Central argument—Women should be given full information on their unborn child, so that they can make a decision that is not altered by other people’s beliefs.
I have never stood in the shoes of a parent, but from what I see, I do not think it is easy. I have made my mother feel all kinds of sadness, and I am truly sorry for the stupid things that I have done. Despite the stupid things, one day my mother is going to let me face the world alone. She is preparing for the world out there, and with God’s grace, I am healthy enough to face it. Emily Rapp’s Rick Santorum, Meet My Son, talks about how a woman was not given a choice, that would have saved a lot of suffering. Rapp gave birth to a child with a “degenerative disease.” Rapp believes that and abortion would have saved the child a lot of suffering. She would have chosen to tramp on values.
The child, whose name is Ronan, is suffering from Tay-Sachs. He is blind, paralyzed, and there are times when he stops breathing. No mother deserves to see her child that way, and no child deserves that much suffering. In her article, Rapp’s says, “I would have had an abortion,” given the information that her child would have Tay-Sachs. She says that not because she does not want a defected child, but because she loves her child so much. If she had known that her child would start his life with so much difficulty, she would not have let it happen. Parents make choices for their children, until they learn how to make their own decisions responsibly. The only choice that Rapp’s wishes she could have made, was the one that would have “saved” her child.
Rick Santorum, on the other hand, believes that abortion should not happen, as “all life is inherently valuable.” But, how can someone live without “relationships, thoughts, and pleasant physical experiences.” Between, Santorum and Rapp, it is a battle of values, and choices. In this matchup, Rapp has the advantage, as she experiences, and understands the situation first hand. It does not mean that she does not value her child’s life. The fact that Ronan physically exists, but not mentally, makes it pointless for him to go through the pain. All she wants to say is that, the moral things do not matter, when your child can hardly breathe.
Personally, this article leaves me thinking, and somehow I cannot come to a conclusion. I always had a feeling that told me abortion was wrong, until I read this article. Rapp accepts Ronan as he is, but watching him breaks her heart. She knows that there is no doubt he will ever live normally, and she has prepared herself to say goodbye. Parents should be given full information on their unborn child, so that they do not have to watch their children suffer from the moment they are born.
A very thoughtful response! I also used to have very strong convictions about certain values, but the more I've learned, the more unsure I have become. Maybe the point is that few things in life should be absolutes.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, this essay is a qualification, although I'm not sure you even know that. It does work, but you need to be more explicit. Typically, you want something like this in your introduction:
Person A believes B. I agree/disagree because of X, Y, Z.
However, you might have:
Person A believes B. I neither agree nor disagree because it's more complicated, considering X, Y, and Z.