prop 4.

(i'm very sick today, so this will either be brilliantly uninhibited on account of the medication i'm on, or completely discombobulated.)

of all the political issues that consistently make their way onto the ballot, those that affect me the most continue to be those related to abortion.

abortion is the thing that breaks my heart, not for the child involved, but for the mother. i, for one, do not believe that any woman makes her way into an abortion clinic on light feet. this woman is in pain. she is trapped and broken. she is terrified and weighted deep into the ground with shame. shame. i hate shame. it's so far from what God intended. we toss shame around so flippantly inside the church. as though shame was some sort of motivator...some sort of tool to be used for change. shame in Jesus' name has got to be the most damaging blasphemy out there. oh, the havoc it wreaks. i will never be okay with it.

before i go on, let me give a very short clarification of my view on abortion. i came up with this recently to describe my stance: i am pro-choices. i believe we need to place serious priority, money, and initiative into developing more and more options and easier choices for women caught in this nightmare. (church, this means you too, and i applaud those who have already begun to rally.) we need to support them, offer a safe place, and give information, direction, and assistance in carrying out other options rather than the devastating choice of abortion. overturning roe v. wade is, i'm afraid, not an option...and i'd even go so far to say it shouldn't be at this point as it would leave self-mutilation as the only option these women would feel they have.

back to the issue at hand. some of these women aren't even women yet. they're girls...victim's of a broken society. and the issue in prop 4 is specifically about these victims. titled the Abortion Waiting Period and Parental Notification Initiative, prop 4 would require the doctor to notify the parents of unemancipated minors 48 hours before performing their abortion. if the girl reports abuse at home, the doctor would then notify an alternate chosen family member. if the child is in a medical emergency, the notification would be waived. parents would be allowed to create a waiver for notification. it also allows the court to waive the notification if it is decided the girl is mature enough or if it would be in her best interest. additionally, prop 4 requires that the minor also consent to the abortion (and not be forced or coerced).

i am voting yes on prop 4. i think it is one of the more well-worded and thorough props on the ballot this year. with the exception of abuse, i believe it to be absolutely necessary to include parents on a life-altering decision like abortion. this prop gives allowance for extreme circumstances (outside the bubble, as the adds might say). for the sake of these girls and their well-being, i believe it is a necessary addition to our constitution.