....but I'd support your decision to NOT have a disabled child. Any day of the week.
We all know my stance on abortion for myself. I had a slight pregnancy scare last month. I was prepared to go down to Planned Parenthood if needed. I had a friend ready to go with me for support.
I'm having an IUD placed this week. I don't want another scare and, with the new ACA rules, my insurance must cover one so, why not?
A group of friends and I were talking about abortions, birth control, periods, and men. (Super original) Someone brought up how Mike Pence (Trump's running mate) put in place a law banning abortions of fetuses with a disability. We all agreed that this was a terrible idea.
Let me be clear: I DO NOT think it is a great idea for a woman to abort a baby just because they have a disability. I completely understand that disabled people can have rewarding and fulfilling lives for themselves and their families. I understand this and I understand that people with disabilities have every right to live as anyone else.
I also understand that a woman and family have the right to decide if they are ready for the emotional, financial, and physical expense it takes to not only raise a child, but raise a child with a disability.
I have an interesting job. A job where I see people with disabilities and how it affects their lives and their families lives. I've seen people with a disability that hardly affects their daily life and I've seen some who's every activity from breathing, eating, and self-care must be performed by someone else. I've seen kids who were born with a defect that made them emotionally and developmentally unstable to the point where they need to be housed in a facility that can properly care for them.
I understand that there is a difference between someone being born with a disability and someone being injured and developing a disability. I've seen it financially ruin a family. I've seen it destroy emotional bonds between family members.
I've also seen the joy that kids, no matter what, bring to those who love them.
I don't want children. Never did. I understand that some people feel more fulfilled with children. I feel terrible that my body is capable of having children that I have no desire to have. Mostly because I know there are plenty of people who would love to welcome a child into their lives. But, they can't. And I can't change that.
I will never, and I mean NEVER, judge someone who is aborting, or has aborted, a fetus because of a disability. I see it the same as a women who can't afford a child to start with getting an abortion. If a family wants to have a child but are not financially or emotionally prepared to care for the staggering needs of a child with a disability, then that is a choice they must make for themselves. Forcing medical expenses on a women or family is irresponsible. It creates an unnecessary burden on the family and the community.
We have the medical advancements to be able to tell if a fetus is in trouble in the womb. We have the ability to tell if the fetus will be viable or not. We can see if it will have a disability. What's the point of seeing if we are not able to be prepared for it or decide if it's something we can handle?
This will come across as the most crass thing that I will ever write: knowingly having a disabled child when you know you cannot afford it is a waste of community resources. Having any child, healthy or not, when you can't afford it, is irresponsible and a drain on our resources. Perhaps that speaks more to our country's healthcare system than to our morality but, there it is.
Taking away that choice from a family is one of the most terrible things I can think of. Trump and Pence are a dangerous duo and I hope beyond hope that America doesn't have the misfortune of seeing them take charge.
I'm not a huge fan of Hilary but I will happily vote for her, or anyone, who keeps those two monsters out of office and away from women's rights. Because they will destroy both.
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