The Abortion That Almost Was (and Why I’m Still Here Today)

As a woman, I find the supposed “war on women” to be a demeaning, demoralizing, apocryphal and mendacious strategy that is a complete distraction from the menacing issues facing our nation today.

Both the “war on women” and Obamacare are very personal issues for me. I’m certainly not going to insinuate that women shouldn’t have careers, opportunities or get paid equally for doing the same jobs as men, however I do think all the so-called “women’s rights” are ultimately hurting us more than helping.

Ann Coulter said, “If we took away women’s right to vote, we would never have to worry about another democrat president.”

While I don’t take Coulter’s statement literally–I would never suggest that women shouldn’t vote, have careers or own property–I do share her sentiment with a slightly different take.  I think what she is hinting at is the fact that liberals make decisions primarily based on emotions while conservatives tend to weigh facts and be more analytical in their decision making process.

Since the majority of women let emotions guide their choices, they are more likely to be liberal democrats, hence why the liberal media has targeted this “war on women” as part of their astucious campaign. It wouldn’t work on perspicacious individuals who the media would consider “heartless”.

My suggestion would be to give a personality-profiling test to all potential voters, both male and female, and only let the reason-based decision-makers vote!

Yeah, ok…so that type of profiling is probably not going to go over too well.  But at least no one would be accused of discriminating against either sex!

Recently I had lunch with a friend of mine.  I’ve been busy prepping for the film I’m producing so I hadn’t spoken to her in a while and was looking forward to catching up–but then she immediately started in on me about Romney.

“Why won’t he just drop this abortion issue?” she asked me.  “I mean really! Women would vote for him if he would just be pro-choice!”

I was surprised to find myself so incensed by her statements.  While I would never vote for a president based on a single issue and always thought myself to be sympathetic to the pro-choice stance, I was viscerally upset by her comments!  I understand it’s all about politics and winning votes, but since when did it become admirable for a candidate to compromise their beliefs and values just to cater to some projected whim of the media?  I say this because I think that it’s highly unlikely that Roe vs. Wade is in any danger of being overturned.  Moreover it shouldn’t be the only or primary grounds to elect a president because we, as voters, have many other issues to consider!

Regardless of where one stands on the issue of abortion, I can’t begin to comprehend how anyone could choose that single issue as a reason to vote for or against a president when we have an astronomical deficit, gas prices, and 23% unemployed or underemployed, to name just a few issues plaguing this country.

Then I started to think about my feelings on the issue of abortion.

It’s undoubtedly a complicated and sensitive issue that’s got many shades of grey for most people. I personally understand people wanting to argue the case for abortion in extreme circumstances such as rape or traumatic illness affecting the child because I was born with congenital rubella after my mother contracted the German measles during her first trimester of pregnancy with me.

Fortunately for me, when she went to the doctor to have the titer tested he read it as 112; he was dyslexic and the titer was really 121.  Had the doctor not been dyslexic and given an accurate reading, my mother would have had an abortion.

On a personal level, I can completely understand why she would want to, knowing that the prognosis for most rubella babies is dismal. Reflecting on the possibility of my mother aborting me, having known that I could be sick, prompted me to examine the value of life and to question the role of our choices.  I am grateful to be alive and feel blessed that this doctor made a mistake allowing me to live to become “the abortion that almost was”.

And yet–I would never judge another woman’s decision.  I wholeheartedly believe that as humans we always choose the best options in that moment with the knowledge and tools we have in a given situation. If you are old enough to take the responsibility of having sex you should also be old enough to be held accountable for your actions. Furthermore when things are not handed to you (i.e. tax payers paying for your abortion) forcing you to think twice about your decision, people are inclined to make wiser, less impulsive choices.

Ultimately none of us know what the future holds and therefore it’s hard to say if we should be given that power to choose one’s fate; but I certainly don’t believe other people should pay for it anymore than they should pay for your birth control pills! What happened to accountability and people taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions?

I was born with several medical complications so ObamaCare is another deeply personal issue for me.  My life would have certainly been different–and I’m not sure I would even be here–had I not come from a family that could afford to pay out-of-pocket specialists for my medical needs.  Even with much medical attention and surgeries my future looked bleak and precarious to most; but I lived in a free country where my determined caretakers could fight to seek the best care available!

American doctors are some of the best in the world because there is tremendous competition and freedom. Mandates level the playing field, which deter the brightest and most competent individuals from pursuing one of the most difficult and necessary careers. We need to incentivize talented people to enter the vocation that changes and saves lives, not impose more restrictions upon either the patient or the doctor!