It would seem everyone, male, female and those in between have an opinion. Of course, I’m no different!
Did Norma Nelson/McCorvey ever change her mind about the (not one baby but three!) she gave up for adoption? Norma aka Jane Roe, until recently was not a name I was familiar with. Norma was the drug addict, poverty stricken pregnant woman who took the United States government to court for breaching her ‘constitutional right’ to have an abortion. The fact that only now decades later, the Supreme Court has reversed the decision which effectively legalised abortion in America for decades, has now discovered that the American Constitution hadn’t actually even mentioned what should be done when a woman for whatever reason didn’t want to carry on with her pregnancy!
The more I searched for information about this woman, the more confused I became. It would ultimately seem that she was a bit of an ‘actress’, a word she brazenly is quoted as describing herself as. I was left wondering was this woman the female version of Walter Mitty or was she ever really a product of her environment, maybe both? She was allegedly in an abusive marriage when she became pregnant for the third time, after already giving two previous babies up for adoption. Her first child Melissa was the only child she ever had any real contact with, however, she accuses her mother of misleading her and having her sign adoption papers without her knowledge. Her mother disputes this account and says Norma was well aware she signed over Melissa for adoption. She then became pregnant again, with a second daughter and signed this child over straight away for adoption. In 1969, the 21 year old became pregnant again and reported that she had been raped, (later admitting that she had lied!) This instigated the famous case Roe-Wade case, and although eventually she won her right to an abortion, the case had taken so long that her third daughter Shelly had been born and placed into care, being adopted and never knowing who her mother was until around 1989.
It would seem that Norma was indeed a very mixed up woman, initially being active in the pro-abortion campaign, later to say she was being used, only to turn her back on pro-life campaign by stating in an interview she backed the anti-abortion campaigners as she was being paid. She was Catholic, she was ‘born again’ Christian, she was straight, she was lesbian.
It would seem that even prior to gaining fame and notoriety, there’s no doubt she had a troubled mind and distorted view of the world. McCorvey died of natural causes in 2017 at the age of 69, having reportedly said to Shelly (the baby involved in the famous case) that she ‘should thank her for not having an abortion,’ to which Shelly snapped "What! I'm supposed to thank you for getting knocked up . . . and then giving me away?" Taking aside the three unwanted pregnancies, my opinion of this woman is not a pleasant one.
So, am I against abortion? No, absolutely not! But, as a mother I would have found it close to impossible to have terminated any of the lives of my children once I saw the flickering beating miniscule heart. I, also, as a mother, cannot predict what I would do if I had have been told that my baby was severely mentally or physically impaired. I thank God I didn’t have to make that painful decision.
And now that I’ve brought God into the equation . . . Many religious debates have taken place over this very issue. The sanctity of human life, the (in their words, certainly not mine) murder of an unborn child. What gives these people, many of them men, the right to dictate what is right and wrong? What gives them the right to abuse, accuse and castigate the decision of a woman which oftentimes is the most painful decision she will ever have to deal with? It would seem that especially in the U.S.A. those who so vehemently abhor the often necessary termination of a pregnancy, are only too willing to excuse the brutal murder of doctors. In 2009, Dr George Tiller was murdered whilst at church by Scott Roeder. In 1993, Dr Tiller had survived a gun attack by Rachelle Shannon, who shot the Obgyn in both arms.
I learned of this murder whilst reading a tweet by a lady Suzanne @SJohnsdottire. Her thread on Sunday 26th June, immediately captivated me. Her story was of her agonising journey of pregnancy, leading to the heart-breaking decision she was forced to make to have a termination of her second child who had died and was poisoning her. Her matter of fact though eloquent description of her and her husband's journey was just crushing to read. How can anyone say that a woman should be forced to carry on with a non-viable pregnancy when it will end her life as well?
How would those pro-life advocates feel if they had a daughter, who, falls pregnant after being raped? Would they force that victim to be faced with the daily trauma of having to watch that child and be reminded of the attack? I do know a woman who was able to carry on with the pregnancy after rape, she is one of the strongest women I have had the pleasure of knowing, she loves her daughter as much as any mother loves their child and she never said that she had considered an abortion. But, every woman is not the same, every situation is not the same. Should we judge and castigate a woman who decides that having a baby who would have severe mental and physical problems and have a limited life is just too much to bear? In all honesty, I cannot decide what I would have done.
