[Peace-discuss] Re: [UCprogressives] Re: Pro-choice [wasRe: letter to my former comrades]

[Wendy Edwards]

Here's my perspective on the issue.  I grew up very Catholic in the
Springfield area.  There's actually no place in Springfield that
provides abortion, but pro-life people still hold demonstrations
there.  As a child, I was exposed to a lot of pro-life literature 
and teaching, and it seemed like a given that abortion was a serious
sin.

In junior high, one of my friends had a rather scary father.  My
Dad has always been a pretty reasonable guy, but hers wasn't, and
I tried to be careful to avoid doing anything that might provoke
him.  Unfortunately, we ended up going to different schools and
drifted apart.  A few years later, someone told me that her father
had forced himself on her.  I was horrified, and started thinking
about what might have happened if she'd become pregnant from the
attack.

Although abortion still didn't seem like a great thing, the idea of
forcing someone in her position to carry a child also seemed
unconscionable.  Ultimately, I ended up being rather reluctantly
pro-choice.  I'm still appalled by the position that abortion is
no big deal, because I think it's a very serious choice.  However,
it may sometimes be necessary.

Wendy