Nov 10, 2008

Live with your mistakes, learn from them

A 16-year old girl goes to a party. At the party, she decides to drink the alcohol she has been educated about. She knows the consequences from drinking based on what she's learned in school, from friends, from her parents. But she makes a mistake. She drinks anyway. She gives in to her desires. She enjoys herself, having a great time. And then, it's time to go home. She gets in the car and drives herself home. She finds out later that because of her mistake, she had made another one. She ran over a baby carriage being pushed along by a mother, killing the baby. The girl is taken to court. She is put on trial for killing the baby in her drunken state. Should she be convicted for her mistake? It was just a mistake, after all. I mean, we all make mistakes, right? Surely, she will learn from this one and not drink and drive again, so there is no need to put her jail for it. She has the right to move on from what happened and simply live her life, right? Right?

What's that? Not so sure about that? Why not? It was just a mistake.

I suppose what makes this any different than a teenager aborting a child because of a 'mistake' is the lack of ability for some people to accept that a baby is a human from the moment it is created by the joining of two people. Or, more specifically, the joining of the sperm and egg. I mean, come on, it was just a mistake, after all. We all make mistakes. She can get over killing a baby, just as the drunk girl can get over running over the baby in the carriage. Oh, that's different? Why, because the baby was a week old? Already born? I don't care what anyone might think about the actual time a "fetus" becomes a "baby," there is no way to deny that if the SEX is known, it is a CHILD. Sorry, but no one will EVER convince me otherwise. If one can tell whether it is a boy or a girl, then it is a human child.

Am I anti-abortion? No. I believe there are very specific circumstances where the life of the mother or the life of the child may warrant such a thing. Possibly rape as well. But, "I made a mistake" is NOT an excuse to have an abortion. Yes, there was a mistake. Yes, life is going to be extremely difficult because of the choice that was made. Deal with it. Put on the big-person pants and live with the consequences of the actions, teenager.

Drink and drive and kill someone, live with the consequences and responsibilities of that. Sleep with someone and have unprotected sex, live with the consequences and responsibilities of that.

Just because I don't believe in abortion except for extreme cases, doesn't mean I believe a woman should not have any say or any choice. I am saying that a TEENAGER, under the age of adulthood does not get the right to simply pick up and move on. Her mistake. Her consequences. If one were to steal money and get caught, one must deal with the consequences. Pull a gun and kill someone out of anger, deal with the consequences. Get pregnant because one was too immature to act responsibly, deal with the consequences. Period.

I don't really care if anyone reading this agrees with me or not. The reader will take careful notice that no kind of religion has been mentioned here. As far as I am concerned, religion has very little to do with it. It's about responsibility and consequences for the lack thereof. Yes, there is 'choice' here: One has the 'choice' not to make the 'mistake' in the first place.

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