I understand the idea that a woman should decide and it is her body, her right. I get that, I really do, but on the other hand, I have a serious problem with the likes of Norma McCorvey, who seems to have never heard of birth control! In these times, there is just no excuse to have one unwanted pregnancy after another. This is whereby I completely contradict myself in that any woman who cannot organise themselves with some form of birth control, time and time again, should certainly not be allowed to avail of ‘on demand’ abortion services. To use an abortion as a form of retrospective birth control is beyond ridiculous, not to mention what damage is being caused internally to that woman. Gone are the excuses that one's religious beliefs do not allow for birth control, yet we’ll pop into the clinic several times to end an unwanted pregnancy. Thankfully, it would seem that the Church has less power or psychological hold over people nowadays. I have always said, religion, faith can be a good thing, calming, healing. Where I take exception with clerics of whatever denomination or faith is when they ‘dictate,’ when they attempt to bully, embarrass, guilt trip one of their ‘flock’ into submission, or encourage something which will harm, either physically or mentally.
My views and opinions are just that, mine. My body is absolutely mine, to do with as I please. We all have choices, we all hate anyone ‘preaching’ what we should do. As a believer in democracy I also believe that women should have the ability to have a termination if the criteria is based on facts for that individual woman. I do think that abortion should be strictly regulated, medical advice and mental health support structures given to the woman and her partner if there is one before and after the decision – whatever that decision is. My daughter is 23, studying law at Liverpool university, we’ve had the discussion, ‘if she got pregnant.’ Personally, I have told her we could work things out, I would help her and her baby in any way l could, emotionally, financially and practically. But – the end decision would have to be hers, and I as her mum, would accept and live with that decision.
What I don’t think I can ever however accept is ‘on demand’ abortion, purely because a woman is lazy, is constantly having unwanted pregnancies. Our Health Service suffers enough.
Did Norma Nelson/McCorvey ever change her mind about the (not one baby but three!) she gave up for adoption? Norma aka Jane Roe, until recently was not a name I was familiar with. Norma was the drug addict, poverty stricken pregnant woman who took the United States government to court for breaching her ‘constitutional right’ to have an abortion. The fact that only now decades later, the Supreme Court has reversed the decision which effectively legalised abortion in America for decades, has now discovered that the American Constitution hadn’t actually even mentioned what should be done when a woman for whatever reason didn’t want to carry on with her pregnancy!
The more I searched for information about this woman, the more confused I became. It would ultimately seem that she was a bit of an ‘actress’, a word she brazenly is quoted as describing herself as. I was left wondering was this woman the female version of Walter Mitty or was she ever really a product of her environment, maybe both? She was allegedly in an abusive marriage when she became pregnant for the third time, after already giving two previous babies up for adoption. Her first child Melissa was the only child she ever had any real contact with, however, she accuses her mother of misleading her and having her sign adoption papers without her knowledge. Her mother disputes this account and says Norma was well aware she signed over Melissa for adoption. She then became pregnant again, with a second daughter and signed this child over straight away for adoption. In 1969, the 21 year old became pregnant again and reported that she had been raped, (later admitting that she had lied!) This instigated the famous case Roe-Wade case, and although eventually she won her right to an abortion, the case had taken so long that her third daughter Shelly had been born and placed into care, being adopted and never knowing who her mother was until around 1989.
It would seem that Norma was indeed a very mixed up woman, initially being active in the pro-abortion campaign, later to say she was being used, only to turn her back on pro-life campaign by stating in an interview she backed the anti-abortion campaigners as she was being paid. She was Catholic, she was ‘born again’ Christian, she was straight, she was lesbian.
It would seem that even prior to gaining fame and notoriety, there’s no doubt she had a troubled mind and distorted view of the world. McCorvey died of natural causes in 2017 at the age of 69, having reportedly said to Shelly (the baby involved in the famous case) that she ‘should thank her for not having an abortion,’ to which Shelly snapped "What! I'm supposed to thank you for getting knocked up . . . and then giving me away?" Taking aside the three unwanted pregnancies, my opinion of this woman is not a pleasant one.
