ABORTION CONTROVERSY, ARE YOU PRO-LIFE OR PRO-CHOICE?

During my clinical  practice of gastroenterology, one day a lady in her 50’s walked in my office and wanted to know if I were pro-life or pro-choice? I responded by saying, ”you are in a wrong office. I am not a gynecologist.” She said, “I know, I need a screening colonoscopy. I heard you are a good doctor, but if you are not pro-life, I don’t want you to do colonoscopy on me.”

I was surprised with her line of questioning and logic. I hesitated for a short while and responded, “with your kind of narrow mindedness and attitude, I don’t want to do your colonoscopy either.”

This event made me to think and read about abortion. I wandered why was it such a hot issue? Why was it affecting other people’s thinking and behaviors?

Recent debates and pro and con demonstrations about abortion, abortion banning legislation in many states, kindled my interest in abortion; made me to read more about it, to investigate the facts and ask many more questions. I decided, without taking any sides, I would just like to state pertinent scientific facts about abortion and raise my questions about abortions so that my readers could  think and decide for themselves.

Research on pregnancies have shown that nearly half of pregnancies are unintended and unwanted.

Nearly nine in 10 pregnancies happen out of wedlock, in casual boyfriend and girlfriend relationships.

In countries where abortion is banned and illegal, abortion rate for unwanted pregnancies do not decrease, but they becomes unsafe and dangerous. Because they are performed by unqualified criminal personal, in an underground and unsterile environments.

My questions to think by, are as follows:

Sex and pregnancy is a physiological bodily function, just like many other bodily functions. Biological bodily functions create desire or craving for their satisfaction in order to survive. We always have a choice as to how, when and with what qualities to satisfy our cravings and desires. Among many bodily functions, why are you only interested in pregnancy part of human sexual desire? Shouldn’t women have a choice if an unwanted and unplanned pregnancy occurs?

-          (1) If you are pro-life and protecting the innocent life of an unborn baby, shouldn’t you  also care about life after birth? Shouldn’t child neglect, poverty, malnutrition, health care, upbringing, education and employment matter?

-          (2) Shouldn’t every  life be precious in all forms, size shape and duration?

-          (3) Since it takes two, man and woman to get pregnant, shouldn’t the man be held responsible? Why can a man can easily shrug off any unwanted pregnancy? Why you are only forcing and punishing women to have an unwanted child out of wedlock, rape or incest?

-          (4) Why religions and politicians are only interested on abortion part of pregnancy, while they are sexually abusing our children in their institutions?

-          (5) If you are pro-life, why aren’t you trying to protect life from  other large scale killing methods, like gun violence, wars, genocides, famine and hunger?

-          (6) If you are pro-life, why aren’t you trying to protect environmental pollution, climate changes  and extinction of many life forms on  planet earth?

As I see it, I think I will be definitely on your side, if you are pro-life for every living life forms, during their entire life on earth.