Huh?

I have this friend from high school. She was a devote Christian. And was always into the Lord. And doing what was right. I was raised a Roman Catholic. And we shared lots of the same values. And I respected the differences between our beliefs and religions. I figured, what works for you, well, it works for you. What works for me, it works for me. But we're all worthy, no matter what we believe.

At the end of my sophomore year, we went to a friend's house. We were all cheerleaders. And it just felt like it was time to share. Just the 4 of us. We were hanging out. Eating a snack. And I think we were waiting to go to a baseball game or something.

It was like clear your mind and your heart day. My best friend on the team, he told us all about his relationship with his girlfriend. And his OCD. Our other friend, the senior, told us about her relationship with her boyfriend. He was a bit older. And she was just this sweet girl. I don't even remember what I talked about. I was not very good at sharing. And my life wasn't terribly interesting.

But this one friend. She shocked us all! She had had an abortion the year before. She was in a Christian School. And one day, she slept with a much older guy. She specifically said that he was a Mexican construction worker. What that had to do with it, I still don't know. But I remember that. And when she found out that she was pregnant, she asked her mom to take her for an abortion.

That's essentially why her and her sister ended up at our school. Our public school. I guess, she didn't want people to know. But she trusted the 3 of us. I felt bad for her. You could see that it still bothered her. But, I figured, she had done what was best for her.

Fast forward. Maybe 4 years ago, I found her on MySpace. And we started chatting again. She had devoted herself to the church. Had decided to go to TCU. And was doing good. Then, she got pregnant. This time, the guy and her decided to get married. I was excited for her. She seemed to be getting her life in order. And she got married. about 4-6 weeks before their daughter was born.

Now, they have a 6 month old little boy, and a 2 1/2 year old little girl. Her husband is working hard to be a preacher. And they seem so happy.

But I was shocked when I seen her Facebook Status not too long ago. 50% of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned and unwanted. (I knew that. I work for the DOH.) Of those, 4 out of 10 end in abortion. (I also knew that.) But it's the next part that shocked me! She wrote, "Abortion is wrong. It's sinful. Any mother who aborts her innocent child is going to hell. The Lord shall not forgive her. She is like the devil himself. This is unacceptable. How can any person act in such a sinful way. How can anyone give of themselves before marriage."

Um, do you see why I'm angry? She obviously had sex at least twice before marriage. She was pregnant twice, before ever walking down the aisle. She also had an abortion. Yes, she was a young teen. But still, it happened.

And this is what makes me mad. She is judging other people. That's wrong in so many ways! You don't know the circumstances that these women and girls are going through. Or what they're thinking.

My own mom, she told me that when she was pregnant with my older sister, she considered an abortion. My mom was 19. And got married solely because she was pregnant. But she didn't think they could give their baby a good life. So she considered an abortion. So much so, she was sitting in the clinic. At the last moment, she left. And then, after my sister was born, she considered giving her up for adoption. My mom still thinks about this a lot. Because she feels like maybe she could have had a better life. And maybe my sister may have as well.

I also know women who have been rapped. And who have become pregnant. It was hard for them. But they couldn't imagine raising a baby that was created during a rape. Everyone has a different story. A different reason. And no one has the right to judge. What may be right for you, could be horribly wrong for someone else. Put yourself in their shoes.

Going back to the numbers. Essentially 20% of pregnancies in the US end in abortion. Is it right? Or is it wrong? I feel like I can't judge. I've never been in that situation. But I do have young cousins, nieces, and nephews who have children. They shouldn't. But they do. If it were an option for them, would their lives have turned out better? Could they have done better for themselves and future children?

I don't see the HUGE issue in this subject. Because I think each person has the right to make those decisions for themselves. The problem I see is, when 12 year olds are having sex. What's up with that? Or when parents have no clue where their 13 year old is 2AM? Or think it's hilarious that their 15 year old is having sex in their home.

Let me tell you, I'm 27. My Dad would smack the crap out of me, if I took a guy to his house, to "hook up." Or if we were "making out" in front of him. Or "feeling each other up." That's just not acceptable in my house. But that's the way I was raised. To show and have respect.

It just makes me wonder. I mean, no one should be afraid of sex. But there should also be some responsibility that comes along with it. I mean if you are adult enough to make that decision, you have to be adult enough to face the consequences. It's simple. And I still don't feel like we have a right to judge people. Because we were all raised differently. And experienced such different things.

But I do feel like we need to respect ourselves. And our bodies. I'm not saying that 100% of kids are going to leave 9th grade as virgins. That would be ridiculous to expect that. But maybe, it shouldn't be so accepted to see kids having sex at school. Or in the parking lots. Maybe that's when talks of abortion would be more meaningful. And feel less like some grand speech.

I know, I've totally changed the subject here. But it just makes me so mad. That people are ready and set to judge others. They've never walked a day in their shoes. Or experienced life through someone else's eyes. I think we all just need to stop and breathe. Take a look at your own life. Who knows, you're probably judging someone for the same things you've done. ♥Besitos