by LJ Frank
Being pro-life on the surface promises
a sensitive and courageous philosophical posture
to be translated into a compassionate, humane act;
Yet, the textures possess burdensome queries
with the potential of tragic, collateral effects.
Does the posture become lost in the hypocrisy of translation
for isn’t pro-life more than being – pro-birth,
doesn’t it also mean to be
against capital punishment and murder,
what of war…which is a legalized version of ending a life,
and to resist unstable minds wishing to do battle
for the sake of power and greed…
does pro-life entail offering health care for everyone
and equal opportunity for all
along with breathable air and drinkable water,
should pro-life be interpreted as
loving and treating your neighbor
as you would do to yourself?
What are the downstream implications
for a person who is raped,
or an already disabled fetus within the mother’s womb
or…
perhaps
saving a mother’s life at the expense of another…
what are the compassionate options?
Does a legislator have the moral and legal right to legislate
what a woman does with her vagina
and should a man’s penis be under similar scrutiny
rather than having a double standard,
for isn’t Intent a mental desire to act in a certain manner?
Should a woman’s health and her doctor’s professional advice
be as relevant
as the politics of a politician seeking office?
Does a man have the right to grab a woman
Or a woman to grab a man
without her or his consent?
And should a male or female who wish to copulate
have a choice in condom or mesh
or to wear a chastity device or cock cage
while their partners hold the keys?
Should people be better sex educated
beginning as a child
to open the doors of the human mind
and allow the brain to see what’s at stake –
for bearing, nurturing and supporting a child
has a human cost beyond economics
in a world where knowledge and empathy are starving,
and brutal words
create a vacancy in conscience
and the violent thought and act
fills the void.