The following comes from an Oct. 13 posting by Hanna Rosin on Slate.com.
I had an abortion. I was not in a libertine college-girl phase, although frankly it’s none of your business. I was already a mother of two, which puts me in the majority of American women who have abortions. Six out of 10 are mothers, which makes sense, because a mother could not fool herself into believing that having another baby was no big deal.
I start the story this way because Katha Pollitt, author of Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights, would want it this way. In fact any woman who’s reading this piece and has had an abortion, or any man who has supported one, should go in the comments section and do the same thing, until there are so many accounts that the statement loses its shock value. Because frankly, in 2014, it should be no big deal that in a movie a young woman has an abortion and it’s no big deal. We shouldn’t need a book explaining why abortion rights are important. We should be over that by now.
The reason we’re not, according to Pollitt, is that we have all essentially been brainwashed by a small minority of pro-life activists. Only 7 to 20 percent of Americans tell pollsters they want to totally ban abortion, but that loud minority has beaten the rest of us into submission with their fetus posters and their absolutism and their infiltration of American politics. They have landed us in the era of the “awfulization” of abortion, Pollitt writes, where even pro-choicers are “falling all over themselves” to use words like “thorny,” “vexed,” “complex,” and “difficult” instead of doing what they should be doing, which is saying out loud that abortion is a positive social good.
Pollitt aims her book at the “muddled middle” who have been infected by the awfulization without thinking about it that much. To win them back she’s crafted a lengthy Socratic response dissecting the contradictions on the pro-life side. If you know Pollitt’s writing at all, it’s no surprise what she believes. But by the end of the book, it’s a surprise to realize that while the fight over abortion has been going on for more than 40 years, we’ve all forgotten what’s at stake. The left especially has lost sight of its original animating purpose.
In 2012 when the Susan G. Komen Foundation pulled funding from Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood responded by explaining that 90 percent of what it does is preventive care. Many writers sympathetic to Planned Parenthood repeated that line (including in Slate) without realizing how defensive it sounded. In the years since Roe v. Wade, in fact, the left has time and again signaled retreat—a point my colleague Will Saletan also emphasizes in his 2004 book, Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War. “Safe, legal and rare,” “Permit but discourage”—these updated slogans have left the pro-choice side advocating the neurotic position that you can have an abortion but only if you feel “really really bad about it,” Pollitt writes.
As Pollitt puts it, “This is not the right time for me” should be reason enough to have an abortion….
To read the entire posting, click here.
Let’s see how great her abortion was when she meets God face to face some day!!
RR,
What you said is correct but such language doesn’t win hearts. Please try not to use such language when discussing the abortion issue with opponent.
To Steve Seitz– Why put down this post, of RR? He used the title of this news item, to make a brief, sharp, accurate, ironic comment– thus, the use of the word “great,” from the title! “Wait until you have to face God with your crimes! You think abortion is “great,” but you will not think so, once you have to face God!” How many mothers, fathers, and teachers– have used this same kind of irony, when responding to smart-aleck, rebellious kids?? RR’s language use is just fine! I saw a news article, in which the teen-age son of a politician went out partying, took dope and alcohol, wrecked the car, landed in jail, and others involved landed in the hospital, with injuries. The teen-ager called up his dad, with a rude, bragging, smart-mouth, demanding that his dad come down and bail him out of jail. The dad replied, “Oh, so you think you’re so great? And so privileged? You just tell the cops, and the judge, how “great” you are!” Then, he hung up.
Perhaps she should have to look into the faces of some young women who have survived botched abortions but with their faces half or partially burned off from saline. Would that “win her heart”? Or would she just deny that it really happened or say that the abortionist should have finished the job.
Abortion is the killing of a most innocent human being for the convenience of another.
A medical, scientific site. (Non-religious)
“Endowment for Human Development”
https://www.ehd.org/movies.php?mov_id=44
This should be part of every high school biology class.
Why don’t these evil, rebellious, hardened, criminal women, all CRY IN PAIN, for their murdered babies, and have painful NIGHTMARES about their abortions?? Why have they NO MORAL CONSCIENCE?? Are they all SOCIOPATHS, or PSCYHOPATHS?? precious baby is created by the Divine Hand of God, with a particular, God-given life purpose! God does not care, about the SELFISH whims of mankind, as to the “timing” of a pregnancy! God does NOT “obey mankind,” on anything, especially when LIFE begins or ends! Mankind has gotten very far away from God, and very far away also, from Mother Nature, in this evil, industrialized, hedonistic, selfish, science-dominated modern world! Modern people pretend to be SMART-ALECK, SELFISH “BIG SHOTS,” but in Gods eyes, they are all very ignorant, rebellious– and sinful! To kill a precious baby, made in the Divine Image of God– is: MURDER!!
I recall once, in the 1970s, when a woman confided in me, that she had a deep, dark, painful secret, that she could not live with. She and her husband (a university dept. head) were active in their Protestant church. This lady revealed that when her husband went to graduate school, they had two beautiful children, and then a third pregnancy occurred. As their finances seemed difficult, they finally decided to abort their third baby! I had never before heard of such a crazy thing! Why couldn’t relatives have helped, along with their church? Well– this lady cried and cried, about her past abortion, which had been done secretly by a doctor friend of theirs, at the university, before the 1973 Roe v. Wade law. She told me she had nightmares, and “baby fever,” all the time, and was trying hard, unsuccessfully to again conceive! All I could do, was pray for her– and I suggested that she and her husband go see their minister– which they did. That poor lady suffered so much!
