I do not have a uterus.
I cannot tell a woman what to do with her uterus.
If I did have a uterus, I still could not tell a woman what to do with her uterus. I also still could not tell a transgender man what to do with his uterus. And others would not have the right to tell me what to do with mine.
I am a huge fan of Emily’s List (look it up; they’re awesome) and I am vehemently pro-choice. I try to be polite and delicate about it sometimes, because I know that abortion is a sensitive topic for some people, but it is not for me. For me, abortion is a medical procedure—except that unlike having teeth pulled or having an appendectomy, it is not a procedure that I will never undergo. Also, unlike tooth-extraction and appendectomies, it is a contested topic. In fact, it is still being contested today (and not just in distant parts of the world to which I am afraid to travel), which is more than a little mind-boggling to me.
But I do not believe that opponents of female reproductive rights are mindless, misogynistic lunatics who want to turn women into baby-making slaves. I do not have many friends who are opposed to abortion rights, but those who are tend to be educated and know how to express and articulate their beliefs without shouting “baby-killer.” In most cases, their beliefs have a foundation in their personal religious beliefs.
If your religious beliefs state that life begins at conception, then I understand that. But I do not understand why you would expect for me to believe that—or conduct myself as if I believe it. I believe in ghosts (not in supernatural ghosts that levitate chairs or start fires or other things like that). And I honestly forget, at times, that not everyone believes in ghosts (although it makes sense; I wouldn’t expect for someone who has never had an experience with something to believe in it, per se). That said, I don’t consciously expect for other people to believe in ghosts. And I certainly don’t expect for people to conduct themselves as if they did believe in …
