From Pro-Life to Pro-Choice

[piasharn]

There's a very interesting article on abortion that's been making the blog rounds. (At least the ones I read.) If you haven't read the AlterNet story Reflections from a Former Anti-Abotrion Activist, I'd recommend taking a look. It's the story of a woman who started out her beliefs as Pro-Life, because that's how her fundamentalist Christian family raised her. She believed that life began and conception, and, since abortion ended that life, it was wrong. She rallied others. She protested at clinics.

Then she went to college. She took classes, talked to people, and met women who had actually had abortions. She learned that the issue was not nearly as black-and-white as she had been lead to believe. She learned that numerous issues actually affected abortion for women. She eventually abandoned her Pro-Life stance.

The article is something that people on both sides of the debate ought to read. For the Pro-Lifers, it comes from someone they can relate to, someone who still believes that abortion is wrong. How a woman could come to make the choice to have an abortion. (It also shows just how self-righteous and pompous the Pro-Lifers can be. Something that has always irritated me when attempting to debate with them.)

For the Pro-Choicers, it shows how some of the methods of our side can alienate those people like the author - people who don't think that abortion is right, but are willing to allow the option to be available for others. It shows how we've let the Pro-Lifers get the upper hand in many ways. How we have become reactive rather than proactive.

She also points out something that I had never really thought about: that referring to the opposition as "Pro-Life" gave them an advantage right off the bat. As she states, "After all, who isn't for life?" And she's right. (My dad doesn't call them "Pro-Life", he calls them "Pro-Fetus". His opinion, which I cannot fault, is that these people only care about the fetus. When it is born, they no longer give a damn. It could spend 18 years floating around the adoption system, not have access to health insurance or decent education, but the people who fight so vehemently for that fetus to be born do not put any of that energy into making sure it has a decent life.) So perhaps I'll stop calling them "Pro-Life" and switch over to "Anti-Choice". Although the latter term, while accurate, immediately puts people on the defensive and thus less likely to be sympathetic to anything I say. So who knows?

She also emphasizes something that I have been stating for a while now: the root of the problem is not the legality of abortion. The root problem is unwanted pregnancies. If we prevent these - through affordable and available birth-control, good sex-education, availability of health care for everyone, etcetera - we can reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies that occur. If a woman does find herself with an unwanted pregnancy, she has no need to get an abortion.

Sadly, for a lot of people, the issue is control over women, not reducing abortions. Not all of them, mind you, but it's depressing how many of them ignore the ways and means to actually stop abortions from happening, and instead focus all of their energy on trying to make it illegal, which has never been an effective method. (This is true of Pro-Choicers too.) There's a very viable middle-ground that can be reached if we're willing to make the journey.

Comments

[sudaki.livejournal.com]

His opinion, which I cannot fault, is that these people only care about the fetus. When it is born, they no longer give a damn.

Not to say there aren't people out there with this attitude, but grouping everyone who is anti-abortion into "doesn't give a damn about post-natal people" is unfair. My mother works at a volunteer organization that provides financial help and support for women who choose alternatives to abortion -- they distribute clothes and food for mothers, babies and children, help pay for pre- and post-natal care, and so on.

I'm with you about the root of the problem -- sex-ed, birth control and proper health care are where we really need to make changes. Sadly, as with a lot of important issues, I think people on both sides spend way too much time slandering and demonizing the other side while thinking up clever euphamisms to use for themselves and not enough considering people who need help.

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

Very true. Thanks for reminding me. I was thinking more of the people who do nothing but protest outside of abortion clinics. (Which is not only futile, but counterproductive. I've found studies that indicate that, far from preventing women from using said clinic's services, the protestors actually act as free advertising.) Or those who start organizatons that claim to offer support, but, unlike the one that your mum helps at, they merely guilt-trip or delay the woman until it's too late and never actually help her with money, clothes, prenatal vitamins, etcetera. I should have specified, and I appologize to you and your mum (and anyone else who actually helps).

Kudos to your mum, by the way. So many people (myself included) are good at talking about our beliefs, but not good at actually doing something about them. It's awesome that she gets out there and helps people.

And, yeah, Pro-Choicers can really get to me too at times. They get so focused on "let's keep abortion legal!" that they can't see past that. When people try to talk to them about preventing abortions from happening, they just look at you blankly. Or actually mock you for that stance. Sadly, I've seen that happen on some Pro-Choice message boards and LJ communities.

I just get so frustrated some times, particularily when someone starts quoting the Bible at me and can't understand that I'm not Christian (and, in my neck of the woods, that's pretty damn often) that I just want to scream and pull out my hair, and I allow my emotions to gain control and lump everyone under unjust stereotypes. (Which is quite hypocritical of me, since I know firsthand what it's like to be stuck in a stereotype that doesn't describe me in the slightest.)

So, again, I appologize, and thank you for pointing that out.

[sudaki.livejournal.com]

No problem -- as in fandom, it's always the batshit dumbass people that tend to stand out rather than the sane ones.

Have you seen the movie Citizen Ruth by any chance? I thought it did a pretty good job of showing what utter nutjobbery the whole abortion "issue" has turned into.

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't seen that movie. I'll be sure to put it on my list of movies to see; thanks for the rec.