When Pro-Choice gets Personal

I recently visited my hometown and stopped by an old friend's home. She was excited to see me, and for me to meet her new niece. This particular friend has at least one older sister who already has children, so I figured it was one of her daughters. I came in the house, scooped up a precious little lady in pink polka dots (after my own heart!) and giggled and squeed. My friend's younger sister, who is several years younger than I am, introduced me to her boyfriend, from whose grasp I had blindly stolen the baby. I looked back and forth at the two of them and realized: the baby was hers!

Nobody had explicitly mentioned that the baby belonged to the youngest of the brood. I guess I had just assumed that she was too young to have children. I managed a "Congratulations!", though my mind was racing and I was in shock. But to look at the little family huddled up in the living room - Mom, Dad, Auntie - you could surmise that this was a perfectly healthy and happy bunch. As for the baby, she was really something. I couldn't keep my hands off her. What a doll! I played with her, sang to her, watched as Dad, still in his work uniform, changed her diaper and scolded Mom for swinging her too hard ("She could fly right into the wall!"). It was wonderful.

Since becoming an Abortioneer, I've become even more pro-choice than I'd ever thought possible. Because I not only celebrate the right to choose abortion, but also the right to bear children. I had always considered unwed motherhood something distant, completely outside of my scope of being. My middle-class, pill-popping environment had made it so. And for a split second, when I realized that this young woman was a mother, I felt as though something had gone wrong. I wanted to say "You could have called me! I would have known what to do!" But that thought was gone sooner than it came. My friend, and anyone who friends me on Facebook, knows where I stand on the issue, and is aware that I have information and "connections". This was a smart woman. If she had wanted help I'm sure she could have found it. But she was a mommy, and she had a daddy and a big warm family there for her. And her little Christmas miracle made them all smile and laugh, and why would I spoil that? My services, so to speak, were not needed here. All the wanted from me was to enjoy the opportunity to kiss a cheek, tickle a belly, and celebrate a special little person with old friends. And I'm so glad I did.

HOWEVER! To all the women out there with different situations, or the same situation but different feelings, you can still call on The Abortioneers. We'll support you through it all.