Pro-Choice or Pro-Life

Pro-Choice or Pro Life

Abortion vs. Life

A couple sits on their bed. Three weeks ago they were experiencing cloud nine, but now it seems as if it wasn’t worth it. Tears dripping down her face she shows him the dreaded white meter and utters the words “I’m pregnant”. These two words are probably the biggest contributing factors to breakups amongst teenagers and young adults and can be seen in the progressive growth of single mothers in Canada as it reached 550,000 in 2004, according to Statistics Canada. Many couples are faced with the choice of abortion, a choice which many women couldn’t make a few decades ago, until the rise of the feminist movement in the 19^th century. The U.S experienced the rise of second wave feminism which brought about many different campaigns on issues affecting women in America. Issues such as pay equity, equal representation, wages for housework and pro-choice were among the prominent rallying points which continues until today.

Pro-choice, an ethical viewpoint that allows women the right to give birth or to terminate their baby, is a sensitive ethical issue that divides our society both politically and ethically. Since being legalized in 1969 and struck down in 1988 by the nation’s highest court, abortion has continued to be accessible to women in Canada. Many years later, in 2010 the questions being asked are whether the reasons feminists fought for pro choice is being lost? What were the reasons for an abortion before and after the rise of feminism?

In the years before feminism there were a number of justifiable reasons for abortion ranging from rape, incest, and poor health for the fetus and mother. According to the criminal justice statistics for the US, that was obtained online, in 1960, there were 17,190 rape offenses in America. The staggering number prompted feminists to demand that the women should have the choice in deciding the consequences of their misfortune in being the victim of rape. The historical context in the American experience dates back to the days of slavery. African American slaves were also accustomed to rape a long time before the rise of feminism. “African American women had to endure the threat and the practice of sexual exploitation. There were no safeguards to protect them from being sexually stalked, harassed, or raped, or to be used as long-term concubines by masters and overseers.”(sicker)

Many slave women would also perform self abortions to ensure that their children would never go through slavery because a child born to a slave was considered the property to the master. So years later, the women’s movement intertwined with the civil right movement, had the horrible influence of rape among the black population in the back of their minds. Stephanie (asked for her last name not to be used), a mother of one, puts the lingering impact of rape in proper perspective in stating: “I was raped as a child, and it has scared me in relationships with men. I feel for any female who was raped and had to go through the process of choosing to get an abortion or keeping the child.”

Health was another reason for the rise in the number of abortions.  The advancements in health care that are available to women during pregnancy in the 21^st century, were unheard of in the 19^th century. Historian Irvine London stated that death among the mother or fetus was common. He stated that “Figures for maternal death are hard to come by prior to the 19th century…the rates were 400-500 per 100,000 birth during the 19th century and states maternal death “was a bit higher at the beginning of the 19th century and was up to perhaps 1000 per 100000 births in the early part of the 18th century.” (Feen)With this, most of the reasons for abortions in the 19^th century and prior were considered ethically justifiable on the grounds of poor health conditions of either the woman or the fetus.

Since 1969 abortion rates have soared from 4378 abortions to 91510 in 2006. This staggering amount has increased even with the introduction of condoms and the birth control pill. Reasons for having an abortion have also changed. Mother’s health problems count for only 3% of abortions followed by rape and fetal abnormalities which both account for 1% each according to abortion TV. (abortion)

So in the years after the boom of feminism, available statistics reveal other social reasons for growth in the rate of abortion. Accordingly: about 7.9% of women don’t want any more children, 10.8% think it will disrupt their education or job, 12.2% feel they are too young to have a baby, 14.1% have relationship problems with their partner or their partner does not want a baby, 21.3% cannot afford a baby, and 25% want to delay childbearing. Amalia Riviaos, attended an event at Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford called the F-Word Panel. Amalia, who had asked not to be correctly identified said “All these statements that girls make are stupid reasons for an abortion. I have friends that have babies and friends that have had abortions and I’ve told them that their reasons aren’t justified. As a female having sex you need to understand the responsibilities that come along with having sex which include the possibilities that you can get pregnant and have a child. Saying that a baby will ruin your chances in school, or ruin your amazing body, or get you kicked out of your house is something you knew would happen from the beginning.” Patrick Davis, a student (who prefers to use this fictitious name), backed up Amalias’s statement saying “You have to take responsibility for your actions. There are condoms, birth control pills, and just not having sex altogether. You can’t say it’s not your problem. If you rent a car with no insurance and have fun driving it to different stores and recklessly crash it, you can’t jump out of the car and say oh! Well! It is not my problem and run away from the accident….you’ll be arrested”

