Enough with the abortion thing already...

Is it just me or is anyone else getting tired of the abortion thing constantly being on the most popular portion of Shine? This thought has been sitting in my head for a good while now, brought to the forefront when some commented on a previous blog of mine about a missing child and child abuse, which I'll share:

Audery R wrote:

"You know what amazes me most about all this is the lack of responses you are getting. I am heartened that the responses you did get are from brave people that would react to this kind of situation AS WE ALL SHOULD. Good for all of you that would stand up for these children!!!!..."

It is wonderful insight. While blogs about abortion receive a gazillion comments, blogs about child abuse get only a handful in comparison. That only furthers my belief that people who are so passionate about the right-to-life are not the people who are adopting, fostering and advocating for those kids once they are born, let alone until they grow into adult-hood.

The few advocates of abused, neglected, or utterly impoverished children do have, often do their job with no recognition, for sub-par pay and suffer incredible emotional stress. The unsupported support the helpless.

Often social workers get burned out quickly, so that well-seasoned ones who are awesome at what they do are very hard to find. Volunteers are hard to find, as well as I always see calls for court advocates, help requests for shelters, for foster families, for mentors... and for everything else that is  required to save children from the horrors of life and circumstance that they never asked for.

That may be why I am still pro-choice. While I do not like the idea of abortion, I don't like the idea of children being born into abuse, poverty, and the system that can't care for them.  So often, there are children without chances. Too many defend their right to life that they ignore their quality to life. Where are you when a child is born into unfortunate circumstances?

Yes, right to life, but right to life where its the parents problem: Don't have an abortion, but don't ask for a hand out either. Stay off welfare, but have the baby you can't afford. Be a teen mom, but don't drop out of high school and go to college. Be an unwed mother, but don't mind the gossip and sneering at church. Don't get pregnant, but don't use birth control but here, read this article about sex I just wrote!

Still, I understand that abortion debate is necessary. It does keep us grounded, keeps things balanced and keeps us on a morally good path, but sheesh. What about the children that are already here? Doesn't seem our anti-abortion authors here on Shine give those stories the time of day.

If one wants to make abortion illegal than I think one must prove that those children whose parents considered, but decided against abortion do not hurt their children, raising them well, without poverty. We must eradicate all the horrors of child abuse, neglect, starvation, orphanage and poverty children experience in this country on daily basis. Not until then will this debate end. Unless you are working on that goal, you are, in fact, leaving women a reason to terminate pregnancies. What you are actually doing is helping to create an environment that makes abortion necessary.

Here's an idea. Read blogs about parenting. Read about the terror many children grow up with each day, then go spend some of your energy working with children in similar circumstances then repeat. When all that is said and done, cast your opinion on abortion.