by Marcia Hildebrand
I am a woman, mother and nurse. A few years after Roe v Wade, I was 18 and used my freedom of choice to have sex resulting in a pregnancy. I made a quick decision not to be inconvenienced for 9 months with another human being. I had an abortion.
I say “9 months” as I could have delivered my baby and offered her to someone who could not have a baby. I do not believe this was an example of “personal reproductive autonomy” as it involved three human beings: myself, the father and a baby. Autonomy is defined as self-governing NOT governing self plus two other individuals – this is not a personal choice but a three person choice usually made by only one person. Also, reproduction is defined as giving rise to offspring. Abortion is the opposite.
I feel compassion for women with an unwanted pregnancy (especially if they were raped) and would tell them my experience with abortion. It was the saddest day of my life.
A nation without limits on abortion is doomed to destruction. Since Roe v Wade, abortion has been “the back-up plan” too often and now is an industry supported by taxpayer funding and money from desperate women. I personally believe abortion providers should pay women for the products those women provide as I have no doubt that fetal organs and tissue sell for a very high price. It makes me ill thinking of those that profit off of desperate women that are doing something that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Thankfully, God is merciful and will forgive anyone who asks.
Some want Vermont to be known as an abortion sanctuary state. This would make them proud. We know that most likely abortion will never be outlawed in Vermont but to have no limits on it, no matter what circumstance the woman is in or the stage of the pregnancy, is morally wrong in many ways.
Recently some women from my town published some thoughts to support Article 22:
“Maybe a good idea for the future would be to mandate that all male babies born be required to have a vasectomy. That way, if a woman is raped, or incest is involved, she wouldn’t face getting pregnant, she would need only to deal with the trauma of being raped. Vasectomies can be reversed if the male is in a relationship where they both agree they want a child.”
My response: Abortion cannot be reversed! This woman believes in treating human boys as dogs to be neutered but does not state that females can be “spayed” – but maybe she should.
“Women are not incubators. Without the right to decide what does or does not happen with her own body, what rights does a woman really have?”
My response: We as women (unless subjected to rape) have the right to choose whether to have sex which can lead to a pregnancy.
“When I was 30, I had various symptoms and excruciating pain, the pain in my chest was so severe I thought I had pneumonia. When I arrived at a hospital, I was immediately rushed into surgery because of massive internal bleeding. The medical staff acted without hesitation and my life was saved because there was no fear of prosecution when the non-viable embryo was removed from my body. I was treated with respect and compassion from these dedicated professionals who need freedom to work without government interference which has no business in family matters.”
My response: This scenario is presented as a scare tactic. As a nurse I know that the patient’s life is always protected and an ectopic pregnancy is a fatal condition if not surgically corrected quickly. As the law stands now a woman would NEVER be at risk of dying from this condition unless she was misdiagnosed which is very unlikely. The medical professionals treating this condition would NEVER be in fear of prosecution. This scare tactic is despicable in my opinion and the woman who is presenting it should be exposed for sharing false information in order to promote her ideal of abortion with no limits!
Vermont is beautiful and many people come for a peaceful and healthy way of life. Do we want to be known for this or for being the place to go to end an innocent child’s life? Life begins at conception – whether we value this life will determine what kind of a culture we create.
Vote NO on Article 22. Choose LIFE!
The author is a resident of Belmont, a village in the Rutland County town of Mount Holly.