Freedom to Choose

It seems to be everywhere right now.
Back-stabbing, gossiping, blaming, heated arguments, hateful words, condemning words ...
North America is all abuzz with the upcoming presidential election in the United States. The verbal war is raging among our southern neighbours, and meanwhile, in Canada, there is much discussion and opinion-stating on the topic as well.
One thing that continues to creep into conversation and Facebook newsfeeds, aside from the media fabrications and exaggerations which leave us wondering how to discern the truth, is the topic of choice.
The freedom to choose.
The freedom to choose or reject the idea and action of abortion, more precisely.
This is not a new argument at all and is not a matter that will be eliminated in this time and place.

And so, my address.

We are born with a limited freedom to choose.
For example, we do not get to choose the family we are born into.
We do not get to choose the eye, skin and hair colour with which we are born.
We do not get to choose the location and situation of our birth.
We receive these things, we do not choose them.

In the law of the land, we have a slightly different option.
The (basic) intent of a law is to guide and protect.
We have a speed limit law, to protect us from high-speed dangers on the road.
We have a drinking age law to protect us from the tragedies of alcoholic influence at an age where we are not able to handle the drink.
We have laws against stealing.
We have laws against murdering.
Here, we have a choice.
I can choose to speed and endanger my loved ones, or the loved ones of someone else. I can choose to speed and then receive the punishment or consequence of that action.
I can choose to drink alcohol, and in that choice, I can choose to have one drink or several, and then again, receive the consequence of my actions.
I can choose to break into a store and steal merchandise or money.
I can choose to kill someone.
Ideally, the laws help keep order, offer protection, and promote safety.
So, there are laws put in place that we need to obey for the good of all. That is limiting, yet we do have the freedom to choose.

And then comes abortion. That nasty topic, inspiring the sparring of women and men all over the continent.
One argument is that a woman should have the right to choose ~ to choose to abort or choose to continue a pregnancy.
While choice is sometimes a good thing, like when I choose not to rob a bank, other times, choice is a bad, bad thing, like when I choose to rob that bank. People could get hurt, physically, if there is a confrontation, and financially if I am a successful bank robber.
So the freedom to choose is such a cloudy area.
The more realistic thought here is about the freedom to choose wisely.
Not once, is robbing a bank a wise choice.
Not once, is killing a person a wise choice.
Therefore it can be said that not once is aborting a baby a wise choice.
Because there are the flip-sides of choice.
I can choose to continue a pregnancy and within that choice, have another choice ~ choose to raise that baby, or choose to put that wee one up for adoption for a family who is desperate to love and have a child.
I can choose to continue a pregnancy, and bring no harm to my own body as well as the body of the little child, who incidentally does not have a choice in this matter (back to the limited freedoms we are born with).
I can choose to give life, rather than take it.
I can choose to deal with consequences of my actions (obviously, this is not referring to instances of rape, where choice was stolen) in a responsible, mature way.
I can choose to deal with the effects of stolen choice (such as in the case of rape) by seeking out help ~ counselling, encouragement, assistance - there are many organizations and churches full of people who love and are more than willing to give support, healing and love that is needed.
Or I can choose to hurt myself and a baby.
Or I can choose to take life.
Or I can choose to ignore my responsibility to an unwise action.
Or I can choose to live in fear of the future and reject the idea that there are people who care.

This isn't about women having the freedom to choose.
It's about women having the freedom to choose wisely.
It's about standing up in our womanhood, standing strong in our femininity, standing up for the new life who is in that stage of limited choice. Because that new little life could be a female life. A female life that needs her fellow females to stand up for her. And if a boy, he needs those strong female people to love and nourish and guide him to one day be a strong man, a defender of women, a lover of women, a respecter of women.
And because of wise choosing, a ripple effect can take place, and a beautiful future for women and men alike can be possible.

So, you see, we already have the freedom to choose.
Choose wisely.