Abortion Is So Much More than a Decision for A Mother Alone

     Yesterday, a story came to light about a 35-year-old New Mexico man. Greg Fultz posted a billboard along an Alamogordo, New Mexico highway that pictures himself, holding an outline of an infant. On the billboard there is text that reads, "This would have been a picture of my 2-month old baby, if the mother had decided to not KILL our child." Because of this billboard, Mr. Fultz's ex-girlfriend (whose name has not and most likely will not be released) is suing him for harassment and infringement of privacy.

    No matter your stance on abortion, this story, and the court case that has sprung up because of it, highlights aspects of abortion that most people do not think about when the topic is discussed. Assuming that the billboard is an expression of the would-be father's true feelings, Greg Fultz clearly wants to be a father. The majority of people, especially those in favor of abortion for some reason, view the issue as a decision the mother has to make. Though the baby matures inside of the mother and the mother is the one on whom the procedure is performed, it did take two persons to create the child, and therefore it should take two persons to make that decision of ultimate importance (assuming that the mother knows who the father is and the way some people use abortion today, it is clear that that is not always the case) because the decision does effect more lives than just the mother and child's.

     It also shows how quickly some rush off to get an abortion without really thinking about it, almost as though it is a first impulse. It seems as though many would-be mothers' thought process goes, "NO! I'M PREGNANT! -> Abortion!" Just like that, no thinking, no discussion with anyone else.

     If this girl had thought it over (once again assuming that this billboard accurately represents Greg Fultz's intentions), she probably would have realized that the right thing to do would be to carry the baby to term, deliver it, and sign all custody rights over to the father.

     I know many are thinking, "This girl should get a billboard of her own that says, 'I wish my stupid, 35-year-old boyfriend would have worn a condom.' for revenge." It's true, because I was listening to the radio tonight and heard a number of people say that or something like it. This is only addressing a quarter of the issue. 1 Yes, Greg should have worn a condom, 2 and/or his girlfriend should have been on the pill is she didn't want a child, 3 girls can make sure their partners are wearing a condom, carry one with you just in case, it's SMART 4 it still doesn't change the fact that once a girl becomes pregnant, the decision is not just hers, sorry it just isn't.

     The worst part about this story is that there is a court case involved.  Dealing with the harassment charge, the news stories I have read do not give enough background to know whether it is warranted (it is not warranted if the charge is based solely on the billboard). As far as the infringement of privacy charge, it is a sad sham. The billboard does not give a name or picture of the girlfriend, so the only people that will know who Greg is talking about are those that the girlfriend has already told the story to, so there is no infringement on her privacy. This story has made national news, and her name has still not been released, so it is definitely not infringing on her privacy. Granted it is not the most productive use of the money it took to buy the billboard space, nor is it the greatest way to express displeasure at an action of an ex, but it is not an infringement of privacy.