Props to my friend Lisa for pointing out this article in the oh so awesome This Magazine.
Why we’re surprised when babies are abandoned makes the connections between family planning options and the fact that people who do not want to become parents often will find a way out of it, somehow.
I’ve had the exact same thoughts when I hear about another child left somewhere, and the fact that we must still battle to prove that the CHOICE to parent is a right every child deserves.
However I don’t know that the article fully does justice to address what the current realities are in the complete scope of family planning options across the board in Canada.
What do you think?
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two comments
I totally agree. I think one situation the author doesn't point out is that we all still do not have choice. It can be limited to income, geographical location, family, work ect. We still have a long way to go before everyone truly has choice.
Posted by Lisa
May 15, 2008, 12:36 PM
Thanks again to Lisa for pointing this one out. This is my response to the editor of the article:
So...where exactly were you hoping to go with this story when you decided to end it by mentioning that police think this baby was born in the US?
Your research regarding Canadian child-abandonment trends makes sense, and I can somewhat agree with the statement that it is "a rarity driven by the fact that women are no longer forced to carry to term a child who was unplanned or for whom they are unable to care." However, being able to access a LEGAL abortion(and contraception and fact-based unbiased sex education) in Canada does not mean it is ACCESSIBLE for everyone. But it was that last little bit of information that requires us to start the think-process all over again using US abortion laws for reference.
So, now I have to consider what this woman's options would have been depending on what state she may have hypothetically been living in at the time of conception/gestation/birth, since many states make it almost impossible--physically and financially--to access abortion services (had that even been this woman's first choice).
You must also take into account the negative stigma that still surrounds abortion, and that even women who feel it would be the best decision for them still can not bring themselves to actually go through with terminating a pregnancy.
There is no doubt that a story of an abandoned child will hurt the hearts of all, regardless of our positions on abortion, but we can not attempt to analyze the reasons for why this is still happening until we really understand what it is that North America is lacking that keeps abandonment a reality.
Posted by Sandra
May 15, 2008, 12:36 PM
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