Posted by
"Mind and Morals" Michael Coyne on Monday, August 31, 2009 11:00:00 AM
I just got out of a political policy class, in which the
professor stroked one of my pet peeves: he referred to abortion as a “women’s
issue.” If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you’ve likely read the
rather lengthy piece that I previously wrote on abortion. But the entire time
that I listened to this professor (who, for the record, I still like quite a
bit) emphasize his point about policymaking by saying that a man had no reason
to march for abortion, my thoughts drifted to my friend, Jack.
Jack (not his real name) had been seeing this girl for some
time. The two appeared as close as any couple, and they seemed as happy as
could be. And, as you can imagine, I was happy for them.
I knew that the couple was having sex, which is completely
their business. I know that I am never in a position to judge or gauge a
relationship unless I am a part of it. So, again, I just shrugged and was happy
that Jack was so happy.
I should pause here to talk a little bit about Jack. Jack is
a smart guy. This is the kind of guy that you go to for help. Any kind of help,
really: homework, life, relationships, etc. He listens. And, because he is such
a go-to kind of guy, it was flattering to me that he comes to me for the kind
of advice and listening that he provides for others. Jack is not a particularly
religious guy, but he does have a strong moral compass that constantly points
north. He knows what he believes in, and he knows that there is a right and a
wrong.
So one time, in spite of Jack’s responsibility and in spite
of the efforts he and his girlfriend made to the contrary, everything that can
go wrong did go wrong, and she got pregnant. I know Jack. His family doesn’t
have a lot of money, but he would have embraced the challenge before him and
accepted fatherhood. Jack would have gladly taken a full-time job and
transferred to a community college, if need be, so that he could help to
support the child he created. But there was a problem: the way that Jack found
out about the baby.
Jack and his girlfriend were eating out when she gave him
the news. The problem is with the news that she delivered. She didn’t tell him
that she was pregnant; she told him that she had already had an abortion. This
girl, without ever consulting the father of her child, had decided, for
whatever reason, to “terminate her pregnancy” without the slightest show of
concern for the father. Jack found out that he was a father only to discover
that his baby had been killed before he even got a chance to love the child.
So, what, exactly could I tell Jack? Today, I dare you to
try to tell him that abortion is a “women’s issue.” He explodes at the very
mention of the argument. “You think abortion is a women’s issue?” he exclaims,
“Tell that to my dead baby!”
Abortion is about more than just the woman who carries the
baby. It’s also about the man who co-created the child. And, most importantly,
it’s about the baby who does not get a voice, who has no one to advocate for
him. It’s about that baby who doesn’t get a chance to draw his first breath. It’s
about the baby who doesn’t get to cry. It’s about the baby who will never get
to be held by someone who loves him.
It’s about Jack’s baby.
*Note: I have been given express permission to tell this
story, however, to protect Jack’s privacy, his real name will not be released
under any circumstances.