The US Supreme Court has overturned Roe V Wade and turned the matter of legal abortion back to the states, where it never should have left.
I will not get into legalities. That’s beyond me. I only want to recount my experience not of abortion, but as a young boy raised in an intensely Catholic environment. I was 21 when Roe v Wade came down, and I was appalled and disgusted. At that age, so inexperienced and overly righteous, I had no problem in judging that women, once pregnant, needed to stay pregnant, and either put up their children for adoption, or set aside their lives, futures and careers and raise that child.
How do unwanted pregnancies happen? Poor judgment, strong impulses, changes in circumstances, and probably most importantly, alcohol. Slowly over time my attitudes began to soften. Sometimes pregnancy is an unplanned mistake, and if there is a way out without killing a fully formed baby (or fetus), I thought it best to take it. What is more important – the life of a fetus, not fully formed or sentient, or that of a young woman, who should be allowed to make a mistake and still have a future.
Continue reading “Dobbs versus reality” →