So, am I against abortion? No, absolutely not! But, as a mother I would have found it close to impossible to have terminated any of the lives of my children once I saw the flickering beating miniscule heart. I, also, as a mother, cannot predict what I would do if I had have been told that my baby was severely mentally or physically impaired. I thank God I didn’t have to make that painful decision.
And now that I’ve brought God into the equation . . . Many religious debates have taken place over this very issue. The sanctity of human life, the (in their words, certainly not mine) murder of an unborn child. What gives these people, many of them men, the right to dictate what is right and wrong? What gives them the right to abuse, accuse and castigate the decision of a woman which oftentimes is the most painful decision she will ever have to deal with? It would seem that especially in the U.S.A. those who so vehemently abhor the often necessary termination of a pregnancy, are only too willing to excuse the brutal murder of doctors. In 2009, Dr George Tiller was murdered whilst at church by Scott Roeder. In 1993, Dr Tiller had survived a gun attack by Rachelle Shannon, who shot the Obgyn in both arms.
I learned of this murder whilst reading a tweet by a lady Suzanne @SJohnsdottire. Her thread on Sunday 26th June, immediately captivated me. Her story was of her agonising journey of pregnancy, leading to the heart-breaking decision she was forced to make to have a termination of her second child who had died and was poisoning her. Her matter of fact though eloquent description of her and her husband's journey was just crushing to read. How can anyone say that a woman should be forced to carry on with a non-viable pregnancy when it will end her life as well?
How would those pro-life advocates feel if they had a daughter, who, falls pregnant after being raped? Would they force that victim to be faced with the daily trauma of having to watch that child and be reminded of the attack? I do know a woman who was able to carry on with the pregnancy after rape, she is one of the strongest women I have had the pleasure of knowing, she loves her daughter as much as any mother loves their child and she never said that she had considered an abortion. But, every woman is not the same, every situation is not the same. Should we judge and castigate a woman who decides that having a baby who would have severe mental and physical problems and have a limited life is just too much to bear? In all honesty, I cannot decide what I would have done.
I understand the idea that a woman should decide and it is her body, her right. I get that, I really do, but on the other hand, I have a serious problem with the likes of Norma McCorvey, who seems to have never heard of birth control! In these times, there is just no excuse to have one unwanted pregnancy after another. This is whereby I completely contradict myself in that any woman who cannot organise themselves with some form of birth control, time and time again, should certainly not be allowed to avail of ‘on demand’ abortion services. To use an abortion as a form of retrospective birth control is beyond ridiculous, not to mention what damage is being caused internally to that woman. Gone are the excuses that one's religious beliefs do not allow for birth control, yet we’ll pop into the clinic several times to end an unwanted pregnancy. Thankfully, it would seem that the Church has less power or psychological hold over people nowadays. I have always said, religion, faith can be a good thing, calming, healing. Where I take exception with clerics of whatever denomination or faith is when they ‘dictate,’ when they attempt to bully, embarrass, guilt trip one of their ‘flock’ into submission, or encourage something which will harm, either physically or mentally.
My views and opinions are just that, mine. My body is absolutely mine, to do with as I please. We all have choices, we all hate anyone ‘preaching’ what we should do. As a believer in democracy I also believe that women should have the ability to have a termination if the criteria is based on facts for that individual woman. I do think that abortion should be strictly regulated, medical advice and mental health support structures given to the woman and her partner if there is one before and after the decision – whatever that decision is. My daughter is 23, studying law at Liverpool university, we’ve had the discussion, ‘if she got pregnant.’ Personally, I have told her we could work things out, I would help her and her baby in any way l could, emotionally, financially and practically. But – the end decision would have to be hers, and I as her mum, would accept and live with that decision.
What I don’t think I can ever however accept is ‘on demand’ abortion, purely because a woman is lazy, is constantly having unwanted pregnancies. Our Health Service suffers enough.
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| Lesley Stock is a former PSNI and RUC Officer currently involved in community work. |
There is a right answer. It always has been the right answer and always will be. It's the woman's choice. No one else's. Plain and simple.
ReplyDeleteStuck the following comment on the wrong piece!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for turning this around so quickly Lesley.
I don't think there will ever be an agreed answer but there is a right answer. A woman should have the right to choose. If men could get pregnant abortion would be a Catholic sacrament. The bishop would be blessing it and they would canonise some saint.