I read this blog on the website of The Babes Project, an organisation committed to providing alternate viable options to women faced with crisis pregnancy and contemplating an abortion. http://www.thebabesproject.com/index.html
I thought it was such a masterful and moving piece of writing that I have reproduced it almost in all its entirety for the readers of our website. It is to inspire you to action on behalf of the needy women and the most powerless member of our society, the unborn child.
Happy International Women’s Day
Posted by mary at 10:00 am, March 9th 2011.
Happy 100th International Womenʼs Day!
“Women arenʼt dying because of untreatable diseases, but because societies are yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.” www.halftheskymovement.com
I read this on twitter yesterday. It is a confronting statement which provokes much thought, calling us to action, as it plays on an inner-knowing that we must do something, anything about women who suffer across the globe because of gender & poverty.
On this day, the 100th International Womenʼs Day it hits home. Especially in contrast with our own environment, a developed nation allowing the day to pass unaffected, with just a simple “Happy Womenʼs Day” uttered to a few colleagues and friends.
The Australian site for the International Womenʼs Day describes today as “…an occasion to review how far women have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development. It is also an opportunity to unite, network and mobilise for meaningful change.”
It comes as no surprise then that Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, used this as the platform to launch her “My Right to Choose” Campaign, a campaign focusing on the removal of abortion from the Crimes Act in NSW.
And so we find ourselves confronted with yet another issue in which many of us know we must do something, anything, but few know exactly what it is we are to do.
When discussing the abortion issue we often get caught up in a debate about rights.Abortion becomes a battle about whose “rights” are more worthy, which really is a battle with no outcome as we move cyclically through a haze of opinion, research and here-say on both sides.
Unfortunately, as is the case in Faermannʼs blog post, the term “choice” is often used loosely. This is evident as we address the many women who feel they had anything but “choice” as they proceeded to terminate their pregnancies. Weʼve become a society which indoctrinates perfection, encouraging decisions based on what society tells us is good for us. Where do we stand if society has it all wrong?
Channel 7 news reported a rise in late term abortions last year in the wake of the Abortion Law Reform Bill here in Victoria, (Click here to view), reporting that the liberalisation of abortion laws had led to “alarming” requests for abortion. “A family asked to terminate because the baby had a harelip. The woman was 32 weeks pregnant.”
And so our choices become distorted and we pass laws stating it is my “right to choose”.
But as a society we must start to look at three major issues:
1. Is every woman making an informed choice? And are we ensuring women are supported in the options of parenting and adoption?
2. If we tell women it is their right to access liberal use of such a procedure, what do we do with them when they suffer grief and loss as a result?
3. Do we really value the life of a child, irrespective of the parentʼs circumstances?
In keeping with the theme of International Womenʼs Day I would argue that to “mobilise formeaningful change” we must address the issue as a whole, that meaningful change looks like women being supported long term. Many women turn to abortion based on circumstances such as finances, relationships, and Ms Faermannʼs own reason “I wasnʼt ready for family”. What would it look like if we were to empower women to address these issues, supporting them long term to choose other alternatives such as parenting or adoption? Shouldnʼt this at least be discussed at length?
And so I come back to the first statement, which would have most of us in agreement that something needs to be done.
What if we were to change a couple of words? It now reads: Babies arenʼt dying because of abortion, but because societies are yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.
Iʼm sure thereʼd be much more disagreement and discomfort with this statement.
This is concerning. If we truly placed value on all life we would being doing all that we could to save it. If we valued the woman enough we would be doing everything it took to support, encourage and love her. Society is yet to decide that she is valuable enough to not abort her baby because she can’t afford to raise it or even know how to look after it.
She goes on to challenge society to commit to her not only her right to choose abortion.
What can you do?
You can chooes to support this organisation with prayer, time, encouragement or money. In Novemeber the Babes Project will be hosting a conference to raise the profile of adoption as an alternative to abortion. You may like to come along to this to learn more.
You never know God may just be calling you to stand in the gap and recue the life of one unborn child.
Peter Zammit
