The Right to Life

Yesterday the House of Representatives passed a Health Reform bill. It passed along party lines, with one Republican voting in favor, a total of 220 for, 215 against. Abortion was a key issue of concern for many in Congress. The demand to bar abortion coverage in any government supported insurance won out and so the bill passed. It is interesting to ponder this issue in a big picture way. The tenacity of the anti-abortion crowd is awesome. And it seems like many of the same folks who fervently believe in the "right to life" approve military action that results in the killing & maiming of hundreds of thousands of women and children. Many seem less inclined to help folks in trouble, in particular single mothers trying to stay afloat. - who are actually stigmatized more often than supported. Women in this country are still fighting for their freedom - the freedom to choose the life they want to live. Most anyone who has faced the abortion issue directly realizes that it is a difficult, serious decision. All of the women I know who have been in this situation faced it with a heavy heart. It is a personal, emotional, spiritual choice - the key word being personal. I understand the concern that arises for very many men & women around ending a pregnancy - the "moral" dilemma - but do they have the right to determine the course of another woman's life? Health reform would surely improve the quality of life for children already born. Why not focus on improving these lives instead of building a wall of righteousness and standing behind it?