Planned Parenthood | Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund

by Shannon

Web Correspondent
South Dakota Community Organizer
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota

My mornings are pretty routine day to day. I get up, shower, get ready, get my son up, get him ready and off to daycare. I get into work, log on to my computer, and voila my day has begun. Pretty typical.
One of the very first things I do once I’m at work, is spend about a half an hour reading the news and blogs of the day.

This morning I was thrilled to learn that our Congresswoman, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, and her husband Max are expecting.

Then I came across this post and my excitement for our lone Representative quickly disappeared as I learned that someone was taking such a joyous event and turning it into a political talking point.

The post on Dakota War College suggests that one’s views on abortion change as one gets older, more mature, and starts to have families. It goes further to suggest that perhaps Ms. Herseth Sandlin will change her views on abortion simply because she’s pregnant

It’s preposterous to think that just because a woman or a couple becomes pregnant, their opinions on the role of government automatically change. The issue of abortion is a personal matter. Let me say it again… Abortion is personal.

While I cannot speak for her, I know that Rep. Herseth Sandlin believes it’s not the role of the government to intrude into those deeply personal very difficult decisions that families make together. And, again I cannot speak for her, but I’m willing to bet, that view is not going to change simply because she’s pregnant.

One more note while I have your attention. This line is my favorite from the post:

Most people have to experience the birth of a child themselves for it to really
sink in.

This statement offends me in so many ways I cannot even count them. But, then again, it’s pretty typical of anti-choicers. They are all about the birth, but have very little concern about what happens to the child after it’s born. To suggest that one forms an opinion on the issue of abortion based on pregnancy and birth is ludicrous. As the mother of a child who is adopted, I resent this line of thinking. Anti-choice forces often point to adoption as a solution to abortion. But, they obviously are just saying that, because the minute they start to write their thoughts down, they forget all about the adoption piece of the puzzle. If I were raising a child I actually gave birth to my opinion would be different??? WRONG.

Congratulations Max and Ms. Congresswoman!

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