The Right to Choose

There has been a lot of uproar over the past couple of days about CBS's decision to air an anti-abortion ad during the Super Bowl. Women's groups and abortion advocates have complained, even though the content of the ad has not been released. The gist of the ad, as it has been reported, is that Tim Tebow's mother speaks about how the doctors recommended that she abort her baby due to health concerns. Of course, today she is very happy that she didn't heed the warnings of the professionals, as she has a son that will soon be drafted into the NFL--certainly not what the doctors expected! The major complaint that I have heard over the last couple of days is that this commercial, those who fund it, and those who are in it want to take away the choice of women. For example, I was reading an article today that used intentionally inflammatory language:

"CBS's recent decision to air an anti-choice advertisement during Super Bowl XLIV was outrageous," a rep from advocacy group The Women's Media Center said. "Even worse is the network's about face from its own policy of rejecting controversial Super Bowl ads.

"Anti-choice" is obviously a term designed to prejudice the reader against the position of the commercial. Can you imagine the outrage if it became widespread to use the term "pro-murder" for those who support abortion? Supporters of abortion would say that the designation would be unfair, and that it doesn't reflect their belief. I think it is clear that to kill that unborn child is to take the life of an innocent human being. What better definition of murder could there be?

The proposition that those who oppose abortion are "anti-choice" when it comes to a woman's reproductive rights is simply not true. I, for one, am all for a woman's right to make choices in her reproductive rights--she has the right to choose whether she will reproduce, or not reproduce. However, once she has made the choice to reproduce (obviously she made the choice to reproduce if she has become pregnant!) she has no right to take the life of another if she later changes her mind! Abortion is not about choice, and it is not about taking away choice. Abortion is about killing a living being to correct a mistake. And why should we be surprised that it is so rampant to do so in our nation, when we have a president who stated that he would support his daughters killing his own grandchildren so that they would not be "punished with a baby."

I also find it interesting that the ad that CBS will air directly addresses the idea of abortion for medical reasons. Many advocates of abortion try to build their argument for the practice on saving the life of the mother in a medical emergency, or in the case of some medical condition in the child. According to the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, only about 1% of women have an abortion for rape or incest, and 6% because of potential health risks to either the mother or child. That leaves 93% who abort their child for purely selfish reasons! And, of the 6% who have an abortion because of a potential health risk, how many of those "potential health risks" are misdiagnosed by doctors? Pro-abortion groups do not want these statistics to be found, as it takes the thrust out of their arguments! I have personally known some women that had doctors recommend abortions for them, who went on to have healthy, happy children. How many healthy, happy children would be alive today if women had not listened to their doctors when they recommended abortions?

Another problem with this mentality is the judging of "potential health risks" worthy of killing the child. Among many doctors, Down Syndrome is cause for taking the life of the child because they are going to be "handicapped" all his life. I am amazed that anyone would be so bold as to make such a decision. I have friends who are currently going through the adoption process to bring a Down Syndrome baby into their family. They certainly don't see that child as anything less than a beautiful, perfect child. I have a sister-in-law who had "potential health risks" during her first pregnancy. It would have been much safer for her to have an abortion. But, because she made the right choices, I have a beautiful and healthy niece. I wonder what greatness the world has never seen because people have chosen to destroy the children in womens' wombs?