Every part of life has to be considered before one decides to have a baby. This is true, even if you believe in God.
Who best to make that decision? Even if she is in a partnership with another adult—her physical, emotional and financial wellbeing will be tested.
Does the right of a fetus matter? When does it start to matter? Or does the life of the mother matter more? And, does the life of the mother always matter more. Life here is defined wholly—the physical life, the financial life, and the intellectual life.
Raising a baby is hard work. There is nothing to be said that can ever prepare one for the sacrifices one will have to make. Nor will one ever be contain the willingness to literally die, to protect and safeguard this new being.
It’s OK to yes. It’s OK to say no.
Speeches and law will not show up in the middle of the night when you are tired. Skillful oration will not help you pay for childcare. Debates will not support you in those moments when you are forced to choose being your job and your baby—this will happen. They will not babysit so you can fulfill your dream of traveling to Paris.
And that’s just fine—for some. For some, life is meaningless without motherhood. Any perceived strife is the natural order of things and will never overshadow or trample real, almost palpable, joy.
Everybody deserves to chart their own path, define their own strengths and determine which sacrifices they hold dear.
This, I believe, is the meaning of choice.
There you have it. Now spread the word.
Juliet MD
“Right and wrong, wisdom, justice and goodness, were nothing but names, even though it might be argued that it was sometimes prudent to act as if they were more.”
~W.K.C Guthrie, The Greek Philosophers