You know, when women are young, unless they have a parent with a strong religious or philosophically pro-family background, they will absorb the lessons of the popular culture about what is good and desirable.
Yes, this woman had a choice. But she may not have had both sides presented to her fairly.
About ten years ago, I met a woman about my age while I was traveling with an NGO in a third world country. She was a member of the upper class. She was religious, but as an educated woman, she was very influenced by “modern” ideas, mostly emanating from Europe.
She became teary eyed when I told her I had six children. She said she had only had two, because in her schooling, she had been trained to think that that was the “modern” way to do things, and that only by limiting family size could her country advance. Not having more children was one of the biggest regrets of her life. She was choosing between what she thought were two “goods.” It wasn’t her fault that she was presented with a false choice.
It's rare when life does. The world is full of salespeople trying to 'sell' something. Certainly you, as a lawyer, understand rhetoric and advocacy, both their uses and their shortcomings.
In this sense, there are two kinds of people...those who follow their independent mind, and those who followed the crowd. It's a question of maturity.
Each has its advantages and disadvantages. For those who followed their independent mind, the price was front-loaded. People like that don't fit in very well because they assume nothing. But they're very well equipped for life in this world, where we are surrounded by liars and con men.
I'm sure she fit in very well with her friends. Pity it didn't equip her for the real world.
It was also a choice.
Where militant feminists are concerned you can call me "W". They've waged a form of political and legal and emotional and social terrorism.
In the words of W, "We will make no distinction between those who commit terrorist acts, and those who support them." I have no doubt where her sympathies were for the last 25 years.
Even now, she can't see beyond the end of her nose. It's not just about her.