Letter to the Editor: What if?

To the Editor:

June 24, history was made. Roe vs. Wade, a mainstay of the law of the land for over half a century, was overturned.

I was born in 1957, six years before Roe vs. Wade was enacted. My mother chose not to abort me, and even if she wanted to, it may not have been easy at that time. But, what if?

What if I were about to be born in 1963 and my mother wanted to use the Roe vs. Wade law to its fullest benefit? I would now be up in heaven talking to my mom, asking, “Why, Mom? Why did you choose to abort me? God’s plan for me was to live 60-plus years on earth, but now because of your choice I have missed out.”

Thankfully, in real life, that has not been the case. It was never an option for my dear mother to ever even consider abortion, either for me or my seven other siblings. My mom was smart, but she was never quite able to learn to say the words, “my body, my choice.” Thank you, Mom.

On that sunny day in October, 1957, I had the blessing of being able to come into this world. Many who were to be born after me, about 60 million victims of abortion, could not enjoy that same blessing. How fair is that?

Sometimes, for the greater good of the whole society, we need to be willing to give up some of our individual rights. Those who smoke know that. Do you think the smokers were happy when the laws came out banning smoking in public places? Despite their disappointment, how many massive protests did smokers have back then? It seems that the majority of the smokers realized the importance of the law and were willing to be inconvenienced somewhat so that others would not be harmed by their second-hand smoke.

There will likely be many protests to come, as each state chooses where their stand will be in the abortion debate. May we be able to celebrate the sanctity of life, and be willing to lay aside our selfish individual rights. The children yet to be born will appreciate it.

Arthur Clocksin
Waukon