"Give The Gift Of Life"
"It's About Life"
"Save a Life!"
If you're at all involved in the abortion "debate", slogans that are similar to these should sound very familiar to you. The side of the abortion debate that masquerades as "pro-life" uses similar slogans all the time. They claim that they're saving lives, that they're on the side of life, and that they are the ones who are promoting a "culture of life".
However, the slogans that I just listed are not from anti-choice groups. They're from Florida Blood Services, the organization that helped me donate blood last Friday.
Now, although the anti-choice movement and blood donation centers have similar slogans (and, to those who are very misguided, similar ideals), these two groups could not be further apart. Only one of these groups is truly on the side of life, only one of these groups is truly saving lives, and only one of these groups is actually promoting a culture of life. Which group is that, you ask? Do I really have to say it?
Now, many anti-choicers seem to be confused about how to promote a culture of life. It seems that, for some of them, promoting a culture of life includes:
1) Taking away people's liberty.
2) Harassing doctors and their patients
3) Lying to others.
4) Enforcing laws that kill women.
5) Killing doctors.
Now, I don't know about you, but I don't think any of those things are promoting a culture of life. Here's what I think promotes a real culture of life:
How to promote a culture of life:
1) Donate blood
2) Become a vegetarian or vegan.
3) Do not promote restrictions on health care
4) Do not promote laws that do nothing but kill.
5) Volunteer to help those who are less fortunate or less privileged than you are.
6) Donate to a charity.
7) Adopt an animal in need.
8) Volunteer to help animals in need.
9) Protect liberty (and yes, that does include reproductive liberty).
10) Show your appreciation for people who save lives. Thank them.
At least, that's how I like to promote a culture of life. What do you do to really promote a culture of life?
I haven't donated blood since I broke my ankle last May , and I feel so guilty about it (I am facing more surgery so they won't take it, but I did offer)! And up here in Canada, we don't get paid. I'm on the bone marrow registry, and if my government would compensate me for my lost income, I'd donate a kidney or half my liver to somebody (well both, but they won't let you). They were talking about giving $5000 in compensation for lost wages for live organ donations, but I've not seen anything implemented. If I could afford 4 weeks off, I'd do it. Oh, and I used my legal knowledge to help Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) the last 8 months!
ReplyDeleteI have done much of the stuff on the 'promote' list.
ReplyDelete(Shameless self-promotion: have donated more than 20 gallons of blood.)
Keep donating.
That's all awesome, Not Guilty! It's really hard for me to donate blood. I get turned down for low iron levels a lot of the time.
ReplyDeleteI can't donate blood either because of my weight, unfortunately. But I donate money to the Kidney and Urology Foundation to help people who have had kidney transplants, like my best friend. And, of course, I'm anti-war and pro-healthcare.
ReplyDeleteThere certainly is a gigantic difference between "giving life" by forcing another to give birth (or to choose to give birth yourself, for that matter) and donating blood, marrow, or an organ to save the life of someone who is dying. That's not only saving a life. That's saving a family from losing a loved one. That's saving kids from losing a classmate. There are a few circumstances where abortion might feel as devastating to a family. But EVERY single circumstance in which a beloved friend or family member dies is devastating. I think anti-choicers who sloganeer about "saving lives" is cheapening the experiences and lives of people.
Another phrase that anti-choicers like to use is "giving a voice to the voiceless," which is a slogan that human and animal rights advocates have been using for a long time. When human and animal rights advocates use the phrase, they're talking about people and animals who are saying something but are being drowned out by those with more power. The problem with anti-choicers using the phrase is that embryos and fetuses aren't saying anything, or doing anything. Anti-choicers are putting their own words into the mouths of embryos and fetuses, while ignoring the voices of women who support abortion rights and have had abortions with no regret. Conveniently, embryos and fetuses don't have the capabilities to tell them to stop. Only the women do, and they can be easily drowned out with "slut," "whore," and "baby killer." So anti-choicers' view of "giving a voice to the voiceless" is more like selective listening.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of donating blood and saving babies, check out this guy.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1IwNqC/www.blameitonthevoices.com/2010/03/hero-of-day-man-saves-lives-of-2.html
I just came across this website. I had an abortion in 2001. I was lied to...not by a pro-lifer, but the pro-choice facility I went to. This comment is not to bash/support pro-choice or bash/support pro-life. I'm saying that a majority of my friends and I were lied to by the pro-choice facility we went to.
