Photo courtesy of Patrick Mansell via Flickr
Few issues make the hairs on the backs of people’s necks stand up in the way the issue of abortion does. Whether you are for or against it, the issue is so delicate that trying to talk about it is like bringing a bull into a fine china shop.
The issue of abortion recently came up in the case of an undocumented teen who recently traveled to the United States. The name of the teenager was not given, instead going under the legal alias of Jane Doe. After being detained at the Mexican-United States border, the teenager was informed by medical officials that she was pregnant.
After the teenager attempted to schedule an abortion, her initial attempt was blocked by the Trump Administration. She was ultimately successful in getting the abortion after a legal battle in court.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led the charge of outrage against the court’s decision to let the teenage immigrant have the abortion.
As major of a legal and political battle as the issue of abortion has become, I am honestly left wondering why it has become a legal battle. This is not a case stating what side is right on the issue of abortion, but a case asking why so many people want to get involved in a decision that should ultimately come down to one person.
Abortion is one of the greatest moral dilemmas that a woman can face in her life. The reasons for wanting to have the procedure varies from woman to woman. It is not an easy decision to make for most women.
Even though I have my own personal stance on abortion, I would never try to impose my opinion on it onto women. As a man, I could never fully understand the mentality of a woman who is faced with that decision. To say that I have the answer for what a woman should do in that case would be ignorant in every sense of the word.
It is not the place of any other individual to step in and try to guide a woman on whether or not to get an abortion. I do not feel that you should tell a woman what to do in that scenario.
The issue of abortion is not some everyday decision that should be affected by the opinions of outside forces. This is the kind of decision that forever alters the direction of any woman’s life.
In a legal statement, the teenager stated that she had made her decision and that it was between her and God. Even though the teenager chose what she wanted to do about her pregnancy, it will still be a personal burden on her for the rest of her life.
I ultimately question the nature of the prevention and allowance of abortions by the justice system. You can not approach a moral or emotional dilemma like abortion with legal facts and cold logic. It is like saying that I am going to use a fork to drink water. The two factors are a contradiction and can not work together as a result.
Even when the judge rules in favor of a woman’s right to get an abortion, it is the judge that is ultimately making the decision that the woman should have been left to make on her own accord. Legal battles for abortion cases only intensify the emotional struggle that a pregnant woman is going through.
I am not telling you to take a side on the issue, but rather to be understanding and respectful of whatever decision a woman makes in a situation like that. This is an extremely difficult issue that deserves to be treated with only the utmost respect and sensitivity.
