"Abortion and Infanticide" I muttered when it was the first thing I read when I opened the book.
Hindi ito ang pinakaunang topic dahil binuksan ko lamang ang libro at halos nasa gitna kaya nasa chapter seven na ito.
I started reading the book without sparing Atlas a single glance because I got hooked with the issue the page was tackling.
I realized that maybe books don't really bore me. Maybe I just need to choose something that will get my interest. And this is one of those books. I remember telling my mom to stop buying me comic books or books for kids because they don't excite me at all. It's the reason why I thought I was not into books. But I realized that those books were childish for me, which is why I never liked them.
"What's your stance about abortion?" I asked after long minutes of reading.
Masyado akong na-hook sa pagbabasa na hindi ko na napigila'ng tanungin siya. There's a part where the page talked about the Philippines' stance about abortion, and it got me curious about Atlas' opinion. I feel like I'll get a decent answer from him because he seemed to be open-minded.
Umayos ako ng upo at tinignan siya nang narinig ang malalim niyang paghinga.
Was my question too much?
"Huwag mo nang sagutin." saad ko at yumuko ulit upang magpatuloy sa pagbabasa ngunit napatigil ako nang bigla siyang magsalita.
"Abortion is a controversial topic since there are a lot of things people have to consider when discussing about it." my jaw almost dropped when he said that without stuttering. "It involves a lot of consideration but the answer will always depend on women because it's their body. They have the right to make decisions about their body, including whether to continue a pregnancy."
He said those words without tearing his gaze apart from me. He licked his lower lip as he leaned closer to the table, and putting his arms on it like he was ready to have a serious conversation with me about this.
"From my perspective, I don't have a say when it comes to it because I'm a man, but I believe women have the right to abortion. Their body, their choice."
I almost grinned but good thing I stopped myself.
I am just pleased that we have the same take on this. He was right. Men shouldn't have a say on abortion because it's not our body.
"But people are sometimes basing their stance on morals and religious beliefs." I said to hear more from him.
It's a fact though. Some people, especially adults or those religious ones are pro-life because they believe abortion is like killing a life. And killing is a sin.
"Not all people are religious. And we also have to consider that not all women who got pregnant wanted it. Think about those who were victims of sexual abuse. Can someone stomach raising the result of someone's immoral act towards them? Even if we say that the child is not at fault, we don't know how it feels unless we are the ones in the woman's situation."
I didn't speak. I couldn't speak because all I could do was to listen to him and watch how his lips moved while speaking.
He is smart. Or no, smart is a lame word to describe him. He is intelligent.
"How about you? What's your stance about it?" tanong niya pabalik.
I paused for a moment before answering.
"Copy paste." I said, indirectly telling him that we have the same sentiment.
I thought he wouldn't understand but I heard him let out a faint laugh.
Chapter 5
Start from the beginning
