My thoughts on abortion

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to hear Lindy West, op-ed writer for the New York Times, speak to the writer’s conference I attended. During her talk, the subject shifted to abortion and her support for it. Apparently, she had an abortion after a breakup with her boyfriend at the time and claims it was the best thing she ever did. At the time, I could think of nothing to say, and so I feel compelled to do so now.

Many of you know that the Bakers adopted me at birth, and that after a long search I discovered my birth mother some five years after her death. Roberta was only eighteen and had a boyfriend who promised her the moon – until she became pregnant. Then he took away the moon and the stars and deserted her. Likewise, her parents, good Mennonites that they were, threw her out of the house. Now being alone and pregnant in 1952-3 was not a pleasant experience for the mother or her future child. Roberta was fortunate that an aunt and uncle who lived away from the community of her parents took her into their home and later connected her with Catholic Charities. This group helped her through her pregnancy and promised her that her child would find a good, loving home, which they did.

My point is that Roberta was a poster child for abortion. Fortunately, for me, that was not a realistic option for her at the time. After having me, Roberta went on to marry and have another son, Steve. She also had a career and was a strong woman in her community. By today’s feminist agenda, she was a success.

People, like Ms. West, who see abortion as “just a simple procedure” are missing the sacrifice here. Even if you believe that the fetus within you is only a collection of cells, it is alive, and it will grow into a human child if given time. That child was the sacrifice you offered in exchange for nine months of freedom. That child who you never gave a chance at life.

So, even though I am a man and have no way of knowing what a woman goes through, I have a personal investment in this topic. If abortion had been legal and readily available in 1953, I have to wonder if I would even be around today. My children would never have been born. My wife would have found someone else. The world would be a different place.

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