Women who choose the joys, trials and responsibilities of motherhood are, to say the least, vital to the welfare of human society; yet, the physical capacity to conceive should not be the sole factor in that decision. Indeed, many women who are unable to bear children prove to be wonderful mothers via adoption or surrogate pregnancy while some endowed with fertility choose not to have children.
One would hope that all children are blessed with a loving mother who wants them and who has the intellectual capacity, emotional stability and economic means to care for them; unfortunately, that is not always the case. Unwanted or unloved children and those raised by dysfunctional parents are prone to a wide range of mental, physical and behavioral disorders, stemming from neglect, malnutrition, lack of proper medical care or outright abuse. Though many are rescued by social support networks, including orphanages, foster care, teen homes and adoption, the damage is done early in life.
For a variety of political and religious reasons, some want to deny the role that choice should play in motherhood; beyond sexual abstinence, they oppose any effort to prevent or abort pregnancy, even in cases of rape or mental incapacity. Included in this group are those willing to produce numerous offspring while lacking the economic means to provide for them. In the end, the children and the rest of human society must deal with the consequences of forbidden choice and misguided policies.
