Abortions double edge sword

It's election Tuesday in America and while many of us will not be going to the polls several bell weather races are taking place. That is not what I am going to blog about today; rather I am going to take on a more controversial topic that is taking place locally. Last week Dameon Gatson was found guilty by jury in his participation of a murder-for-hire plot against the woman who carried his unborn baby. Shyloe Linde was six month pregnant when the attack took place and gave birth the day after the attack. According to the Star Tribune article Jury Convicts in murder-for-hire plot on October 31, 2009 the prosecution planned to "introduce transcripts of interviews with Petersen in which he said Gatson hired him to punch Linde because Gatson did not want to pay child support."

The transcript is where I want to focus; specifically the issue of child support and the role of the man in the decision of having a baby. When two people decide to engage in the act of intercourse a potential outcome is a child. According to The New York Times, Out-of-Wedlock Birthrates Are Soaring, U.S. Reports, stated that "unmarried mothers gave birth to 4 out of every 10 babies born in the United Sates." NPR reported, Abortion Decline, Despite More Liberal Laws Worldwide, that "the number of abortions worldwide dropped to about 42 million in 2003 from little over 45 million in 1995." Now, I am not one that believes that abortion is an option when two people engage in the act of intercourse at their own free will. At the same token, I do not believe I have the right to impose my belief on abortion onto others and they ought to have the right to decide what is best for them.

That being said, the decision of having an abortion is a weighty one and should not be made in haste. The United States Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade, stipulated that a woman's has a right to terminate a pregnancy. Unfortunately the suit left one aspect of the equation out of the picture; the father. Now, I do not condone the act of Dameon Gatson in hiring a person to inflict harm upon another but I do understand his frustration in being required to pay child support for a child he does not want. Nor does Gatson have a say in the outcome of the act he engaged in with Linde that created the child.

As I said before, if it were me the concept of an abortion is not an option. A double standard is created by unwanted pregnancies. The double standard is that the decision to have or not to have the child is ultimately the females alone. The female can decided to terminate the birth regardless of the wishes of the willing partner. Let's set aside the case above that brings us here as this conversation moves forward. The father of an unwanted pregnancy has no recourse if the female decides to terminate while is expected to support the child if the female has the child. Why is this? Why is the father's voice silent in the decision?

The father is required to support the unwanted child by law yet the father holds no legal standing on the decision to abort. Why cannot the father of the pregnancy not have the same luxury to abort or not to abort the child? For instance, why cannot the father say that he'd like to have the child regardless of how the mother feels? Or why cannot the father be exempt for child support if the mother has the child and he "bows out"?

Abortion: Governments only role is to regulate

Over the weekend President Obama gave commencement at Notre Dame amidst controversy. Many thought the Catholic Church ought not to allow the President to speak or give him an honorary degree. The controvesary arises from President Obama’s and Catholic Church doctrine being in opposition on the stance of abortion. While I understand Notre Dame hierarchy’s decision to have the President of the United States to speak at commencement; I hold reservation to giving him an honorary degree.

Arizona State University decided to not bestow President Obama with an honorary degree due to “not having accomplished anything of importance” which President Obama mocked during his commencement speech at Notre Dame. Now, I don’t exactly agree with Arizona State’s decision, I would support the Notre Dame’s board if they had not given an honorary degree. Notre Dame has a significant moral issue with President Obama on the stance of abortion.

Opponents of the honorary degree suggest that Notre Dame is giving credence to President Obama’s stance on abortion. This I agree with. Where I differ with the opponents of President Obama speaking at commencement is having him speak. President Obama’s appearance does not translate into Notre Dame accepting his position on abortion; rather it displays a willingness to have open dialogue on the topic. Last year St. Thomas did not want Bishop Desmond Tutu because of his view only later to reconsider.

Abortion is an issue that stokes strong emotions. I applaud President Obama for acknowledging that two sides of the issue exist and his plea to for all involved looking for “common ground”. Abortion is a personal choice and is something a man cannot have. The Government should not be involved in the decision of whether one has an abortion or not. Where Governments role is to ensure the standard of care is at an acceptable level similar to a heart transplant.

Since a man cannot have the abortion, it really comes down on the shoulders of the woman. The woman will bear the emotion and physical scars of the abortion for her lifetime. Some women are capable of handling multiple abortions while others simple cannot. The issue of whether abortion is legal or not is mute. Parents and communities do have the responsibility of educating the youth on the potential outcome of sexual activity.

Simply put, abortion is not something the Government is to prevent from happening; rather abortion is something the Government is allowed to regulate. The regulation of abortion as to the standards of the procedure and how late into the pregnancy is the extent the Government ought to be involved in the issue. Personally, I do not believe in abortion because of my motto of “If you play the game, you live with the consequences.” Now, I will not ask my Government to stop a woman to having an abortion nor will I shun her for doing so.

Let’s allow Government to regulate it, leave it legal, and increase the education of the youth to all aspects of sexual activity. Keeping the knowledge from the youth only tempts them further. Information on potential outcomes of sexual activity will not increase sexual activity among the youth. It will enlighten people to their actions have consequences and it is time to be responsible for oneself.