I Choose, Therefore I Am

Today is the 34th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the second annual "Blog for Choice Day. The suggested question this year is a basic one: Why are you pro-choice?

Is "I think, therefore I am" taking the easy way out?

How about: "I care, therefore I am."

I care about the wellbeing of all women, and I strongly believe that accurate, honest information should be shared, and access to healthcare providers who are free to discuss all available medical options should be a basic right.

Or, "I empathize, therefore I am."

I can put myself in the shoes of someone considering an abortion, and if I were poor, or lived in a state like North Dakota, or were a member of the U.S. military living overseas, I'd wonder why I didn't have the same options as other women.

Or, "I'm a woman, therefore I am."

Call me crazy, but I believe that decisions regarding my body are too important to be left to the likes of Bush appointees like David Hager or Eric Keroack (or here and here) -- men whose ideas about women's bodies would be hysterical if they didn't also wield power and control over federal funds.

So: "I think, therefore I am."

One need only visit Bush v. Choice today for a look at the many blogs participating in Blog for Choice. Go and click on your favorites as well as blogs you've never read before. Here are some of the sites I visited today:

- Postcards from Guyville: I'm Against Forced Birth Because ... Duh.

- RH Reality Check: Recent Threats to Roe v. Wade and The Right to an Affordable and Accessible Abortion: An abstract right for Latinas?

- Appalachian Greens: I Am Pro-Choice and Here's Why

- AngryBlackBitch: Blog for Choice - Pro-Choice for Life ...

- Huffington Post: A Roe Resolution: Trust Women

- Tennessee Guerilla Women: Why Am I Pro-Choice?

- BlogHer: Link Round-Up (Melinda posted lots of good excerpts)

Plus: Over at Feministing, don't miss Ann's take on the Sunday New York Times Magazine cover story, "Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?" It's a good article, and Ann covers it very well.