HOW ABOUT THESE CHOICES, DEAR FEMINISTS?

It is tragic that women have allowed the pro-choice-vs-pro-life debate to center on abortion. I mean tragic in the sense that it has clouded discussion of the truly powerful choices women can make to benefit themselves and humanity. These choices are not impaired by legislation (yet). These are simple choices that can change a society in just a couple of generations.

I am going to list some of these choices that are evident if a woman simply does some basic reading in physical sciences, social sciences, economics and culture.

1. The choice to use whatever methods best suit you to not bear children in your lifetime. There is ample scientific and statistical evidence that shows that women who do not get pregnant and deliver a child do benefit biologically if they maintain good health habits. This does not mean choosing to be a a childless woman. There are plenty of motherless children who need someone to nurture them. The economic benefits of not bearing and raising children are well documented.

2. The choice to research your genetics before deciding to get pregnant. Basic analysis of your known genetic-medical history for a couple of generations with the help of a qualified physician can provide the data to consider before pregnancy. The conscious choice and action not to risk passing on a serious genetic disease is very powerful. It will effect the human gene pool for generations to come.

3. The choice to select a life partner outside the conventions of the sappy romanticism and commercialization of conventional marriage. With the liberation of female sexuality in recent times due to various forms of contraception, women, like men, can choose to tailor a partnership with another person in a way that will facilitate their mutual social, economic and psychological progress in life.

4. The choice to enter a marriage or domestic partnership with a true equal. The term "equality" is often bantered as though it were a commodity bestowed, not earned. It is earned in a modern society such as the U.S.. Too many women make the choice to not insist on building a communicative and  equal relationship in the home.

5. The choice to bear a child only after serious thought and intention. Nearly half of pregnancies in the developed world are reported as accidental. The profound power of a woman to conceive and deliver a human being into this life does not have to be wasted on an accident. Even poor communities now have access to educational and medical assistance for planning a pregnancy. 

6. The choice to raise children scientifically. Playing it by ear or simply repeating the developmental model of a genetic family is not intelligent child-rearing. Most men and women read more instruction manuals about their appliances or cars than about their children. There is a huge body of science which has yielded positive results in child-rearing. Making this choice does not mean turning your child into a lab rat. It means you will provide secure and positively formative parenting.

7, The choice to become civically engaged in your community. Local participation in government is open to women as much as to men. School committees, city councils, neighborhood associations ... these all empower women to participate in the process of governing. Writing an op ed in a local newspaper is also empowering. Wearing a pink vagina on your head at a protest is fine, but actually participating in shaping your community is much more gratifying in the long run.

I could go on, but, seeing that I am an Old White Man, I don't want to push my luck if you, as  woman, have been open enough to read this far. I mean to encourage. I understand the frustration of feeling less than. I have felt that way in a room filled with women when I was working as a registered nurse. But your feeling of being left out or perceived as inferior does not have to become your reality. 

Abortion is an unnecessary tragedy for any woman in the U.S. today. It is certainly not an effective method for maintaining other life choices. It is a desperate one. I mean this from a purely psychological perspective, not a religious one. It is time for smart feminists to walk away from the abortion-centered trap when seeking to affirm their equality in the world. The abortion-centered debate is simply a distraction from what constitutes the true power of intelligent womanhood.