Indigo jones

With all of the “right to lifers” out there trying to control women’s reproductive rights, I am mind boggled by some conflicting practices.

If a woman wants to practice birth control by taking a contraceptive pill, some factions say that the employer, not the woman, should decide if this is reasonable.

If a woman, (or a man for that matter) wishes to adopt an abandoned child, conceived by someone who can’t or won’t care for that child, they are subjected to major scrutiny to see if they are fit. When we adopted our daughter, abandoned on a door step when she was a mere 3 days old, we were finger printed 4 times, had a social worker visit our home several times, and had numerous “child abuse clearances” run on us,to see if were fit to be parents.

The conservatives believe that life begins with conception, and that abortion should be made illegal, regardless of the circumstances. Women, in their eyes are ostracized for wanting to prevent or terminate a pregnancy, but not for abandoning a child.

Today, the tabloids are buzzing with the news that Snookie, the hard partying star of the Jersey Shore, is pregnant by her equally hard partying boyfriend. She makes a living out of being portrayed as irresponsible, self -harming, and indulgent. On the show she stays out all night, is promiscuous and has trouble maintaining relationships. She over indulges in alcohol and has recently lost a remarkable amount of weight by using pills, instead of a healthy diet and exercise plan.

So, if life begins at conception, is it too soon to alert the child welfare agency about possible endangerment? Do we have any reason to believe that she has been taking care of herself, and her unborn child? Do we think that she is fit to be a mother? Is it any of our business to be concerned?

Giving birth and being a parent are not mutually exclusive. Anyone with a functioning womb can get pregnant and have a baby. It takes love, sacrifice and responsibility to be a parent. It’s hard work that doesn’t stop at the end of the day.

How do we rationalize that it’s okay to be an unfit parent just because you conceived a life?

Perhaps we all should be required to be licensed to become parents, to ensure that we are willing to do what it takes to raise stable, happy children who will later make positive contributions to society.

Which is a better alternative: helping woman pay for their birth control pills through their prescription plans, or allowing irresponsible parties to become parents?  Permitting abortion, especially where health issues or rape is a factor, or having people shirk their responsibility to their child later?

Should we be discussing the “right to life” or the “right to a secure, healthy,loving life?”

Join the conversation: What do you think?

photo: Glasshouse Images

Tags: abandoned children, abortion, adoption, birth control, government, health, human-rights, politics, pregnancy. parenting, responsiblity, right to life, Snookie

This entry was posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:52 pm and is filed under family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.