In Heaven with the Class of '87

Almost a week has passed since my 25th High School Reunion. I knew I was going to have to write about it eventually, but the problem is that many a handful of my old classmates read this blog so I can't exactly talk dirt about people. (Not that I was actually planning on doing that. Me? Talk behind someone's back? You should be ashamed for even suggesting such a thing!)

And even if I don't name names, it might still be obvious about whom I'm writing. Which would just be mean. And that's not what the night was all about: it was a fun evening of dancing, drinking, good conversation, and laughs. The jocks, cheerleaders, burnouts, drama nerds, and band geeks all put aside their teenaged differences and partied.

Partying like it's 1987

No, I did not spend my night sizing people up and passing judgement. Okay, that's a lie. I definitely sized up; no judging, though. But just like my reunion manicure that's starting to chip and peel, I need to strip off the pretty surface layer and look at the naked truth hiding underneath.

So, without getting specific...

For starters, why do the women (on the whole) look fabulous, while the men--again, in general, because there were a handful of guys who've aged wonderfully--seem to have given up? Half of them look like they are vying for Stanley's or Kevin's job at Dunder-Mifflin. There was baldness. Pastiness. Doughiness. Hey, you can't help going gray or losing your hair, I get it. But you can help getting fat and out of shape. Again, no judgement--it's your lives, do what you want--but DUDES, you were so cute back in high school! It's just a bummer.

The women were much better groomed, way more stylish (though there were some bleh suburban looks as well), and just healthier-looking overall. In fact, my main concern with the women is just how darned perfect--too perfect--some of them seem. No, I didn't see any evidence of plastic surgery. But what is up with the sweet girls who have become Stepford Wives? I definitely had a couple of conversations where I was searching in vain for a pulse. With most people, I could get a glimpse of the six- or ten- or sixteen-year-old I once knew but with one or two of these ladies, it was like, "HELLO IN THERE?" Where did the adorable, spunky girls I once knew go? It was weird. But at least they looked great.

The Only Political Post I Will Probably Ever Write

I'm not all that political. I mean, I dabbled in my youth, as many of us do. But then life got in the way. When your day is spent changing diapers, singing lullabies, and getting spit up on, you care a little less who the president is.

This election, however, has gotten me a bit riled up again.

Yes, I am pretty liberal; however, I can understand some conservatives' positions. I agree there's a lot of government waste, though I don't believe the solution is scrapping the programs altogether. I also agree that the--what is it, 50%?--inheritance tax seems like unfair double-dipping.

BUT...I truly believe that universal healthcare is important, and that it will end up paying for itself in the long run. I'm of a let's-get-the-heck-out-of-the-middle-east-and-then-maybe-we'll-have-some-money-left-to-take-care-of-our-own mentality. Do I want to leave the poor Afghani civilians whose country we've helped destroy high and dry? Not really, but it's not as if there's a lack of needy people right here.

My main issue, however--the one that means I'll be a democrat forever--is reproductive rights. There are a million other issues that are more pertinent to this election--oh, the economy, the war(s), jobs, healthcare, education--but as long as republicans make reproductive rights an issue, I can't put it second.

I am totally, 100% pro-choice. Does that mean I'm callously pro-abortion? Of course not. I cry when my cat kills a moth. Trust me, I respect life. (Which is also why I'm pro-gun control.) I understand and respect people who could never, ever have an abortion. I am fortunate never to have had to make that decision. But I know women who have--and it's never something they've taken lightly.

That's what bothers me most with the pro-lifers. They talk about how women getting abortions don't think about or understand the consequences. They want to force women to get ultrasounds beforehand, to undergo counseling, lectures, and waiting periods. It's all so insulting.

I'm sure there are some people who don't think it through; in most cases, I bet they're young girls who aren't mature enough to process the situation fully. Yet conservatives would want a young, naive girl to go through with the pregnancy. And then what? She's going to give the baby up to a childless and loving couple for adoption? More often than not, this poor girl is going to take one look at the infant she just went through hell to birth, fall in love, and want to keep it.

So now there's a 16-year-old girl trying to raise a baby. She probably drops out of school, maybe goes on welfare, maybe doesn't have the maturity necessary to be a good mother. Very possibly the child suffers for it. This costs the country way more than an abortion would.

Yes, I understand that it's a potentially viable life (but not yet--life means being able to survive on one's own). But abortion has been legal for decades, and restrictions are only going to cause problems. It's going to mean delays that result in later-term abortions. If one state passes parental-notification laws, for example? Well, then 14-year-old girls are going to spend time trying to hitch a ride to another, more lenient state, instead of getting it taken care of early in the pregnancy.

Yes, I'm sure there are women who get abortions cavalierly. And that is awful. But in most cases, I'll bet not carrying the baby to term ends up better than the alternative.

All I have to do is think back to my high school years. The notion of getting pregnant scared the hell out of me. Good thing I was a good girl and didn't allow for that chance. Fear kept me on the straight and narrow. But Reagan was president at the time, and the notion of restrictions--like parental notification--becoming law seemed possible. I remember thinking that if I got pregnant and had to tell my parents before being allowed an abortion, I would either run away from home or kill myself.

Melodramatic? Sure...but I was a teenaged girl. Teenaged girls are not known for their straight thinking. Hence why they shouldn't be mothers. Hence why they usually don't give their unplanned babies (that they can't take care of) up for adoption.

And don't even get me started on cases of rape, incest, or mother's health.

I'm sure I'm not the only girl who ever felt that way. Is that what we want? Restrictions aren't the answer. Education is the answer. Teen pregnancy and abortion are already down: we are on the right track. Better access to birth control--along with promoting abstinence (I agree that abstinence is ideal)--is the way to keep on that right track.

Also, can someone please explain to me why condoms are OTC and inexpensive but birth control pills are prescription-only and a fortune? Leave it to the boys? The only demographic less sensible than teenage girls is teenage boys. Great plan, U.S.A.

Please remember to vote, everyone.