To illustrate further Stephanie warned women to be aware of the stigma that may be associated with abortions. Stephanie who has had an abortion in the past explained her experience going into the procedure. “I remember driving there with my friend and going into the waiting room and seeing other females laughing and talking about previous abortions as if it was a sport. Soon after I came out of the operation room and started to cry, the room got very quiet, and one by one everyone started to cry with me as it became apparent to them what they were really doing. I told myself then I would never do this again”

As stated previously, abortion is an ethical, moral and socially divisive issue which has split the nation down the middle. According to the “Gallop Poll” that appeared in the New York Times in 2001: “Pro-life rose from 33% to 43%, and pro-choice declined from 56% to 48%.” The religious point of view on abortion is very straight forward and it seems that the rise in the US so called ‘religious right’ is helping to boost the number of pro-lifers. Although to counter religion, most teenagers tend to be pro-choice. The pie chart below illustrates the point that abortion remains a divisive issue throughout Wilfrid Laurier University.

                                

In view of this gulf, the question remains: are the reasons feminists fought for pro-choice still relevant today?

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Wine and Cheese Meeting

Usually when one goes to hear somebody speak, the chances of actually meeting the guest speaker are incredibly low. But on October 28, at a wine and cheese meeting, students, professors, and guest speakers were able to mingle together and engage in conversation regarding Africa and other current events.

People came from as far Alberta to this meeting all for different reasons. Nicole Sguigna, a student at Wilfrid Laurier had previously done a research project on Kenya with Debra Langan, her professor, so she was interested in hearing more about Africa. Another Laurier student, Gillian Athaide, volunteered for the wine and cheese meeting so that she could socialize with students, professors, and people from other cities so that she could make new friends and get to know people on a personal basis. Everyone was very friendly and open to share their backgrounds and what brought them to the event which provided a positive environment. Erik Hager, an advisor of the leadership program, came to represent the community and had a deep interest in Africa especially because he previously sponsored some kids in Congo through World Vision.

Professor and organizer of the event, Peter Faruggia, said it took him nine months to put the entire event together and that this was the sixth interdisciplinary conference that he had run. Peter is one of the ten members of the institute TSHEPO which researches information on Africa. The name TSHEPO means hope in Tswana, a language of Botswana, which researches information on Africa.  

Lisa Chegini, another Laurier student volunteer at the event, said she volunteered because she wanted to experience something new and expand on the knowledge she already had of Africa and globalization. “I only know a little bit about Africa and its many countries, but I do know that there is and has been a lot of people working for little to no money and if I can learn something from this weekend I would want to know why this happens.”

The guest speaker, Ali A Abdi from the University of Alberta, shed a little light on Africa and globalization and why it happening in so many African countries. “Leadership is the problem; people who are capable of being good political leaders need to be found, ones that aren’t corrupt.” Ali also stated that an independent media is needed for many different African countries so that a voice is given to the public. He also said that the public needs to be educated and that the governments should be transparent and have intelligent leadership. Ali also said that the governments should also be held accountable by the public. Ali said the weekend would mainly cover the developments, education, and human well-being of Africa and how globalization is affecting people.

Though the main reason people came to the wine and cheese meeting was to talk about Africa and globalization, many new relationships were formed and the people ended up being more colourful than the wine.

Did He Just Say Negro

“The book of what?”

 “She asked why I was so black. I asked why she was so white. She said she was born that way. Same here, I replied.” (Excerpt from the book of Negroes)

Reads out Lawrence Hill, as a class packed full of 50 plus students, and adults listen in to hear the widely known author of the Book of Negroes speak. On September 29, 2010, Canadian born Lawrence Hill snatched the attention of many at Wilfrid Laurier University. Lawrence Hill read excerpts from his books “Any Known Blood” and “The Book of Negroes” and then finished off the meeting with answering many questions. While listening to him read and looking at his appearance, one could understand why he was so fit to write a book that crosses so many boundaries. Lawrence Hill’s parents, who are also civil activists, are of two different racial backgrounds, white and black, which have given him two fields of knowledge to embed in his writing. Lawrence himself was seen to the crowd as a charming, humble and polite person, patiently waiting for questions and speaking very softly. So many people were swept away by his personality that as one woman named Julie said “I’m going to read the book just because I’ve heard him speak” and many others felt the same. Many had not even read the book, which was the case for Judy, an African Canadian woman from Toronto like Lawrence.

