Abortion

Back in the 1980s, I had this maid who was super efficient, intelligent, cheerful. I enjoyed talking with her and she was a joy to be with because she was forever upbeat. A few years into her employ with me, she asked permission to leave to care for her ailing father. I let her go. She came back after her father died but had a boyfriend by then, so before long, she asked to leave once more to get married.

Over the years we have kept in touch, she confides in me as in the past. Her marriage is anything but happy, or so she tells me, because her husband does not turn over his entire salary to her and gives her a meager allowance. They have three daughters.

Last year when my current maid went on vacation, my maid of the 1980s took over for a month, bringing with her her 3 daughters: one stayed with her here in the house, the 2 others with her sister who lives nearby. Sometimes, two would stay here which was all right with me because she disciplines her children enough for them not to be a bother.

Last week, when I asked her sister to accompany me when I hired the wheelmobile, her sister told me that my maid of the 1980s was pregnant-- her fourth. She thought of getting an abortion because she didn't want to be pregnant. She is the type who isn't scared of anyone, so I'm sure she constantly nags her husband because he is her exact opposite. Over the years she has tried to help make both ends meet by selling fish she gets from the fishermen along the shore. She also has clients betting for a certain numbers game, just so her children will have an occasional treat in a fast food chain.Luckily for her, her sister here in Manila who's married to a more responsible man gives her hand me downs and the occasional loan when the need arises. Yesterday she asked to borrow money which she said her sister would pay end-month.

Given her predicament, is abortion a real option? What is stopping her is not her fear of God's wrath but fear for her life. How do I feel about this?

Once the fetus is right there in a mother's womb, I am not for killing this evolving human being. What about birth control?

A few weeks ago, our parish priest read a letter from the Bishop of Cubao to gather support against the bill promoting birth control via artificial means in the city. Coincidentally enough, in my computer then was a case study I was in the process of editing, on the same topic, but this from the point of view of government, USAID (which is providing the logistics), and economics. The case study heavily presented the case of how population exacerbates poverty and this is something not even the Church can deny. Neither can we as we too see street children begging, being used by syndicates for whatever purpose it suits them. We also see victims of pedophiles who are at it with the knowledge of their parents. Only recently a girl supposedly committed suicide because she couldn't handle the problems of poverty, but this girl was later discovered to have possibly been raped by her father, hence the suicide.

If God were here with us now, would he really be against birth control via artificial means? The better-off sister of my 1980s maid is on pills, does that make her a sinner? Methinks, no.

I'm almost sure a number of people will condemn me for my stance re artificial methods of birth control, but isn't that a kinder option for everyone? I'm actually confused.