Abortion is my choice, and nobody else’s
For me, the most problematic thing about the abortion debate is that, at the crux, it’s about someone forcing their belief system on another person. When really, freedom to believe what you choose is a human right.
That’s what this whole debate boils down to: belief on the beginning of life.
Some people who get pregnant use science to inform their belief system. They should be allowed to hold that belief and act on it accordingly.
But I’m interested in how spiritual discussions around abortion have been siloed into the pro-life argument, yet they reach into the pro-choice rationale too.
My heart sank, as many do, when those two little lines faded into focus in my workplace bathroom. It sank because – and it still angers me to this day to admit this – I was in an abusive domestic relationship.
My heart sank because I knew instantly there was no way in hell I would go through with it. I was not going to bring that mental torture and physical abuse on another living soul.
It was comforting to know the option of abortion was there, but I was confused as to why there were weeks’ worth of delays when I had already made my decision. It meant that, while I could have an abortion, I was not allowed to decide when. The undue stress that added to an already traumatic time was not OK.
I am a spiritual person who doesn’t identify with a single religion. In fact, I believe they are all one and the same. My decision came from a spiritual place. These are my beliefs, born from my core values, based in my everyday and life-long experiences. I believed it was a potential life that I was thankful for, but circumstances meant I had to let it go. I did so with love, and tears.
Ihaven’t yet told my story, due to the incredibly heavy stigma attached to those who choose the abortion route. It’s the stigma that says you’re a murderer. It’s horrific, it is not based in science, it does not match the stance of medical practitioner groups, and it doesn’t leave room for other spiritual beliefs. So many voices have been silenced while other people argue for laws that will force women to do things against their wills.
And that’s just it. We return to the original debate: it is the pregnant person’s choice, no-one else’s. Especially not those who don’t have a clue what it’s like to be a potential life-giver in a society like this.
The fact that, under the current state of our law, abortion remains criminal, and a stranger – several of them actually – has to sign off on it, denies a person decent access to healthcare. It denies them the freedom to believe in what they choose. It also frustratingly delays the inevitable.
The changes proposed in the Abortion Legislation Bill give those who can get pregnant the compassion of understanding that each case is different, and each decision is made of differing beliefs. They are modernised next steps that not only increase access to healthcare but also recognise and respect people’s right to their own beliefs.
These fundamental human rights are at the crux of it. They are about the freedom to believe what you want.
Just as people have the choice not to have an abortion based on their beliefs, I too should have the choice to have one. You better believe it.