2011-10-19

Support and back up

 I know I'm getting up to the age where I might want to have children; its a common topic with my parents and the few adults that concern themselves with me.  They always assure me that I'll have their support, but to what extent?
  The idea of someday being able to give birth does excite me but I know it won't be easy for me.  Due to my illnesses, there would be massive potential complications.  My body just not being able to handle the extra effort to support a growing being, or there could be defects from the built up toxicity from medications; I just might not be able to conceive.  To increase the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy I could quit taking most of my  medications, but that's not actually an option.  The chance of me currently or in the next 5 years being able to conceive and carry a child to term is so small that its not even worth counting. Even if I were to get accidentally pregnant, I'd probably have no choice but to abort it.  No aspect of my current situation would make having a child an option; my health is too bad, we don't have enough money and no space to accommodate even a crib.  If I did end up getting pregnant, like so many people seem to want for me, how much would they support me if I had to have an abortion?
  I won't get into all of the little arguments that are pro or anti-choice, but it does seem incredibly heartless to deny that a woman who could die the right to an abortion.  There are no abortions of convenience, or ones done flippantly or carelessly.  Considering that terminating a pregnancy isn't a small decision, it would make sense to have networks to support women considering the procedure, but those efforts are overtaken by the christian, conservative media.  Mothers get alienated and suffer because of pressure from sources they might not even believe in.    
The only way to make sensitive topics easier to deal with is to have open honest dialogue.  Staying quiet just perpetuates more silence, and no issue can be solved by ignoring it.  Abortion is one of the bigger debates shielded by ignorance and denial, but is the most dangerous to be not handled correctly.  Even if some governments aren't willing to allow safe abortions or family planning groups, we owe it to ourselves to make sure we're getting honest information and community support against the anti-choice groups that are willing to put lives on the line over things they have no reason to step into.