A friend who works in a Maternity oriented ICU told me that last year they had 3 women who were diagnosed as terminal cancer whilst pregnant and every one of them chose to continue the pregnancy even if it meant their own lives would be shortened. This caused some ethical re-thinking as usually the mother's life is paramount (it is a catholic hospital).
So, the question is - if this were your loved one would you support her no matter what her choice was - to terminate and survive longer or to try and live long enough to give the baby a chance?
How would you react?
It's amazingly difficult to put myself in that hypothetical situation, since I don't have any female loved ones.
I mean, I have friends, I have a new daughter-in-law, I'll soon have a granddaughter.
But I don't feel close enough to any of these females that I would feel I had any say- or any real
stake- in whether they chose to abort or not.
I think it's their
choice, obviously. That's what being pro-choice is all about.
Further, I think people with terminal cancer should have the right to cease all treatment beyond palliative care, and do whatever they feel like, and not worry about whether this is shortening or lengthening their lives. In other words, since death is inevitable, focus on quality of life, not quantity.
And more than simply having the right, I think they should be
encouraged to do just that.
My husband's dad is in the hospice, dying of cancer right now. We've been visiting him.
So I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and I really think we as a society have the wrong attitude toward terminal illness.
People who are terminally ill should do whatever they want with their remaining days, whether that be bungee jumping or remaining drugged into unconsciousness with morphine 24/7, giving birth or having an abortion and traveling to Tahiti instead.
It is my belief that this life is all there is- nothing beyond it- and when you're terminally ill, that means your jig is up. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.