The other day, I read a meme on Facebook about Simone Biles and Planned Parenthood. It made me angry but I didn't comment because I'm consciously trying to keep negativity out of my life. Today, I read an opinion piece on the same topic and it made me even angrier. Enough so that I had to write a post on it.
There is a conservative blogger by the name of Matt Walsh who has a tag line saying he is a "blogger, writer, speaker, and professional truth sayer." I agree that he's a blogger and a writer because the two things go hand in hand. Speaker I can't say anything about because I've never had the (dubious) pleasure. But professional truth sayer? In his opinion, yep, but that's just it. It's his opinion, the truth as he sees it. And sometimes, it's not so truthful. But I digress.
Ok, so this article mentions the story of Simone Biles' childhood. If you've read anything, you know that she was born to a mother who was an addict and a father who wasn't in the picture at all. Her maternal grandparents adopted the younger two siblings, including Simone, while her grandfather's brother adopted the oldest two. They were the ones that helped Simone reach her dream of being an Olympic gymnast and she calls them her parents.
However, Matt Walsh and the makers of the meme like to say that, if Planned Parenthood had their way, Simone and her siblings would have been aborted from the jump. Why? Because she's a member of a minority who was born to an addict and those, according to Mr. Walsh, are the prime targets of PP. In his eyes, if Simone's mother, Shanon, had gone to PP, we'd have had no Simone, period.
I get his argument. I really do. Every human being has potential to be someone incredible, to offer the world something that no one else can offer. But, just as equally, every human being has the potential to be a psychopath, to do horrific things that the world has never seen before. The potential for both is there. And it doesn't matter how a child is brought up. Some of the worst serial killers came from average, everyday families, and some of the most incredible people came from the worst type of homes. It's all up to the individual.
I don't like abortions. It's not something I would have chosen for myself had I gotten pregnant after the age of 25. But I'm not in charge of anyone but myself. I can't and won't make a decision like that for someone else. I don't know their circumstances. I don't walk in their shoes. And I'm not capable of saving someone else's life. I can barely handle taking care of myself. So I'm going to do exactly what I've been doing: Advocate for personal choice. If a woman feels that having a baby is the best choice for her, wonderful. Congratulations. And if a woman decides that having an abortion is the correct option for her, I'm going to support her fully. Because in the end, the only decisions I have to live with are the ones I make myself. I will comfort her if she needs to cry and be there for her to lean on. I'll even stand in front of her if she needs a shield. But I won't make a decision for her and I will not vote for anyone who thinks they have the right to make the decision for her, either. It's the right thing to do.
