The Problem with Black and White Thinking

Families have the right to life

Anything forced into manifestation through personal will is always "ill got" and has "ever bad success."                    Florence Scovel Shinn

This week there were repeated protests to the Roe vs. Wade law and a woman's right to privacy with her doctor and her right to choose. I was remembering that several years ago, in 2014, I heard on the news about the tragic story of the Munoz family in Texas who were being forced by their hospital, and their state, to keep their brain dead wife and daughter artificially alive. The story became more horrifying: the fetus inside her, at 22 weeks of age [this started when she was only 14 weeks pregnant] was tragically, terribly malformed with hydrocephalus, deemed to be not viable outside of the womb.

None of the family wanted this sad situation to continue and  pleaded with the hospital to respect their wishes and to take Marlise Munoz off the ventilators. Because of the Texas laws, and the timidity of the hospital, which do not take into account these sad circumstances, this family faces a compounded tragedy. 

This saddened and puzzled me. I would like to hear from the people who are confirmed in their stance of "right to life". How do the right to lifers suggest there is any hint of human compassion and kindness for this family? The Munoz family has been in a state of grief and agony for more than two months, because of the absurd Texas law. Again where is the compassion and kindness?

Finally, two days later good sense and kindness prevailed, a Texas judge ordered the ventilators turned off by Monday. Thank goodness for a kind and rational judge. That nightmare finally came to an end for the Munoz family.

 I ask you--- with all the 'right to lifers' out there attempting to stop any woman who is wanting an abortion, [by creating laws that interfere with a woman's right to choose], do you think that this kind of nuttiness is going to stop? I don't. It is up to all rational and kind people to speak up and defend the rights of families and especially woman to make their own medical choices.

What is ironic [and also cruel] is the very people who angrily spout the rights of fetuses suddenly are silent, with drawing all of their support, once the fetus becomes a baby. Then their backs are turned. They say, "it is up to the new mother to take care" whether she can afford it or not. Remember some of these "women" are little girls who have been raped by relatives. Where is the compassion?

Then, are the 'right to lifers' going to help pay for the upkeep of children severely deformed that could have been aborted?  You know the answer to that. They only desire their black and white rules that "all life is sacred". Ah, but after the child is born then it's the family's responsibility no matter what the potential life cost. No help, no compassion for the family or especially for the new mother who didn't want, and/or couldn't care for another child.

Remember, I was a therapist for over 40 years and I found it so interesting that the rigid fundamentalists who so vehemently opposed abortion were first in line with their newly pregnant 15 year old daughters. Then the rules and rigidity only apply to the poor, not to their family. 

How much bondage and suffering a woman escapes when she takes the liberty of being her own physician of both body and soul.                            Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Many years ago, I had to have a therapeutic abortion when I was carrying a dead fetus in body and it was a gut wrenching decision. I was so grateful that I was in a hospital that didn't send me home to let the fetus "abort naturally". Carrying a dead fetus is very hard and so sad. I can only imagine what it would have been like for my husband if I had to wait two months for that to happen. 

Can't we have states in this country that have a gentler, kinder attitude toward woman, families and their choices? Why must we elect people who do not value the right of privacy between a woman and her Doctor? Let this sad case of the Munoz family be a lesson to the rigidity and cruelty of black and white thinking in human affairs. 

Support the right of a woman's privacy with her own doctor and of course, a woman's right to choose. As they say if you oppose abortion, don't have one. How about if you oppose Viagra?

susansmagicfeather copyright 2014 and revises 2018 Susan R. Grout all rights reserved