Tuesday, January 22, 2008

A noteworthy anniversary

It is worth noting that today is the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision -- I'm not sure how far we've really come since then, but the numbers are declining.

Nearly that far back I was involved with the issue -- then an extremely volatile, emotionally-charged one, especially as I worked with a coalition of religious organizations who believed in and supported choice.

It is still a highly emotional, politically-charged issue, but this article points out that it has opened the door over these past 35 years to other healthcare and medical rights debates that are no less critical to our rights to make medical choices for ourselves.

I once knew committed, hardworking, moral people on both sides who tried hard to discuss as rationally as possible what might be done to reduce the number of abortions, and to help those women who felt they had no other options. The extremists on either side, however, tend to outshout and overshadow with their blanket condemnations those who truly, lovingly, want to make a difference in women's health and safety, and who work to make that happen.

This is not a new issue; it is not going away, ever.

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