I tried to stay neutral but I can no longer stay on the balancing beam nor can I afford to sit silently on the sidelines. I was a teen mom.
I Had my first baby at the age of 16. Even back then, in 1986, I was well aware that I had a choice on what I wanted to do. A choice of whether or not I wanted to continue with my pregnancy or terminate it. I chose to go with it and have my baby.
At the time, I was in high school. I had my whole life ahead of me, being a musician. Also being President of the Dance Team at my high school. I was so good at piano and choir, my teachers saw the talent and would summon me to help them conduct their classes while they went to meetings. In other words… I was an unpaid substitute teacher in the 10th grade.
Flash forward… to 1987… thats when I had my second child at 17. I had a choice even then on whether or not I wanted to go through with that pregnancy…
I considered and weighed all of my options and discovered that abortion was not a consideration. Even though I was so young, had a baby already, not finished high school, being supported by my parents and had health concerns of being asmatic.
Fast forward to 1990…
It was very difficult and I often thought to myself that; “if it weren’t for my parents I would not have made it this far.”
I got my first job at LAX. I was a single parent and at age of 19 with two children and Still pretty much being supported by my goodly parents (they thought it best that I take care of and bond with my babies) so I was a stay at home mom until they were school aged.
Two years later, I met someone I thought I would be able to partner with which didn’t turn out the way I expected it to. I found myself pregnant with my third baby… I had a choice then too.
The father of my third baby took on the responsibilities of being father to my first two and was excited and joyful upon learning that we were expecting our first child together.
At this point, my parents began to loosen their support and let me take the reigns of handling the facts that pertain to my life. I had a choice.
Towards the end of 1991, I became pregnant again and was fearful that we (the daddy and I) were not earning enough income to support our growing family and we decided that an abortion was necessary at that point in time in order for our family to pretty much get by.
Abortions were not free.
We paid $380 to have the procedure done.
So I scheduled the appointment. When the date came, I got ready and we drove down to the HER Medical Clinic in Los Angeles. I walked in, went to the receptionists window gave her my information and paid the $380 to have the procedure then sat back down and waited.
Time was moving slowly as all sorts of weird thoughts went through my head.
“Will I recover quickly?” “How long will this take?” “Am I doing the right thing?” Throughout all of this, I still had a choice.
When my name was called, the nurse led me to a room. It was pretty welcoming and I felt comfortable.
I was instructed by the nurse to remove my clothing and handed me a powder blue hospital gown, then I sat down on the examination table. Completely unaware of what was going to happen next.
The nurse instructed me to lay down then she squirted some gel on my abdomen and began to perform an ultrasound. In the feedback that the ultrasound revealed was the tiny, fully formed skeleton of my now 29 year old son.
I saw his little fingers, rib cage and skull, what seemed to me to be a spine and everything that would make me know for a certain that this was indeed a baby…my baby.
The nurse suddenly said to me, “you ready?”
I said yes. Then she said “OK. I’ll be right back.” When she left the room. She did not turn the monitor off.
I looked at the monitor again and saw my baby move..he began to suck his thumb. (Something I did as a child).
Then Suddenly I hopped up. I Really Don’t know what came over me… I just got up… wiped the gel off of my belly. Put my clothes back on and left the room.
I went to the receptionists window told the receptionists that I changed my mind. She asked me why? I just told her that I just can’t go through with it.
I then asked for my refund. Which they took half of the $380 and gave me the balance, said it was to pay for the ultrasound and time spent in the examination room.
I speedily left after my refund was recieved. Went home and raised my children.
Fast forward to present day. Now I have four adult children, three of whom have children of their own. My youngest is the only one who is not a parent yet.
While my other children, his siblings have have made me a grandmother and my youngest son an uncle seven (7xs) times over.
The bottom line is during my entire life, I have had a choice on what I wanted to do with my own body. My daughters had choices on what they wanted to do with their bodies.
Flash forward to today… it’s not 1968, the year I was born and it’s not 1986, the year my first born child was born…
It’s 2022 and Roe v. Wade is hanging in the balance and virtually all women will have their perspective choice literally taken away.
If it were not for my right to choose, I have no idea what I would’ve done or become.
A women’s right to choose what she wants to do with her body is her choice and no person/persons, especially in a robe on, should have input that could completely take away a womens right to choose
People are pissed off… I’m pissed off, as we all should be.
The right to choose is an important factor in everyone’s personal and psychological development.
Take away that right, there’s nothing left in that concept.
Choice is the big topic for this year. Freedom of Choice is the big topic of today.
Without choice, what is there?
The decision to have a child is life altering. Being forced to have a child is life altering and having your choices limited is life altering.
They say that life begins at conception. I say life begins when you can choose for yourself or when you can take care of yourself.
Once you’re born, your life begins. Is that pro- life?
I don’t understand how this became such a controversy.
Today’s Pro-Life activity says that somebody has to fight for the unborn…that’s just like saying somebody has to fight for the dead.
The difference between the living and the dead is that the living have a choice. The dead do not. The fetus has no choice because it cannot survive outside of the womb on its own.
They say the unborn can’t speak for themselves. It is true. Neither can the dead.
That brings me back to the living… what about the women and young girls who have been victims of molestation or rape and who may be forced to go through with and face an unwanted pregnancy?
Women and girls who have to watch their belly grow week after week. With their rapists burden. Do they have a SAY?
