It All Comes Down To This

Abortion is a very controversial and emotional subject. I chose to do this entire blog on such a topic because many people are brainwashed by what they have heard from their family, friends, and other significant influences. People tend to think with their friends and not solely for themselves, which is where the disagreement begins: Pro Choice or Pro Life? Pro Choice is the belief in that a woman should be able to choose whether or not she should have an abortion. Pro Life is the decision where life is over choice and that it's otherwise an act of murder.

Throughout this long journey of finding out what I truly believed in pertaining to this topic, I decided to interview an abortion doctor at a clinic in Homewood, AL. I learned that it was more realistic to keep abortion legal and that women's health would not be in as much danger when compared to what women did before abortion was made legal. Then, after reading Back Rooms: Voices from the Illegal Abortion Era it really strengthened my opinion which started gravitating torwards pro choice. It talked of women who grew up while abortion was illegal and painted the emotional trauma of how it impacted their lives of not having any options. The book was the voice of the women who didn't have generations before us.

After studying about this topic over the course of several weeks, it dwindles down to my final opinion which is pro choice. I am pro choice because I believe a law should not be made to make every woman's decision. Pro life is considered apart of pro choice. You can CHOOSE to be pro life, and not have an abortion. However, if abortion were made illegal all choices are out the window. You're stuck with the belief of pro life. You can argue and debate over when life really begins (which I actually did a blog on) and the moral values that this nation was founded on, but you can't deny the fact that a woman has a right to choose. It is her body. It's not the government's. It's not the campaigner's. It's HERS.

Overall, this project was very educational in many different ways. I learned how to research, improve my blogging, and many other things as well. Some things I wish I would have done differently was probably get more involved with my topic. I could have gone to a pro choice organization or something of that nature. I also wish I would have studied more on the scientific side of the issue and not just emotions of women and other pro choicers/lifers. In the end, I'm glad I did the project and now have a much better understanding of the debate about abortion.

Confidential Interview

As I interviewed an abortion doctor from Homewood, AL who is currently occupied at Brookwood Medical Center I was a bit irritated at the fact that she would wish to remain anonymous. Not so much irritated with the fact that she would rather remain anonymous in general, but for the sake of her life because she is an abortion doctor. When I asked her why she took on such a risky job she stated that she was "committed to providing care to the women of our nation under the principles on which it was founded. All people deserve choices in their healthcare. Women deserve the right to choose to continue (or not continue) a pregnancy." She later went on to say that the biggest pro and con of the entire situation is that it is the woman's body, therefore it is her decision. However, the biggest con is not the typical death of the baby but more so a burden on the individual who follows through with the abortion. The clinics provide a post operation appointment as well as therapy, but many refuse because they would rather "forget that the situation even occured". Many will also argue that the birth control pill is the same as an abortion in that it kills an embryo. She simply defends this by comparing the two in different view points. The pill is used to PREVENT the egg from being fertilized, meanwhile an abortion is used to remove a fertilized egg. This then carries over to the burning question "What do you think would happen if abortion were made illegal?". She describes the outcomes as detrimental, lethal, and deadly. Sad to think about when considering we are the "Land of the Free".

After the interview with the certified abortion doctor, it really impacted me in a way I've never felt before. I still believed what I believed, but in a different way. She inspired me to be more passionate about the care for women instead of just blatantly saying women deserve rights. You can read all that you want on the internet, magazine articles, and commercials, however, there is nothing like actually sitting down and talking to someone about something so vulnerable. What upset me the most was the fact that she would rather remain anonymous for her own personal safety and the safety for her staff at the clinic. What has happened to this country? The fact a doctor cannot reveal his/her identity for safety reasons is beyond me.

C.B. Personal interview. 4 April 2010.