Another man sounds off on abortion | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Don't you find it ironic that most of the people making laws and pontificating about women's abortions are men?

    It is just one of many ironies. For instance, the "my body, my choice" movement proclaims a person's rights when it comes to requiring masks or getting vaccinations, but that doesn't seem to connect with women being able to control their bodies. And am I missing something? The whole right-to-life movement talks about the "sanctity of life" as the reason not to abort, but most right-to-lifers seem okay terminating a life through capital punishment. Where's the sanctity there?

    I need to proclaim that I am not an all-in supporter of abortion at any time or for any reason. But in too many instances abortion has become a birth control method, especially in younger women. Wife Lib remembers her undergraduate days in a time before abortion was legal. When girls in her college dorm got pregnant (yes, it happened more frequently than most of us knew) there was a lot of distress about what could be done. These coeds knew of "some woman" in the county who could take care of the problem. It often employed using coat hangers in unsanitary conditions. Some of the girls were maimed, unable to ever have children.

    Don't look for me at rallies that advocate abortion any time and most any reason, but there are some legitimate situations that should be allowed.

    A member of our family had health conditions. Her doctor - a respected physician - told her that both the life of the fetus and her own life were in jeopardy. I can tell you this was an agonizing and traumatic decision for the young couple, but in the end they chose life....the mother's life. It left an emotional mark, but they were glad they made that decision, because later they had healthy babies.

    In cases of rape or incest there is no moral or religious reason why a woman should be forced to have the baby. And there should be no legal reason either.

    Two main questions surround this discussion. The first involves when a fetus is "viable?" Texas' new law is absurd. Some women don't even know they are pregnant at six weeks. Studies indicate that 99 percent of abortions occur before 21 weeks. Later term abortions are generally made because of threatening medical conditions.

    The second is to answer what is considered excessive restrictions? When the U.S. Supreme Court opened its new session this week one of the cases before them concerns whether to uphold Roe v. Wade or declare it unconstitutional. Previous courts have consistently upheld the 1972 law supporting a woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. The question is what is excessive?

    The bottom line is that an abortion decision should ALWAYS be made between a woman, her family, her doctor and her god. Not a bunch of self-righteous old men who never had to face the consequences. These lawmakers should be forced to take the children they mandated and support them. Did I really write that?

    More men need to stand up for women! This shouldn't be a movement of mostly women. The best I remember biology, these women would not be in this situation were it not for some guy.

    One final thing needs to be said. No court, no law, no religion and no political party will ever stop abortions. Do we really want to return to the dark days of coat hangers?

    Tom Campbell is a Hall of Fame North Carolina Broadcaster and columnist who has covered North Carolina public policy issues since 1965. He recently retired from writing, producing and moderating the statewide half-hour TV program NC SPIN that aired 22 1/2 years.

    Contact him at tomcamp@carolinabroadcasting.com. years. Contact him at tomcamp@carolinabroadcasting.com.