by Sarah Parker
These days, having an abortion is like flipping hamburgers. The number multiplies with each passing customer. But as the saying goes, “eat it today, wear it tomorrow” is what most of the quick-fixed ladies are finding out. According to the University of Minnesota, 98% of women who have had an abortion believe the fetus they aborted was, in fact, a child.
Now we all know Seattle University students are letting Jack out of the box and having sex; one out of every seven women having sex becomes pregnant.
So where are all of the pregnant women? Planned Parenthood says that one out of every four abortions that occur is preformed on a college-aged woman.
They might be right. Within three blocks of SU, there are at least three abortion clinics.
If a woman is walking into an abortion clinic saying, “I can't have this baby,” there must be something wrong with society. She is not saying, “I can't have this fetus.”
Her reaction to terminate her pregnancy is triggered by something entirely different than her wants. Rather, her reaction is triggered by her environment. She can't have this baby because she will be forced to quit school or because of the lack of practical resources such as on-site daycare or family housing. She can't have this baby because her parents will condemn her for being promiscuous. She can't have this baby because her boyfriend will wipe his hands clean of the “problem.”
As a Catholic institution, SU needs to take a more active stance in supporting young mothers through a crisis pregnancy center or other means of support. This university should be both Pro-life and Pro-woman. As a feminist who believes in the protection of life, I believe that women need to be given a full choice, one that does not force them into an unwanted procedure. The quick fix does not last as long as many girls are led to believe.
Feminist for Life, a renowned organization in Washington, D.C., strives to protect women and their children. It seeks to provide support that will enable a woman's mistake to become a woman's restoration. The organization travels throughout the country teaching and educating women about the truths regarding Roe v. Wade and what having a choice has done for the feminist movement.
At one time, feminism embraced the skills and achievements that women had proven to possess; but following the legislation of Roe v. Wade, feminists have primarily focused on the abortion issue. Unknowingly many have been identified with their cause. Unlike other organizations, Feminists for Life allows women the chance to embrace all areas of their body and livelihood, both being a mother and being a woman, while not ignoring either of these achievements.
It is my wish that women will begin to take the road less traveled. Students, both men and women, will embrace their pregnancy with a chance to give life rather than take it. The choices that have been placed before women should be refused and not settled for.
In the end, women will no longer be ashamed to say that they are mothers and will no longer be hindered by being a woman.
Sarah Parker is a Senior at Seattle University majoring in Public Relations
(This article originally appeared in The Spectator and is reprinted here courtesy of Steven Ertelt and the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to www.prolifeinfo.org or email infonet@prolifeinfo.org.)