ReplyDeleteI was crying hysterically because I wasn't sure this is what I wanted to do and the nurse told me to 'get myself together' in a snappish tone. She never once told me to go home and think about my choice. Nor did the facility tell me anything about my adoption options when they saw that this might not be what I wanted to do. Seems she was more interested in just getting my money. They also told me that babies cannot have heart beats until after 8 weeks. I know this to be untrue now because now I have three kids and saw all their heart beats at 6 or 7 weeks.
Also, no one told me about the Post Abortion Syndrome I'd suffer from. I just found out about PAS last year and felt a HUGE sense of relief that I wasn't crazy! I found a support group of women who suffer from PAS and we all share a similar story. While PAS isn't recognized from the medical community (yet- but neither was PPD for a long time) one cannot deny the many women who suffer from common symptoms.
If one wants to allow women to still have the choice to make a choice, then it should be an informed one. An un-biased one, perhaps from a third party that doesn't stand to lose money if you don't have an abortion.
I personally feel that both pro-life and pro-choice sides are using unfair tactics. There are a lot of women who have had abortions but now are becoming pro-life because of the misinformed information they were given about abortion procedures...they feel that they weren't given good services. Namely, not giving them they same balanced information on other choices out there, and what the true development of their baby is. They need to be warned that they could suffer from PAS. This is a common topic in my PAS group...even among those that remain pro-choice.
If people want the pro-choice movement to be respected then they need to respect that yes, you can later regret your decision and that yes, PAS is real. There needs to be a place where you can go to get ACCURATE information and the support to take the time to think about your decision.
I know many women don't live with regret, but those of us who do live with a harsh reality. And the most common factor is that we were lied to by the clinic we went to. THAT needs to change in these clinics.
Neither side has golden halos over their heads. This is tough for any woman to go through...no matter what her choice ends up being.
I'm sorry about your negative experience, Anonymous. *hugs* I'd never tell a woman that she can't regret her abortion.
ReplyDelete"I was crying hysterically because I wasn't sure this is what I wanted to do and the nurse told me to 'get myself together' in a snappish tone"
Every single woman that I've met who has regretted her abortion has stated that, at the time, she either knew that she didn't want the abortion or she wasn't sure about her choice. This is our problem. There are women out there who are having abortions not out of free will, but out of their boyfriend's choice, their parent's choice, etc. It should be 100% her choice, and it should be something that she wants to do (or at least, something that she knows she wants to do more than the other options, anyway).
This is why I call myself pro-choice. It should be the woman's choice, always. I hate seeing women "choose" any option (abortion, adoption, parenting, etc) because they were coerced.
Yes, the problem is that when women seem unsure about having their abortion, no one seems to be pointing them to another resource for help (like adoption or if they choose to keep the baby, a mentor who made the same decision.) They just tell them that 'it will be over soon and you can get on with your life' And for many, the pregnancy may be over, but not the emotional scars.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are right. Many women are nudged into abortion by their boyfriend or parents or friends or the clinic. For me, it was the clinic. This is why I wish there was a place that isn't pro-choice or pro-life or whatever, that doesn't stand to make any money on whatever decision you make, and that can help you by giving you your options, giving you facts, maybe even letting you talk to someone who has made X,Y,Z choice...from those who were okay with their decision and those who regret it.
Back in 2001, the internet wasn't as popular as it is today. Today many people have much more resources at their finger tips. The problem, again, lies in the fact that BOTH sides aren't telling the WHOLE truth. Until there is such a place that exists where the WHOLE truth can be told, and ALL options are given equal play time- with support to the woman with whatever choice she decided, both sides will be wrong in my opinion.
Thanks for the hugs. :-) And thanks for letting me voice my opinion. :-) Not many people understand that you can disagree with both sides. :-)
Again, I'm really sorry about your experience with that clinic. That nurse sounds horrible. I'm just against coercion- whether it's coercing a person to go through a pregnancy or coercing her to have an abortion. It breaks my heart to see that happening.
ReplyDelete"Until there is such a place that exists where the WHOLE truth can be told, and ALL options are given equal play time- with support to the woman with whatever choice she decided, both sides will be wrong in my opinion."
I've had a different experience with the pro-choice movement than you have. The majority of pro-choicers I've met, including the abortion providers that I've met, are like this- giving support to women no matter which path she chooses. I'm sorry you haven't had that same experience.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I want to hear women's stories concerning abortion, whether they regret them or not. I want to become an abortion provider, and I feel like hearing women share their experiences will help me to become a better provider. I definitely do NOT want to be like the nurse you mentioned.