“I’ve had the Book of Negroes in my house for years and just never got to reading it, but now after I’ve seen and heard the author I can’t wait to get home and read it. A man from a background the same as mine, from Toronto and being black, I feel an immediate connection with the historical importance of this novel.”

The book name itself has historical importance. Lawrence Hill spoke of taking the name from a historical British Literature were black slaves were accounted for, for the first time in a book called, the Book of Negroes. A black student named Rochelle Parcellis came only because she was given the book by a white fellow student and recognized his name on a poster.

“My friend gave me the book and said ‘I think you should read this book it’s really good.’ I took the book from her thinking, what kind of racist gift is this, the book of what? I finally started to read it and realize I can’t put it down”

After hearing this amazing author read out his books, one could wonder how long it took for him to write the Book of Negroes. According to Lawrence it took five years, and now so many that read the book have the same opinion saying “I couldn’t put it down”. It was a privilege for all to hear him speak and his book is in the process of becoming a movie. It is a must read, and as said by Donna Bailey Nurse “Right off the top, this is the best black Canadian novel”.

Film Response

On September 24, 2009, students at UC Berkeley protested after the University of California increased tuitions and issued budget cuts. This protest included several thousand students, professors, parents and striking staff on the campus grounds. After watching a Youtube video clip in class on Monday, our students were asked to write a story based on our interview with our partner.

After watching the video Kristy Johnston felt that the students had been treated unfairly. The video clip of the students showed ample proof of the anger and confusion that students felt towards the school. Johnston wanted to know why the cuts were happening, to know how much money was needed to run the university, and know why education was being cut in a country known to be one of the richest in the world. Kristy was also wondering what would happen to the workers who were employed at the university?

“The janitors that worked for over 20 years, what’s going to happen to them now that they are out of a job? There had to have been something wrong for them to fire them” exclaimed Johnston. Johnston said she agreed that students should pay for their own education but to raise the price of tution by too much would cut off the less fortunate people from attending post-secondary education. “ Education doesn’t just help one individual. Everyone in the society that surrounds the individual will benefit from that individuals education. For instance someone studying in school to be a lawyer will one day be able to help someone in his community in court. So when you raise tuition to high and destroy someone’s ability to attend school, your destroying his future job prospect” said Johnston. She also thought that the school was trying to gain something else other than the student’s money. “Maybe this was the school’s best way to try and become private. Either way the school makes itself look bad by also not opposing the cuts by the government.

Johnston also stated that if she was put in the same position as the Berkeley students she would probably have lashed back at them. “ I would go on strike as well. People want to know if they’re getting their money’s worth. All those students would be less aggressive if they knew where their money was going” said Johnston. Johnston said that she would contact the school somehow, send emails, and tell other students about it, which is how the students re-acted when they were put into the situation. Another student at Laurier named Rochelle Parcells, said she also agreed with Johnston. “I would want to know where my money is going. If you’re going to raise tuition, it has to be helping me somehow.”

At Wilfrid Laurier, students experienced a slight increase in tuition and were told that the money would be used to build the cafeteria and a bigger gym on the Brantford Campus. Many students had no problem with this and agreed to pay more. UC Berkeley should have followed this procedure. Looking deeper into the UC Berkeley event, one could see that there was more than one protest. According to the NY Times, on December 11 2010, 26 students at San Francisco University were arrested after barricading themselves inside a university building to protest tuition increases, and budget cuts happening in the public university system of the state of California. March 4 2010, brought about the newest protest which included the entire state of California. Students were called to take action once again against public education cuts and tuition increase. Over one hundred students were arrested for blocking an interstate highway in Oakland, California. At the University of Wisconsin 16 students were arrested for trying to force themselves into the university administration offices and attempting to throw ice cubes at the campus officers according to Huffington Post.

So in conclusion, the state of California still has not accepted the pleas of students in their state. It is sad because all these students have made a giant step in a good direction to a better life and a better society by furthering their education. They could be in jail or dealing drugs but instead they are studying. To interrupt them with extra tuition costs and hurt their professors with layoffs, gives students an extra reason to avoid post secondary education, or attempt to pay for it through illegal methods.