Column: Abortion is a woman's choice

Abortion is perhaps the most dangerous subject in modern conversation. While some say it is a moral gray area, there are others who claim it has no place in today's society. The real question is, Why should the opinions of those who want abortion outlawed make the decision for every person in the nation?

To bring some readers up to speed, abortion existed for years before it was legalized. The abortions, however, were dark, seldom-talked-about dealings done in back alleys and butcher shops. Women would have their unwanted child killed, and not only would the child die, but the mother's life was often seriously endangered in the process. If women could not go out and get a back-alley abortion, they would drink the baby to death or throw themselves down stairs and pray that did the trick. All these things are far too gruesome to fathom in modern times. That is one of the reasons abortion was legalized. Congress felt the need to protect the women they represented. If a woman feels the need to have an abortion, then it ought to be done in a safe, sterile environment with minimal risk. Now some lawmakers wish to take back what their predecessors gave with such generosity and care.

In the presidential election, John McCain and Sarah Palin made arguments about abortion based on the ethics taught by the Christian faith. They wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade even in the cases of rape and incest. Palin's daughter is pregnant, and she is 17 years old. She is keeping the baby. That decision is fine, but Palin's daughter had a choice, and then Palin tried to remove that choice for the rest of America. She wants to take away the legality of abortion and return women to the days of butcher shops and back alleys, drinking and "falling" down stairs. She asserts herself as a true feminist, so where is the support the female community needs?

Abortion is needed at the very least in cases of rape and incest. In rape, that child is not wanted, and it will be delivered into a world where it will have hard times thrust upon it. It will cause the mother pain to have to lie to her child about where the father is and why he is not coming home. If the child finds out what their true origins were, how would they feel? What would that do to them emotionally and mentally?

Incest is perhaps worse. The child stands a very good chance of being deformed or having mental disabilities. What parent would want to make a child suffer like that? Would not the better alternative be putting the child out of his or her suffering as early in its life as possible, rather than force it into a lifetime of suffering?

It is the choice of the mother as the caregiver of the child. She must not only take into account the baby's projected feelings on the matter but also what is in her best interest and the child's best interest. To stand up and pontificate about what should or should not be done is one thing, and it is counterproductive. Why not think of how the mother feels and what she is going through? Think of what the best solution is, not the solution that will earn the most votes. This is a private decision that ought to be respected and given the freedom to make.