A Dirty Word? Notes on Abortion

Abortion has long been a hot-bed issue for America, with debates between opposing sides resulting in little, if any, change in the beliefs of either party. While pro-lifers hold fast to the belief that abortion denies babies their right to life, pro-choicers believe that abortion gives women the right to control their bodies - namely, their ability to have or not to have a child. While I am pro-choice, I believe that this pro-choice argument only scratches the surface regarding the importance of having the right to abortion. Women should have the right to control their bodies, but this argument does not delineate why this is so important.

Having the ability to control one's body and whether or not - or when - it bears a child is crucial because the ability to do so affects the life of the mother. If abortion was not an option for women, women would be forced into the role of mother against their will or before they had hoped to become a mother. From the moment a child is born, the mother and, hopefully, the father, will have to focus their lives almost completely on that child if that child is to grow up healthy and emotionally stable. For this reason, being able to choose when and if women have children gives women the chance to control a their entire future. For this reason, the argument that being able to control one's body is a necessary right must be understood from the perspective that having control over one's body directly affects the rest of one's life.

Being able to control when and if a woman has a child also affects the life of the child in question. As mentioned, if a child is to mature into a happy, well-adjusted adult, he or she requires a great deal of love and care from his or her parent(s). If that child was born against his or her mother's will, it is likely that this mother would have the motivation to provide as much devotion to the child as would be required. This is not to say that women who want abortions are unloving, but having a child is labor. For some, it is a labor of love because that child was desired. For other, it is simply labor, because that child was not wanted.

In response to this argument, pro-lifers might say that women with unwanted children can place their child up for adoption. But who is to say that this child will find a loving home? Having experience in the field of foster care and adoption, it is not easy to find a good home for all children and not all children will find a home. And for those who are adopted, many feel a strong desire to understand why they were placed up for adoption and feel a sense of loss for their biological parents. Is it fair to saddle children with this burden so early in life?

This is why, when I hear arguments such as those from Nevada Republican Senate candidate, Sharron Angle, that abortion is wrong because conception, no matter what the circumstances, is part of "God's plan," infuriate me. For some people, having children is a wonderful experience that is long awaited. For others, an unexpected pregnancy can completely alter their lives in ways they never dreamed of or in ways they had dreaded. For the child subjected to a life led as a man or woman's regret, they have been set up for a life of deep despair. It is not fair to either the unwanted child or to the parents to which he or she was born. For the sakes of the lives of those involved, women should be able to control their bodies.

There are many other reasons why I believe abortion should be a woman's right, and these are often covered in the media. I wanted to touch on the argument about a woman's right to a future she has planned for, however, because it is often overlooked. As a woman with plans of her own, I hope that should I ever become unexpectedly pregnant, I will still have the ability to choose the path for myself - and for that child - that is right for both of us.

My Niche

If I wasn't sure that social work was the field for me, my new job has more than assured me that it is. Working as a residential counselor has been challenging, but the challenge is something I am very interested in facing. I work in a program that houses children coming from abusive and neglectful homes and, due to their traumatic upbringings, have learned few, if any, effective coping skills. As a result, it is the job of residential counselors, staffed at the home 24-7, to help these kids learn new, more effective coping mechanisms. This may not sound very difficult, but when children are acting out in any number of ways to what may seem like to many a situation with a simple solution, this can be an extremely trying process.

And, just as accounting is not the right profession for everyone, residential counselor work is not for everyone either. And I happen to find it extremely rewarding. Although I won't be seeing immediate changes in these kids' behavior, it is helps me to know that the work I am doing now will help them in the long run, even if only in a small way. I have had many jobs in my (short) lifetime, but none have energized me and left me feeling satisfied like this one does. After hearing suggestions that the kids' treatment teams are making regarding how we should be working with these kids, I have learned that I employed some of these tactics on my own, prior to their advisement. Knowing this makes me feel like I have finally found my niche. Though I thought this is what I wanted all along, finally engaging in this kind of work and feeling successful in it solidifies for me what I had long hoped would be my career. It just feels right. I know that I still have a great deal to learn in this position, and more broadly, in the field of social work, but I am really excited to be dipping my feet in this kind of work!

Body Image and Advocacy

As some of you may know, Australia has enacted a new code of conduct that promotes positive body image among young people. With the help of the government, Australia will fund an organization that provides training and workshops to improve self-esteem and body image, and will create a reward system for companies who develop body-friendly advertisements. In addition, they plan to implement a "body image friendly" symbol that is to be placed on advertisements that promote positive body image.


Unfortunately, the United States does not have this type of initiative, but we can still work together to improve and promote positive body image. There are many ways that Jane and John Q. Public can make their voices heard. When we see advertisements, whether positive or problematic, we can write letters to the companies that developed them and letters to the editor of publications that printed them. We can even use our own "body image friendly" (or not-so-friendly) symbols by placing stickers on articles or advertisements that promote positive or negative body image like those that The Renfrew Center Foundation developed. In fact, we can even create our own stickers by purchasing blank stickers from office supply stores, writing quick and easy-to-read messages of praise or (constructive) criticism on them, and placing them where we see fit.


The main goal is to make your voice heard. Yes, corporations have an incredible amount of power of the images and words we are exposed to and it might not feel like a letter written from "little old me" will make a difference, but it does! That's how the National Eating Disorders Association got FX to pull their show Starved - by writing letters and working with the show's major advertisers to cut funding. And, if nothing else, doesn't it make you feel better to talk back to negative messages you've been receiving?