OPINION:
It’s one thing to believe in a woman’s right to choose.
It’s another thing entirely to crow about having an abortion, as if it were the best decision ever made, right up there with picking the proper college or volunteering free time for Habitat for Humanity or something.
Honestly, some things are best left private.
Take a look at this, from Hollywood actress Rose McGowan, who tweeted: “I have had an abortion and I support this message. I am not ashamed, nor should you be. That 60% of those who choose to have abortions are already mothers says a lot — they understand more than anyone. I was on birth control and it failed. I realized I could not bring a child …”
And she followed it with this tweet: “into my world and simultaneously change the world. I do not regret my decision and it was not made lightly. If you do not want an abortion, don’t get one. My body, my choice, my life. Have you had to make a choice? Let’s talk and use hashtag #HonestAbortion.”
What does she want, a medal?
Visit the hashtag site and it’s more of the same — scores of women sharing their abortion moments, some respectfully and somberly but far more, defensively, defiantly, almost cheerfully.
Come on now, America. We’re better than that, aren’t we?
Listen: Abortion is a travesty that takes innocent lives. Even those who are pro-choice ought to realize that abortion is not an ideal — that in the general scheme of things, women who’ve had abortions would generally prefer never to have been pregnant in the first place. It’s not like abortion is the go-to; it’s not like it’s the woman’s goal of sex.
So do we seriously have to stand for and accept views from the pro-choice side that pretend like abortion is not only a great liberator, but a life improvement plan?
Screaming “I’ve had an abortion” from the rooftops of Twitter, while cavalierly pretending as if children don’t allow parents to have lives of influence seems the lowest-of-low pro-choice arguments one could make.
“I am not ashamed,” McGowan says — but she should be.
Abortion is not a time to celebrate. It’s an occasion to mourn. And if McGowan believes she could not “change the world” by bringing a baby into her life, then so be it. But how about a little respect; how about a bit of somber silence.
Even those who support abortion ought to realize these innocents deserve to be grieved. Certainly, and at the very least, we can all agree that abortion is not a bragging right.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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