Abortion vis-a-vis single motherhood
Interesting interview in the Cornell Sun with a pro-life advocate. Says abortion has become the easy choice for young women who get pregnant--and that abortion betrays feminism.
The woman makes a really important point--women are not adequately supported by our society. Single mothers in particular must generally learn to leap tall buildings just to survive with their child(ren). Saying all single women who get pregnant should become mothers is kind of like saying abstinence-only is a good way to prevent teens from having sex. It's plain not happening.
Our society not only pays women less but also disapproves of single mothers and denies them access to benefits that most married couples take for granted. Asking a woman to give birth to her accidentally conceived baby no matter what the circumstances is forcing her to start life with her baby with two strikes against them. It's not surprising that abortion is often the choice. And as the African American pro-lifer--who herself had an abortion when she was young "so my child wouldn't become a statistic"--rightly points out, nothing stays with a woman like an abortion. So let's not pretend that it's an "easy" choice.
Being a single woman today means you're part of the 51% majority of women in America who are. With numbers like that, it's time for our society to start finding a new attitude.
Labels: abortion, African American single mother, African single women/mothers, being single today
2 Comments:
Excellent entry. As much as motherhood is put up on a pedastal in this culture, the reality is, it is not really supported. Not only are single moms by choice or accident looked down upon, but so are widows and divorcees with kids, as well.
Good point, Boxing T. Compare the struggles of mothers who are alone in our society with the ways in which, for instance, Finland supports theirs. While we're still tip-toeing around the idea of universal health care, all of Finland's mothers get universal child care!
We have a way to go when it comes to having compassion and respect for every citizen--and valuing every child as precious.
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