Thanks America for voting for a brighter future! Our friends and loved ones toasted change last night and felt so grateful for our new articulate, compassionate, and positive leader the whole world can be proud of. I'm still swooning!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Yes We Did!
Thanks America for voting for a brighter future! Our friends and loved ones toasted change last night and felt so grateful for our new articulate, compassionate, and positive leader the whole world can be proud of. I'm still swooning!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
OK, this one is heavy
So the other day in class we spoke about reproductive rights. Among a group of social workers you can find consensus on most things, but people have many different points of view when it comes to abortion. I think defining when life begins is one of the most complicated issues. Scientific examination of all stages of fetal development can support that many different moments are the moment a fetus becomes a baby.
That's why I think Obama hit the nail on the head when he said, "There is a moral dimension to abortion . . . I think all of us understand that it is a wrenching choice for anybody to think about. People of good exist on both sides. Nobody wishes to be placed in a circumstance where they are even confronted with the choice of abortion. How we determine what's right at that moment, I think, people of good will and can differ. And if we can acknowledge that much, then we can certainly agree on the fact that we should be doing everything we can to avoid unwanted pregnancies that might even lead somebody to consider having an abortion."
This is the problem with the pro-choice vs pro-life debate. No one is anti-life. The framing of the pro-life camp is that to go against them is to be against human life. That is not at all the case. People who are pro-choice are simply against controlling another person's moral decisions. Nobody is 'pro-abortion'. It's a decision that no woman wants to ever have to face, but that doesn't mean it should be illegal. Needing a liver transplant is a situation nobody wants to be faced with, but you wouldn't make alcohol illegal. Using a gun to defend yourself and your family from an intruder is a situation nobody wants to be in, but you wouldn't take away the right to bear arms. The point is that abortion is a decision not to be made by lawmakers or the church; it is a personal decision to be made only by oneself.
That's why I think Obama hit the nail on the head when he said, "There is a moral dimension to abortion . . . I think all of us understand that it is a wrenching choice for anybody to think about. People of good exist on both sides. Nobody wishes to be placed in a circumstance where they are even confronted with the choice of abortion. How we determine what's right at that moment, I think, people of good will and can differ. And if we can acknowledge that much, then we can certainly agree on the fact that we should be doing everything we can to avoid unwanted pregnancies that might even lead somebody to consider having an abortion."
This is the problem with the pro-choice vs pro-life debate. No one is anti-life. The framing of the pro-life camp is that to go against them is to be against human life. That is not at all the case. People who are pro-choice are simply against controlling another person's moral decisions. Nobody is 'pro-abortion'. It's a decision that no woman wants to ever have to face, but that doesn't mean it should be illegal. Needing a liver transplant is a situation nobody wants to be faced with, but you wouldn't make alcohol illegal. Using a gun to defend yourself and your family from an intruder is a situation nobody wants to be in, but you wouldn't take away the right to bear arms. The point is that abortion is a decision not to be made by lawmakers or the church; it is a personal decision to be made only by oneself.
It's also important to recognize that as with alcohol and firearms, banning abortion wouldn't put a stop to the practice, it would simply make it far more dangerous. Not to mention, it could open the door to restricting all sorts of other basic human freedoms. The pro-life camp does not hold exclusive reign over the morality of this issues. If the moral lines were clearly drawn, there would be no debate.
So, the focus on both sides of the issue should be, as Obama says, to work together to try to reduce the number of pregnancies that result in abortions. To do this we need education about preventative measures, to crack down on sexual offenders and rapists, and to provide great health care and public services that work to provide equal opportunites to all American citizens. With a better educated, protected, and healthy country, we'll face fewer occasions in which an abortion is a necessary option. Let's realize that we are all good people and we all want what we feel is best for women. Let's join together to raise women up, so as few people as possible are faced with this heartwrenching choice.
Here are two great NPR shows about abortion inwhich they talk about both sides of the issues.
FreshAir Oct 30th, 2008 & Morning Edition Oct 30th, 2008
So, the focus on both sides of the issue should be, as Obama says, to work together to try to reduce the number of pregnancies that result in abortions. To do this we need education about preventative measures, to crack down on sexual offenders and rapists, and to provide great health care and public services that work to provide equal opportunites to all American citizens. With a better educated, protected, and healthy country, we'll face fewer occasions in which an abortion is a necessary option. Let's realize that we are all good people and we all want what we feel is best for women. Let's join together to raise women up, so as few people as possible are faced with this heartwrenching choice.
Here are two great NPR shows about abortion inwhich they talk about both sides of the issues.
FreshAir Oct 30th, 2008 & Morning Edition Oct 30th, 2008