Dear "Pro-Life" Men

My very dear pro-life men: 

I wish you knew how very little I care about your religious beliefs and your inexperienced uneducated opinions.

We should all be utterly gob-smacked that people who know nothing about women and reproductive care are making life altering and life threatening decisions about it!

Here are a few of the reasons that I think these decisions should be between a woman/girl and her health care providers.

* This is a far more complicated issue than most. We are not talking about a 45 vs a 50 mph speed limit. We are talking about people's lives. Their entire lives. Decisions that could affect every day of their lives forever and ever until the day that they die.

* This should never have become a polarized political issue and, it wasn't in the past.

* Does abortion sound like a simple issue to you? Do you ask, "Why not just give the baby up for adoption?" You are sorely lacking in knowledge, empathy, understanding if that is your question. 

* This is a complex issue requiring knowledge/understanding of:

- Obstetrics

- Gynecology 

- Embryology

- Neonatology

- Genetics

- General medicine and 

- The effects of illness and

- The effects of medical treatments on maternal welfare and neonatal health (Effects of treating cancer, diabetes, hypertension, etc)

- Developmental disabilities: What effects will a pregnancy have on a girl with an IQ of 70 or 60? 

- Normal development: What effects will pregnancy have on an 11 y/o, for example?

- Mental illness: Will a mentally ill child, teen, adult be able to care for herself well enough to survive pregnancy without causing permanent harm to the fetus?

In other words, you have no personal experience of having an unwanted unplanned pregnancy or one that is dangerous to your own well being. 

You have no experience of finding out you are pregnant with a severely disabled unlikely to live fetus. You. Not a partner or relative. YOU.

You have no experience being pregnant and having cancer or diabetes or hypertension... and having to take medications that are dangerous to the fetus. 

What about this scenario? You have  never found out that you are impregnated by your father or grandfather, have you?

And, you have never had to wonder if your parents will quit speaking to you and throw you out. Or, if you will be disfellowshipped. Or, if your boyfriend will dump you and disappear. Will anyone marry you with you are 30 with a 15 year old? 

You have never been a pregnant terrified 17 y/o, have you?

Have you wondered how you will survive pregnant or with an infant? How are you going to get a job with no qualifications?  How are you going to pay your rent and what if you are physically unable to work? Where you will live?  Or... how you will even afford prenatal vitamins? 

So...

* After you have informed yourself on the various health and mental health issues -- a few books ought to do it, and 

* After you have adopted a couple of children -- two ought to do it, and 

* After you have researched all of the lies and propaganda from the "pro-life" movement and are able to distinguish the truth from disinformation, and

* After you have read the history of abortion, and

* After you have adopted true "pro-life" positions on social welfare, the death penalty, war, etc. then, I will respect your beliefs that life begins when an egg is fertilized but will not accept that you have the right to make these decisions for me.

But, I do love you from the bottom of my heart.

VLL