Today changed my life. The die-hard conservative, practicing Catholic, and biggest pro-life advocate I've ever met changed her opinion and became pro-choice. That person is me.
For my entire life, my parents and the Catholic church has brainwashed me into thinking that the terms of life were always and eternally from conception to natural death and I didn't have much of a problem believing it at first. I mean, the only words about abortion that I had ever heard were that abortion was murder and any sort of zygote was considered life, than my boyfriend and I went out for ice cream and he dropped a bomb on me that really swayed my standings.
My boyfriend's best friend has been with his girlfriend for about eight months now and they seem very happy together. Little did I know that they're three months pregnant and on completely opposite standings with the abortion issue. My boyfriend's best friend has no problem getting an abortion and just forgetting that they ever had unprotected sex. However, his girlfriend is an even bigger pro-lifer than I was and refuses to even look at Planned Parenthood as an option. To add another twist to the story, her boyfriend says that if she keeps the baby, he's going to have nothing to do with her. My boyfriend says that's because her father is going to kill her boyfriend first, but I think it's just because he's too lazy to committ to the problems that he helped cause.
So my boyfriend posed an interesting question to me, which has yet to come up in the course of our three-year relationship: what would we do if I got pregnant accidentally? I said, without even thinking, that I'd have him drive me to Planned Parenthood the next day and we'd start the abortion process. He looked at me as if he were suddenly dating a man and I couldn't believe I had just converted to pro-choice without even thinking about it. But it's true. I'm selfish. I could never give up a wonderful relationship, a college scholarship, and a future career just because my sexual relations didn't go as planned. I'd have an abortion without even thinking it through, but get disgusted when I hear other women going through with it. I'm a hypocrite, I know, but it's hard to adjust to a newfound pro-choice self.
I had to tell myself that if I would have an abortion that easily, I have to have the same opinions for everyone who wants to have an abortion regardless or their reasonings or situation. It's not as if abortion is the ONLY option. There is adoption or the classic "drop the baby off at the hospital and run" technique. At least the child's safe that way.
Don't get me wrong, I do think that as soon as a child is conceived, it's life. But, I would end that life if I were in that situation. I mean, I'm sure I'd be more concerned and think more into it if I actually were in that situation, but my opinions from a non-pregnant viewpoint are what I just stated. So, I'm changing my moral code. As of today, I'm pro-choice. And as awkward as it felt at first, I feel more comfortable now. If I wouldn't want to be forced to give up my life, why expect every other accidentally impregnated female to give up theirs? They probably have friends and family and loving boyfriends too.
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