A pregnant 9 year old is resting in the recovery room after her D&C.  She was 12 weeks pregnant from her brother repeatedly raping her since she was 7 years old.  A disheveled “dead-behind the eyes” 20 year old comes into the college Gyne clinic complaining of painful urination.  Her tests come back positive for chlamydia, and pregnancy.  She has had 13 different sexual partners in the past year, and two elective abortions.  She is planning on a third abortion.  A happily married couple is carrying a child with a lethal anomaly.  They carry the pregnancy with extreme love for the life growing and kicking inside of them.  A 43 year old immigrant from India is pregnant with her 8th child.  She lives in abject poverty and her husband is physically and sexually abusive to her and her children.  She inquires about pregnancy termination.  A 36 year old women finds out via amniocentesis that she is carrying an infant with Down Syndrome.  She agonizes over this and decides to keep her baby.  Years later she looks into her toddlers eyes and cannot imagine her life without her.

These are just some of many examples I have personally experienced as a nurse, regarding the complicated circumstances surrounding women’s health and reproductive issues.  These issues have been brought to the forefront again, with President Barack Obama’s commencement speech today at Notre Dame University.  He did not shy away from the topic of abortion, and here are some of his excerpts of the speech regarding this topic:

“The question, then, is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side.

Nowhere do these questions come up more powerfully than on the issue of abortion.” I also wonder if it is possible to have a common effort in the abortion debate.  Will it happen in my lifetime, or my daughters?  People who are pro-life unwaveringly believe life begins at the union of an ovum and sperm.  Preventing that is akin to murder.  Pro-choice believe that we have no rights over a women’s body and right to choose.  Preventing that is criminal and discriminatory.  How can there be a middle ground?

“Maybe we won’t agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions.” I agree with this.  Abortion is not a decision to take lightly.  It is agonizing.  It can be life altering and life saving.  In an ideal world, abortion would not exist.  Unwanted pregnancies would not exist.  But we do not live in an ideal world.

“So let’s work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term. Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women.” Agree.

“Understand – I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. No matter how much we may want to fudge it – indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory – the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.” This I can relate to.  I understand where pro-life supporters come from.  I respect their beliefs, as we all should.  I would hope pro-choice supporters views are also respected.  I have heard nurses tell other nurses they would be “going to hell” for caring for women undergoing elective inductions to deliver fetuses with lethal anomalies.  I have heard nurses tell other nurses they are “red-necks” for not supporting a woman’s right to choose.  Real life, real words, real ignorant.

“Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words.”

For full transcript, click here.

RR