IS THE RIGHT TO LIFE a MYTH?

People that claim to be "pro life" or "right to life" mean well, but are sadly misguided. Let's begin with the rhetoric of their chosen label.

For starters, other than murderers or suicides, I think most of us on the planet are "pro life." We value our lives and the lives of those around us. I am totally for life, including the lives of women who become pregnant. Women with their own minds and bodies, strong women who take responsibility for their decisions and their actions. I know several women who have had abortions and are "pro life".

There is no black and white; it is quite possible to be for life and choice at the same time. I do it all the time.

The rights of a fetus are determined by its carrier, not politicians or religious fanatics. A woman's body is her own, and until the life growing inside her leaves her body, draws breath and can sustain life on its own, it is still Her, an integral part of her own body and nothing more. And all men and women have the "right to life", including the right what to do with our bodies.

Let's move on to the cherished phrase "right to life".

It's one thing to fight for the rights of an extra set of organs and tissue growing inside a woman's body. It is a lot more plausible to argue for the right to life for a human that's left the womb. Even further, the right to life for a person old enough to conceive children.

The right to life is a myth.

Who among us has a right to life? My wife and I had a miscarriage at four months. Was that a loss of life, a life that had a right to be? My son Paul had a right to life, and died before he was two years old.

Every time someone dies, they've lost their "right" to live. Is living in a womb living? If it is, does the fetus have any more right to life than, say, a victim of cancer, murder or accident? When does this right begin or end, because every one of us eventually lose that right at some time in our "life", often through no fault of our own.

So it's clear there is no right to life whether you are a fetus, a person, a puppy or a sunflower. Life is an accident, a miracle, a gift, a challenge and a journey. But we all lose our "right" to it sooner or later. It ain't who, what, where or why. It's just when. Enjoy your right to life before you lose it. Seriously, go and be happy.

PS: On the flipside, no matter how pro choice you are, you don't always get your choice.