Post Inauguration we have seen so much history being made: The Women’s March, New Legislation, and The New Edition Movie…just to name a few. I have been fortunate to live through a lot where I have seen a lot of people make decisions based without having some kind of self-reflection of what would happen if they were placed in a situation personally. The thinking is based solely on the opinion of what they would would not do personally. The Global Gag Rule was originally initiated in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, then rescinded under in 1993 by President Clinton, Reinstated by President Bush in 2001 and rescinded in 2009 by President Obama. Now it has been reinstated by President Trump.
I must admit that I was familiar with the Rule, but I really was not aware of its impact on women’s health until I did research in 2012. This is one of those rules that I think divides the line of Pro- Life vs Pro-Living. I had to examine my own values regarding women’s health and what that means overall to me personally and then I examined my thoughts about abortion. When I thought about my values on abortion, I believed that every child deserves an opportunity to be born because conception is considered life to me. I believed that women who had abortions had not completely thought about their support system and the options for adoption for many people that would not mind taking in a child that was unwanted..Then my reality set in…
I realized the choices that some women have made so that they could have a quality of life worth living has not been easy. I think about the shame that has happen to women that chose to life for their unborn child when they don’t have the means to take care of their child. I also thought about the men that have not wanted the responsibility of fatherhood, but enjoyed the act of sex that has contributed to conception. I think about woman that has made a decision to parent alone and the shame from people because she is not married. I also thought about the women where the “Rule” has helped prevent pregnancy by providing access to contraception, free pap smears, and cervical cancer screenings. My opinion is, when woman are healthy things seem to run smoother. And yet those who have never been in a position to choose behalf of women make decisions based on their own feelings. Not sure how that thinking came about, but it started somewhere.
Unfortunately, The Global Gag Rule is dividing a lot of communities that I coexist in. I have people that I respect are celebrating this was a step in the right direction to God being in control. I also have people that I respect that are saying this is step in the wrong direction and taking power away for women to choose. Are you making decisions about your life allow you to keep living? I am not talking about just making a living, I am talking about living your life to the fullest and fulfilling your purpose. Only you can determine your purpose, not based on the decisions someone else made for you. A woman that chose to terminate a child may have pondered is bringing a child into a situation that is not healthy may be the best decision. Someone who chose not to terminate a child based on the beliefs of someone that influenced her decision does not even have the full support from that person. Another woman just wanted children and the thought of abortion never came to mind. The innocent person is all of this are CHILDREN… Children don’t get to choose their path nor who they are born to, but their parents can choose what kind of life the child will have worth living.
In my conclusion, I am promoting PRO- Living. I promote that a person should be able to make decisions based on what will get the most out of living their purpose. I also believe this is a dialogue worth having with individual who has had to make a choice about having an abortion in their lifetime. I also believe it is an opportunity to talk with someone that has benefited from the Global Gag Rule being in place. I would also be interested in knowing how the Global Gag Rule impacts men….. I realize decisions and values are personal and not always for public consumption and does not always end with agreement. I would be interested in listening to a person that has made the choice to have an unwanted pregnancy. I would be interested in listening a person that made the choice of adoption over abortion. I would be interested in talking with a person who has no children and has not been pregnant and taking contraception.
I have a lot of listening to do… I guess its time to get busy.