious at least have the origin of their ideas
straight in their heads and the good manners to openly
declare them (and now, someone will point out how
religious people do not have good manners – yes, okay,
thanks).

Pro-choicers, to counter the other-worldly basis of
the pro-choice argument, often fall into the easy trap
of moving with heedless speed to the opposite side of
the room – towards total materialism and
instrumentality.  There is no moral choice – the fetus
is only a meaningless growth – there’s nothing to
debate or fret over.  Or, the moral element is
acknowledged but placed in the back pocket while the
more immediate problem of patriarchy is discussed.

There is a middle ground though considering the
limited reality and complexity processing capabilities
of the human mind - as expressed through culture
trained personality - it’s not likely we’ll see it
universally or even widely accepted.


The middle ground is as Joanna stated: the choice is a
heavy moral one, but it can only fairly be made by a
woman.

Not by me, sympathetic though I may be.  Not by the
state, that rusty old ocean liner so obviously headed
towards the rocks.  Not by your family – both help and
hindrance, often in the same moment.  And not by god,
who, even if it exists in some form (let’s say, for
fun, an immense cosmic goat wearing a lab coat and a
quizzical expression) probably couldn’t give a rat’s
ass about human affairs (big universe and all that).



.d.