I am married and childless. My childhood friend is shacking up. She got pregnant, but lost the baby. Despite a very unstable relationship with her boyfriend, she is now trying to get pregnant again, because she has a “right” to be a mother!
I waited until I was married before trying to get pregnant. Thanks to you, I knew a child would have its best chance at succeeding in life if I could provide a stable, committed, two-parent environment. By the time I could give that, I was 37. I miscarried and also had to have a hysterectomy. I have never regretted putting the happiness and well-being of my potential child before my own desire to be a mother.
Through you, Dr. Laura, I learned what my feminist mother was not able to teach me – a mother’s first and foremost duty is to look after the health and welfare of her child. Part of that duty is to make sure she brings her child into a stable environment emotionally, mentally, and financially. If she is not going to be able to provide that, then she needs to take a closer look at why she wants to have a child. A child’s “right” to that kind of environment supersedes a woman’s “right” to motherhood. A mother is supposed to sacrifice for her child, not sacrifice the child to meet her own needs and wants.
Sarah
A Child Has a Right to Be in a Stable Environment
