In the midst of shouts, bomb threats and poisoned letters the real issues behind the abortion fight have been forgotten. The main aim should be to help the mother and potential child yet in the midst of the fray they have been neglected. The abortion fight needs to start well before the mother walks through the clinic doors in a desperate need to do something to set her life back on track.
With the proper support systems young women may never have to face a decision on abortion. It is our responsibility to give her this support. It starts with education. Education for the women, education for their families and education for our society as a whole. The first goal of this education should be to teach the value of abstinence. However, we should not stop here. In our society being abstinent is not always the most desired state, certainly not for youth faced with peer pressure for sexual activity. We therefore must accept reality and educate on the proper use of contraceptives.
Secondly families need tell their youth that they will always be their family. If a young woman becomes pregnant she needs to know that the family does not approve but that they will still support her, still love her and still help her through the difficult times to follow. If this assurance is genuine then she will feel much more comfortable seeking advice from her parents to help get her life back in line.
Thirdly the expecting mother needs to be educated about resources available to her. She needs to know how she can complete her education or work while carrying the baby. She needs to know her options about adoption or the resources available to assist her in caring for the child. From these she can make a truly educated choice about what is best for her and for the child.
Forthly our society needs to stop scandalizing the women who seek abortion. Until we fully know their stories we can not know what has led them to their situations. We do not know what hazards the child would face if born unwanted, nor what consequences the mother must bare. We must provide the mother with all available options but in the end we must accept her judgment.
In the midts of all the shouting about pro-choice and anti-abortion, what have we done for that child? What have we done for that mother? Perhaps if we had been there earlier the woman standing at the clinic door would have been able to make a realchoice in her life.