If ROE V WADE is revoked; they won’t have a say…
A world where there is no choice for young women and girls is not the world that we want to turn the pages of history and fall back into.
How Dare They!
After all these years… now they want to revoke the freedom of choice.
A women’s right to choose… Yes… it’s the freedom of choice that’s at stake here.
If I didn’t have a choice on what I wanted to do with my life and the lives of my children, I most likely would not be where I am today.
My daughter’s had choices… they chose to do what’s best for them. They turn to me for advice. Which I freely give. However, I am strict and reserve judgement because I am a loving parent and not living their lives.
It’s not my business as to what they choose to do with their bodies.
I’m only there for support. I am a loving mother, who cares for her children and grandchildren… caring for the ones who stand before me, breathing with lives of their own.
I have never had an abortion but at least I had a choice…
My two daughters have had choices when it came to their children.
Unfortunately now my granddaughters won’t have that choice. Why?
Because some people think that they have a say as to whether or not a women or girl goes through with a pregnancy by making abortion illegal across the board.
5 people decided to make access to life saving medical procedures such as an abortion more difficult than it already is.
How about that?
What do you think is more important?
Life already being lived or life that has yet to begin?
The life that is being lived is more important of course.
HANDS OFF OUR BODIES!
MY BODY, MY CHOICE!
CHOICE IS A RIGHT!
Sorry, NOT Sorry!
If I could protest I would… I guess this blog post is my protest.
I don’t want my granddaughters to suffer under the possibility of a Handmaids Tale type of scenario or system that is slowly taking hold of this country.
Where their bodies are not their own. A life in which they are forced to become mothers because the law says that they have to.
A life in which they have no rights to their own body… They have no choice.
Please forgive my rant. I am highly upset…and afraid for my granddaughters.
There’s not much that can be done. Hopefully, individual States will take precautions to protect the rights of our women and daughters so that their rights will not be completely striped away.
There is power in the Statehouses.
So do what I would do and call your local representatives. Call your State Representatives offices, get them to commit to protecting a women’s right to choose in your State ahead of this terrible decision by SCOTUS.
U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-224-3121 TTY: 202-225-1904
Starting something new can be challenging, but with perseverance, it can be done.
Linda Dawkins, a freelance writer, recently changed her career path at the age of 53.
A life-long music lover who decided that change was necessary and she can still do what she loves!
This isn’t the story of a podcast … it’s a story of time and change. Or simply put… it was time for a change.
She joined AliveShoes.com and designed her first pair of shoes. She called it EMLIFATI , conveniently named after one of her long existing Facebook pages called “Empress Linda’s Fashion Time.”
She cleverly used the first two letters of each word on her Facebook page. which, to her surprise, turned out Amazingly! Could you imagine her excitement when it all made sense?
To actually find an otherwise excellent use of a page. So she stored all things Fashion related that she found to be Fashion worthy and interesting on the internet.
Now here comes the cool part: not only does she design custom-made shoes made in Italy by the AliveShoes professional footware crafts, but she now has a podcast on Spotify called That’s Love For You Podcast.
You can find the link to her podcast at the top of the page!
You can also donate to support her podcast at the above link.
The most important thing that needs to be said is that she is donating all of the money earned from the sale of her first design, (a custom made, unisex design, sandal that was inspired by the desert of Las Vegas), to charities that are helping the people of Ukraine during this time of war.
You can listen to Linda or as she prefers to be called EmpressLinda on Spotify
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1 Dear Heavenly Father, Thou art worthy to be praised! I thank thee for thy loving kindness and mercy.
2 I’m sorry for the evil of mankind. We are weak, and we grieve for the blood of the innocent.
3 The tears of their mothers are crying out for justice. They were robbed of their chance of peace. The joy, love, happiness, and security disappear with sounds of war.
4 Their joy has been stolen by evil men. They may desire the destruction of Thy creation. This is why I come to Thee Father God.
5 These evil things are done by the children of men.
6 It grieves me that they will give orders to kill Thy children indiscriminately.
7 Surely, this is evil Father God. So I ask you, Lord. When will this torment end? The world mourns with Thy children in their suffering.
8 Thy children in far east face The firey flames of destruction. Their enemy is run rampant.
9 Famine and hopelessness are near. But Thy children will increase in strength. They will surely, stand up in the face of evil by Thy strength. They will rise to overcome the firey pit of destruction.
8By His stripes we are healed.
9 To always have courage, hope, faith, practice good will, exercise bravery, and increase with a desire to live. Some are no less depending upon survival, and surely, this is good?
10. The intentions and desire for peace, joy, and happiness far outweigh those with the desire to show hatred.
11Greed, envy, and all mortal weakness. Thou wilt shed away from the hearts of those who intentionally harmed their neighbors.
12 The world will increase with the desire to love our neighbors. The children on earth will love others as we love ourselves.
Father God, I ask thee for intervention. Specifically, for Thy children in (__________).
I am thankful for Thy Ear.
I ask that Thou touch Thy son/daughter,( __________), whose actions have been harmful to himself and others.
I ask Thee to hinder them from being in the position of being harmful to himself/herself and others. For the prevention of one persons woe is giving a beginning of happiness for all.
This is why, considering that fact that he/she is Thy son/daughter, and Thou loves him/her as Thou doest me, I ask Thee, for deliverance from the pit of dispair.
I ask Thee Father God for an intervention. That our joint hindrance of these odds toward one another be lifted and hearts be calmed.
Thats Love For You 