Any member of this site who has taken to the time to speak with me or read my posts over the last four years probably knows that I am unapologetically pro-life even in cases of rape and incest, although I do understand the reasoning in cases of medical necessity when the life of the mother is in danger no matter how extremely rare the need for that might be under modern circumstances. I had a rough day at work today and decided a pint of bourbon and a pack of cigarettes sounded really good, so I went to the local market and made a few purchases. When I got to the checkout counter I found a group of three women, two employees and one customer having a discussion about abortion and pregnancy. My first thought was how unprofessional it was for the employed women to having such a discussion in the first place. But I waited patiently as I usually do until they finished their conversation. I'm usually a patient man in public even if something irritates me because it's just good manners. But then I heard something particular stupid that I had a very hard time letting slip by... One of the women actually suggested that their was an equivalency between women having an abortion and men having a vasectomy. I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes, but I still didn't say anything because, ya know, this is a place of business and the line is already backing up because of this stupid and inappropriate conversation in the first place, so it's unnecessary and equally inappropriate for me to interject and present a contrary opinion and enhance the inconvience to the other customers behind me who are getting equally impatient at this point. So I held my tongue, and these man-hating hens finally stopped clucking and I was able to finally make my purchase and move on with my life, thank God.
As a man who works with the public I like to "people watch" just because it gives me an idea of what other people are thinking and where they're coming from, and I have to say this was the most apalled I've been by any gather of humanity in a long time. First of all, there is a false eqivalency between abortion and a vasectomy, one involves the murder of a human infant and the other involves sperm that may or may not create a human infant in the first place. The REAL equivalecy is this...men can have vasectomies whenever they want and women can have a tubal ligation whenever they want. No sexism here at all, men and women are both EQUAL in this regard. But the false equivalency is that a vasectomy is equal to an abortion. No, I'm sorry it's not and I can prove it to you... My wife, girlfriend, or this random woman I chose to have sex with is NOT the mother of my sperm, just as I am NOT the father of her egg! However if she becomes pregnant I AM the father of the child in her womb. So as the father of the child in her womb it is not unreasonable for me to expect a certain degree of input during the pregnancy, especially when you consider that I am going to be held finanically, morally, emotionally, physically and spiritually responsible for this child once he or she is outside the womb. Ya know, those kinds of fathers who take no interest in their kids are considered "deadbeat dads" and I don't want to be one of those guys, so why is it acceptable and even expected for me to be a detached father with no interest in my child's life from conception to full term, but after birth I better shape up and get with the program? If you want an egalitarian society where men and women are both considered equals you have no right to claim special rights over a child that we both created. It is NOT YOUR child, it IS OUR child...if you don't like that then it was YOUR body before you "knew" me and you should've taken that into consideration at the time. Bottom line: If you're a woman and you really don't want children, don't have sex, period. Stop claiming false sovereignty over your body after the fact when you know very well the consequences of those actions. A little self responsibility never hurt anyone.
It's not an embryo, a fetus, or a "blob" of cells, it's a real life baby!
Peace,
Matthew
