mclin@watarts.UUCP (03/09/84)
As a midwife, I feel pregnancy and birth have a mystical importance. As a feminist, I am pro-choice, without judgement, for women who feel the need for abortion. In my work, I must constantly hide my pro-choice feelings. Locally there are two groups of midwives. One group is mine, I work with two mennonites. The other is made up of a woman married to the president of the local right to life association, and her aprrentice. My public words on the subject go like this: I can't agree that right to life should spend its money trying to make abortion illegal. I believe that by spending the money and using their considerable influence to help people, they would reduce the need for abortion. Money should be spent on birth control research, birth control education, and providing care for those with unwanted or unexpected pregnancy. In addition, social and economic support and education must be given to people who decide to keep their children. Full councilling must be available to those in such a position. One of the worst attacks, has, I believe, been made on Planned Parenthood because they provide abortion counselling. Planned Parenthood, however, gives full councilling, including, how to find support if you decide to continue the pregnancy, how to live as a single mum, etc. Birthrite, by contrast, is interested only in preventing the abortion, and has no access to information to those calling for information on how to handle an unplanned pregnancy. No back-up care. Even the local home for unwed mums gives no afterbirth care. This ends my view. It seems simple. The widwives with whom I work back me up on that. Within the mennonite community, this belief is taken for granted, unwed mums are given a lot of support, and no couple would be left unhelped if the pregnancy was a financial burden. On the other hand, the other midwife is vehemently opposed to the idea of abortion at all, and believes it must be stopped before any energy goes elsewhere. To me this is a sick idea. Some of my friends have had abortions, and I grieved with them. There have been times in my life when I would have had an abortion. There will always be people who will feel that abortion is the only alternative. I feel that to force these people to backroom butchers is an act of attempted and sometimes consumed murder. Don't make abortion illegal, make it unnecessary. -Madeleine Clin : . w .