rackers co

Cut back to a few weeks ago. It’s me, aimlessly scrolling through my Instagram explore feed. Liking a meme there, tagging my sisters in another there. I come across a video of a cat sitting in a train station where people are tapping their cards to get through, and only one person pats the cat. Sad time for the cat. And then….there’s a comment….that brings up abortion. On a video? Of a CAT???

“You pet cats while you abort babies- shame!”

Is there any part of you that reads that comment and goes oh yeah, makes sense… I can totally see how she got from a to fucking z. Cause if you do, please map it out for me so I can begin to understand; otherwise, I will continue on thinking there is absolutely no correlation between the two.

So, naturally, I get myself caught up in the world of comments. Some of them make me roll my eyes so hard, it feels like they are about to pop out of my head. Some of them have me nodding my head, thinking, fuck yeah you get it.

And I just couldn’t help myself. My fingers were typing faster than my brain was even thinking, but I threw my opinion out there and sat back. It went back and forth and she made a comment how it’s selfish of society to rid of a “life” being “given by God.” So I threw out there that it’s selfish of society to not allow women to choose what to do with their own bodies; it’s selfish of religion to assume they can make the rules for other people; and it’s selfish of society to overpopulate the world that is already in a climate change and overpopulation crisis.

She claps back with: are you kidding me?! what’s next? killing people because the planet is overpopulated?? let’s begin with you then? how’s that sounds (sic)? STOP thinking about imaginary problems and finding your selfish solutions and be responsible – do what’s right!

It almost tires me to point out everything wrong with her reply. A subtle little death threat. Believing that climate change and overpopulation is an imaginary problem. Thinking that allowing women to choose what to do with their own bodies is finding a selfish solution? How? In the goddamned fuck? Is that selfish?

But, best of all. Best. Of. All.

Do what’s right.

She cares nary about the environment. Do what’s right. Climate change is imaginary. Do what’s right. Women shouldn’t make choices. Do what’s right. Follow what her religion says because it’s her religion, so obviously, it’s right.

What physical, mental and emotional toll is reigning on you for the nine months that someone else is carrying the baby? Any man who argues they have to pay child support if the woman decides to go ahead with it; possibly unbeknownst to you, there is no physical toll — the beer gut you get as you age is not synonymous with being a father — that’s all on you, bro.

It’s terribly fascinating to me that people genuinely feel like they have the right to dictate what other women do with their body. This is a byproduct of a deeply patriarchal society.

I’ve read arguments stating women will actually deal heavily with depression and it will make life harder for them if they abort rather than decide to go through with pregnancy, deal with childbirth, raise the child, taking a toll financially, mentally, emotionally and physically, in which they were not quite ready for. Contrary to that opinion, it is stated in this article that the most commonly reported emotion after abortion is relief, not depression.

When I say women will have abortions anyway but will just seek them illegally, you cannot argue that they just shouldn’t because that is not valid. You just simply cannot suggest that. The FACT is they will, so

…medical evidence suggests that termination rates are approximately equal in countries with and without legal abortion. Regions with limited abortion access do however have markedly higher incidences of unsafe abortion, killing 47,000 women a year worldwide. Legal barriers have never dissuaded anyone from seeking terminations, instead only adding emotional and financial obstacles to an already difficult decision.

You are putting more into a life that doesn’t exist yet rather than a fully-fledged one who should have the basic humane right to make their decision about their body. Can this ‘child’ live without the host that is their mother? No, so therefore, it does not exist as it’s own entity yet. It is not yet it’s very own life form.

You are not ‘pro-life’ as you see fit to call yourself. You are anti-abortion. You are anti-choice. You are anti-safety, as women will seek abortions whether legal or not.

Let people make their own decisions. Think further than your religious affiliations. Think for women.