A Woman's Self Worth
I'm not exactly certain why the story of the 9 month pregnant woman who had to fight off and kill a nutcase who wanted to steal her unborn child bothered me so much. (Located at http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/02/14/woman.attacked.ap/index.html?section=cnn_topstories) The story truly yanked at something primal inside of me. The mix of emotions is difficult to separate, but here's my best shot.
Most people realize that I am a mother, and as such would do anything within my power, including give my life for my child. It's something that you hear from most mothers. The idea that a pregnant woman would defend her unborn child in this way is not surprising, although being 9 months pregnant and physically defending oneself is not easy. What IS surprising to me is the recent rash of women who SO want a baby that they would kill another human being and cut the child from her womb.
Why in the world would someone do this? What possible drive is SO strong that one MUST have a child; a child of one's own ethnicity (if not one's own genes)? I don't buy the argument that women are driven by something internal to become a mother. I realize I will likely get flamed for this notion, but I think that a lot of the issue is external pressure.
I remember the B.C. (Before Child) time when I was perfectly happy, and feeling perfectly fulfilled with a uterine occupancy rate of zero. Perfect strangers would tell me that I would never be complete without a child. Wouldn't be complete? I was then pretty complete in my relationship with my husband. No man that I had ever known had been told that HE would not be complete without a child, however plenty of men AND women were quick to tell me about my lack of completeness.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that "society is to blame." Far from it. Insane people who believe that killing others because they covet something as personal as their unborn child have no possible excuse that lies outside their own twisted psyche. But I do think we need to look carefully at a society where so many people spend billions of dollars per year for in vitro fertilization, people travel the world to adopt children that look like them, and seem completely surprised when a married couple chooses to remain childless.
A woman's completeness is NOT measured by her uterine production rate.