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The truth about the mainstream pro-life movement
For most of my life, I watched my mother put a pretty little embroidered red rose on her coat each year. It was given to her by the Christian Mothers organization at our town's Catholic Church. I didn't understand until I was much older what the rose was about, and I wonder today if my mother would ever put one on her coat if it was offered now.
There is a great deal of hypocrisy involved in the supposed battle against a culture of death, and I think that is why my mother wouldn't put herself in line with anymore. While there are lists of "baby butchers" out there, the mainstream pro-life movement tries to deny its complicity in their existence. But it is only a half-hearted denial, since they certainly don't shed tears when someone they perceive as a "baby killer" is killed. In all honesty, I suspect that if they managed to get abortion outlawed, they would have no problem with a death penalty being levied against doctors who broke their laws.
If the pro-life movement was an honest name for the various organizations and individuals who find it necessary to protest abortion, then there wouldn't be a day like today. I know that there have been and will be denials about the individual who killed Dr. Tiller (and for that matter, all the violence against doctors and clinics.) The refrain will go something like: "It is the fault of someone who was mentally unstable, and not really a part of our movement." But that is a lie. The movement has long made it clear that the potential for human life always trumps the lives of humans. We only need to look at the protests about legislation that would allow for the health or life of the mother to see the truth of that. Add the tepid denials when it comes to terrorist acts against health providers, and it is abundantly clear.
And it is terrorism. Period. Not only in the form of violence, but also in the form of ideological bullying. It is a grassroots fascism that is no less toxic than what we see from the Taliban. It forces silence on those who would attempt to shed light on what they are actually doing to our society.
Their talking heads are not known for being very Christian-like (if one defines "Christian" as attempting to emulate Christ by at least following the most important commandment, "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself, and love your neighbor as yourself.") Perhaps there is a great deal of self-loathing involved in today's pro-life movement - if not, maybe there should be. How can one honestly even like herself if she tells a young girl that an unborn child is more important than the girl?
In all of this, the only time I have ever heard anything about concern for any living being other than the self or the potential for human life is ironically enough, from the supposedly evil pro-choice side of the fence. There you hear about woman who chose not to have a child at a given time because of fears - fear that the woman is unable to provide for a child, fear that the woman's choices in regard to drugs or alcohol would result in injuries to a child, and fear that the man involved wouldn't actually be there for a child (or worse, might actually cause harm to a child.)
But don't mention those situations to today's pro-life people. They are only interested in that potential for human life. The quality of that life is meaningless. They are absolutely right to force every woman who becomes pregnant to have that child regardless of how that child will be raised. And if you don't agree with them, their little friends in the fringes of their organizations will make you agree - or maybe they'll add you to their hit lists for good measure.
For the record, I had an abortion, I vote, I write on this issue when the desire hits me to do so, I have acted as a clinic escort in the past (and will do so in the future if needed), and I will remain in opposition to anyone who finds it necessary to promote hatred and terrorism in this country, particularly anyone who thinks that they are "pro-life." I will continue to call the activists on their hypocrisy, and if that merits being listed on one of the hate-mongering sites, my reply is "bring it."
-x- posted from Everything in Its Own Time...
There is a great deal of hypocrisy involved in the supposed battle against a culture of death, and I think that is why my mother wouldn't put herself in line with anymore. While there are lists of "baby butchers" out there, the mainstream pro-life movement tries to deny its complicity in their existence. But it is only a half-hearted denial, since they certainly don't shed tears when someone they perceive as a "baby killer" is killed. In all honesty, I suspect that if they managed to get abortion outlawed, they would have no problem with a death penalty being levied against doctors who broke their laws.
If the pro-life movement was an honest name for the various organizations and individuals who find it necessary to protest abortion, then there wouldn't be a day like today. I know that there have been and will be denials about the individual who killed Dr. Tiller (and for that matter, all the violence against doctors and clinics.) The refrain will go something like: "It is the fault of someone who was mentally unstable, and not really a part of our movement." But that is a lie. The movement has long made it clear that the potential for human life always trumps the lives of humans. We only need to look at the protests about legislation that would allow for the health or life of the mother to see the truth of that. Add the tepid denials when it comes to terrorist acts against health providers, and it is abundantly clear.
And it is terrorism. Period. Not only in the form of violence, but also in the form of ideological bullying. It is a grassroots fascism that is no less toxic than what we see from the Taliban. It forces silence on those who would attempt to shed light on what they are actually doing to our society.
Their talking heads are not known for being very Christian-like (if one defines "Christian" as attempting to emulate Christ by at least following the most important commandment, "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself, and love your neighbor as yourself.") Perhaps there is a great deal of self-loathing involved in today's pro-life movement - if not, maybe there should be. How can one honestly even like herself if she tells a young girl that an unborn child is more important than the girl?
In all of this, the only time I have ever heard anything about concern for any living being other than the self or the potential for human life is ironically enough, from the supposedly evil pro-choice side of the fence. There you hear about woman who chose not to have a child at a given time because of fears - fear that the woman is unable to provide for a child, fear that the woman's choices in regard to drugs or alcohol would result in injuries to a child, and fear that the man involved wouldn't actually be there for a child (or worse, might actually cause harm to a child.)
But don't mention those situations to today's pro-life people. They are only interested in that potential for human life. The quality of that life is meaningless. They are absolutely right to force every woman who becomes pregnant to have that child regardless of how that child will be raised. And if you don't agree with them, their little friends in the fringes of their organizations will make you agree - or maybe they'll add you to their hit lists for good measure.
For the record, I had an abortion, I vote, I write on this issue when the desire hits me to do so, I have acted as a clinic escort in the past (and will do so in the future if needed), and I will remain in opposition to anyone who finds it necessary to promote hatred and terrorism in this country, particularly anyone who thinks that they are "pro-life." I will continue to call the activists on their hypocrisy, and if that merits being listed on one of the hate-mongering sites, my reply is "bring it."
-x- posted from Everything in Its Own Time...
Tags: hypocrisy, pro-choice, pro-life
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2 Comments
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Comment by Card-carrying Buddhist on July 29, 2009 at 2:45pm - Fetus-firsters tend to be utterly uninterested in the postborn.
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Comment by Pamela Lyn on June 11, 2009 at 5:15pm - Welcome to Political Voices of Women and thank you for sharing your insights on this topic.
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