While we're on the subject of people like Michael Coren

(A continuation of my previous post)

Who the hell does this guy think he is anyway? Where does he get off thinking he can tell me what's best for the rest of my life, when he hasn't even met me? Me, and every other woman on the entire frickin' planet.

I wasn't really happy with the last post I wrote. In fact, I put it up, took it down, and put it up again. I guess I made a few decent arguments, and got in some good rhetorical jabs, but that's just not what it's all about. Logic and facts and argument have their place, but in the end, that's not what it's about. This is personal. This is about the proponents of forced childbirth thinking they can impose their will on me personally, and on every other woman who might become pregnant at a less-than-ideal time in her life. That they know me better than I do, and better than my doctor does.

So here's my story right now:

I've suffered from depression since my teen years, and been on a variety of medications. None of them has worked until this last one I've tried, and it seems to have pierced my storm clouds and let me have a bit of my real personality back. The side effects are nasty, but worth it.

I'm in a committed, monogamous relationship with the man I hope will one day become the father of my children, should we decide children are something we want. Our relationship does include sex from time to time - or at least, I hope it will again once I start feeling good enough to be up for it. We're using contraception, but it's only 99% effective, and if I should get pregnant right now, I'll have a really difficult decision to make.

The medication I'm on is known to cross the placenta in the late stages of pregnancy, and really mess up the newborn baby. It also passes into breast milk.

My choices would be:
- Carry the pregnancy to term, while still on the drug, and risk seriously messing up the baby
- Try to get off the drug before the third trimester, and have to deal with a severe discontinuation syndrome, the possible return of the depressive symptoms, and then the risk of post-partum depression
- Abort

The only person who can make that decision is me - with the input, of course, of my partner, my doctor, and anybody else close to me I want to confide in.

Every woman's decision to continue or discontinue her pregnancy is just as personal, just as intimate, as my decision would be.

Anybody who thinks s/he can make rules across the board for what every woman should do is guilty of, at best, supreme arrogance.