‘Women deserve better’

“Women deserve better,” the motto of the group Feminists for Life, was the theme running throughout junior Michael Csorba’s March 13 pro-life column in last week’s issue of The Mirror.

Yes, women do deserve better. However, not in the ways Csorba presents.

Women who must face the tragic and incredibly personal decision of deciding whether to keep an unintended pregnancy deserve better than being told they commit murder or participate in genocide. Women deserve better than having someone else’s morality placed upon them, especially in such a difficult time.

Not everyone agrees with the idea that life begins at conception, so while Csorba may believe ending a pregnancy is “murder,” others may not.

Women who have undergone an abortion, regardless of their belief of when life begins, do not need to be told that they “killed” someone. To place added grief upon these individuals after one of the most trying times in their lives is not only misguided, it’s cruel.

Csorba seemingly argues that women deserve better than Planned Parenthood, stating that 1 in 3 women will have an abortion by the time they are 45. This statistic is by no means pushing women to have an abortion; rather, the statistic is told to women so that they can find solace in the idea that they are not alone.

I’m not sure if Csorba has ever visited a Planned Parenthood, but every woman who enters a clinic when she is faced with an unintended pregnancy is given other options. This includes pre-natal care if desired, whether the woman decides to keep the baby or give it up for adoption. It is only after these options are discussed with a counselor, and after the woman in question makes clear that she understands all options, that an abortion is administered.

Csorba’s argument for his op-ed was that women should be told that they are committing murder or participating in genocide in order to make an informed choice. What he does not appear to grasp is that many women who choose abortion do make informed choices, and that just because they choose the option that he does not believe is morally correct does not mean they are ignorant or uneducated.

Women deserve better than columns that condemn their choices. They deserve contraception that is covered by health insurance. They deserve sex education in schools. They deserve adequate access to emergency contraception. Women deserve to be educated and should be able to prevent any unintended pregnancies in the first place.

And, if a pregnancy happens, women should be entitled to safe options, not back alley abortions. Studies show that the number of women who have abortions does not decrease when abortion is outlawed; rather, women turn to unsafe practices that too often result in illness and death.

If you are morally opposed to abortion, the option is simple: don’t have one. But please leave the women who don’t share your moral views alone – they’ve dealt with enough, and they deserve better than that.