As we approach the presidential election and the candidates debate the issues from foreign policy to the economy, many Americans will also discuss, debate, ponder and hopefully make the best decision come election day. I am no different, which is why I'm writing this post today. To rant about one issue that’s been ongoing for many years and the language around it.
Of course the main issues that I’m most concerned with are health care, energy, environment, immigration, education, technology and the health of our economy. These issues are most immediate and critical to slowing the downward slope that this country is on, but that doesn’t mean the social issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, aren’t important because they are.
There are certain issues that are closely tied with one's political party and one of those issues is abortion. Of course, there are some republicans who are pro-choice, not many but they do exist, and on the other side of the fence I'm sure there could be democrats and independents who are not pro-choice. I personally haven't met any, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.
With all the talk about McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who on the surface appears to be a woman with a strong work ethic and a lot of conviction for her work and family, it has definitely made me take notice of her, as it has with most Americans. Despite her strength of character and McCain's highly, and possibly risky, strategic move to pick her as his running mate, I find it highly unlikely that democratic women will vote for the McCain/Palin ticket simply because she's a woman.
I would hope that most women care about the issues and whether the candidate is qualified and can get the job done, and not the gender or sex of the candidate or the color of their skin. Sadly, there are many ignorant people in this country where that does play into it, but as a whole, I do hope that women are intelligent enough to stick to the issues and needs of this country and not give any weight to Palin being a woman.
So with all the Palin talk saturating the airways and Internet, one of many issues that she stands together with McCain on is abortion and overturning Roe v. Wade and leaving it to the individual states to decide.
Today I found myself, as I have so many times before, pondering the issue of abortion and the language that surrounds it. If it's an issue you care about then I imagine you are either pro-choice or pro-life. Frankly, I think that republicans have hijacked the term "pro-life" because when it comes down to it, EVERYONE is pro-life. The opposite of pro-life is pro-death. The only pro-death I know is the death penalty.
And isn't it strange how most people who are "pro-life" are also in favor of the death penalty. Now that in of itself is a contradiction. But this isn't about the death penalty it's about the term "pro-life."
Besides the people who believe in selective pro-death (the death penalty), nobody in their right mind is pro-death, which is why I feel the term "pro-life" doesn't work for the abortion issue. We are all pro-life. And we are all anti-abortion.
The real issue at hand, is choice. There isn't a single woman who is pro-abortion because nobody wants to kill a fetus. Nobody is for abortion or wants an abortion and all of us would like to see the number of abortions significantly reduced (and making them illegal is not the answer to reducing them).
However, many of us, both men and women, believe in having the freedom to choose. The freedom of choice is the issue. So if abortion is an issue you are concerned about then in reality you are either pro-choice or anti-choice (in regards to abortion).
I love language and words, which is why when I was reading today about Palin's social conservative views and position on abortion, the term “pro-life” jumped out at me. It bothers me every time I hear it, see it and read it. I don't like that republicans have hijacked the term because we are all pro-life, and some of us are also pro-choice and believe in the freedom to choose.
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