“THIS IS MY BODY” as seen on EWTN
All the excuses we use to kill human life are self-delusion. We did the same thing during the time of slavery, but now we deluded ourselves to think we can kill another individuated human being because he or she is in utero. The sciences reveal that preborn’s are human beings just like the rest of us and have the same rights! To kill him or her is murder, pure and simple. Women who have abortion are NOT primarily guilty; the Supreme Court purposely deceived us and the media has become so politically correct (censorship) that they have betrayed our Country by letting professional journalism die a cowardly death! Writers for Life
There are times when speech leaves us, when nothing can be said. Ms. Rosin and Ms. Pollitt are likely doomed to Hell, and warrant our prayers and intentions. Of course, no one knows how Christ will judge anyone, but there is little doubt that both of these women are fully possessed by Satan and will soon find an eternity of suffering as their reward. They are pagans, certainly, but murderesses, too. And, unrepentant, proud in their mortal sins. They best be careful; the God of the Old Testament is still God, and was not pleased with the opposition of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, who were swalloped up by the earth for their pride and disrespect. See, Numbers 16:31-34. Wait, wait — aren’t Catholic bishops confronting women like this, and commenting — every time — to their writings and media events? No, Dear Reader, they are not, and many, many women fail to get receive the news of salvation but it is so rarely preached.
These sorry, pathetic excuses of women should not dare to call themselves feminists. These sorry, pathetic little men posing as women are completely against the natural order of things. Unfortunately, many women have fallen victim to having an abortion…usually through coercion from a boyfriend, spouse or parent. A normal, feminine woman will grieve. It is natural to feel remorse and guilt. After all, she was complicit in the taking of an innocent human being, and worse, her own child. God forgives and there is healing to be had for them. But these creatures that not only do not feel remorse, they think it’s no big thing (what’s big to them, a new Mercedes? A promotion?) and they should share just how little it meant to them on a website! Wow, talk about dysfunctional human beings! I think of those dear Sudanese women holding their dying infants to their empty breasts! These selfish heartless middle class American careerists are an affront to simple goodness, to the humanity that we should all share. What has created such monsters? How do they sleep at night?
Having ‘it all’ increasingly equates to having nothing in the end. We think we are so blessed…. We, as a so-called developed nation, could learn a lot from those Sudanese mothers.
Great post, Dana! I totally agree– these modern American feminists are all a bunch of hardened, cold-blooded, reptile-like, demonic, selfish, Godless materialists! With no human feelings, and no moral conscience! They are not human beings, at all! They are all just like the Nazis, of World War II, who blindly, coldly, obeyed Hitler, and murdered all the poor Jewish men, women, and children! And these cold-blooded baby killers also all belong in jail, for MURDER of their dear, little helpless babies!
Amen, Ann & Linda. And yes, Ann, we definitely could learn what truly matters in life from our African sisters. ‘Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted’. God bless you!
There is a lot of good, solid common Catholic sense coming out of Africa – and thank God, Dana. Hardship often gives one clear sight. And we surely have had need of that these past two weeks!
God bless.
“So I’m going to tell you about something I did, but it’s really none of your business.”
Then why tell me? You wouldn’t tell me about a wart removal and I wouldn’t want to know, but why tell me about killing your kid and then arrogantly demand that I not respond? Sounds like she’s desperately seeking either approval or (please God) forgiveness.
Walk a mile in her shoes.
Mike:
When she stops kicking me with them.
What, in size 9 spike heels? No thankyou, MikeMagee. I don’t have any glass ceilings looming large over my head and I’m content with what I have. I was poor as a church mouse when I had my sons but was able to stay home with them all day and night…pop them in a backpack an do chores, take walks, watch first steps, first teeth, read stories, sing lullabies and hear a first word…dah dah. haha
My only regret is I didn’t have more! Would that they could walk in the sandals of Jesus. There is always hope for their conversions, and I truly pray that they see Mary as the perfect feminine role model. Otherwise, they will never have ‘enough’.
Some of us have.
Most mothers have.
“Walk a mile in her shoes.”
mike magee, How disappointing to read that you have enabled women to kill their unborn babies. I hope you did not write that because you have driven someone to have an abortion or perhaps even helped someone to pay for one. OR if you are a woman perhaps you are still rationalizing your own abortion. That is what your post sounds like. You must think that you sound so noble as a defender of women but in reality you don’t. It would be enlightening to know if these women would still feel the same way while watching the ultrasound and viewing their babies struggle to get away from the forceps that are ripping off their limbs. The woman in the top picture looks very tired and truly sad as if she is waiting for the insanity of the world to stop validating her dreadful decision. The world (including you) keeps on validating her decision and because of this the MORE miserable looking she has managed to become……right up to the absolutely absurd point of trying to appease her own buried conscience by calling it “no big deal”. You are merely showcasing your own brand of selfish willingness that prolongs her suffering in order to feel really good about yourself. You are no friend of the truth nor a friend to women who really DO want to hear the truth, even when caught publicly kicking and screaming. “The lady doth protest too MUCH ” and you speak the truth too LITTLE.
mike magee, YOU walk the horrific experience of the baby having scissors stabbed into the back of their neck or the pain of having your arms and legs being ripped off and then let us all know which choice you would still defend. If your answer is still “It is a woman’s right to choose” then simply recognize that it is also your right to choose to go to heaven or ignore truth and choose to suffer for a much much greater length of duration in time than the countless innocent victims of abortion surely suffer.
Firstly, let me beg you for a bit of compassion. I was raped by a family friend and became pregnant. I was humiliated, ashamed, scared and had fallen away from the church several years before. When you are in the plannkng stages of committing this act there is a delusion of empowerment that takes over.
It truly escapes me that anyone in their right mind could assent to the killing of an innocent fellow human being. In our world, until recently, it was considered evil and depraved to kill another human who was innocent of any offence. Even in war, the innocent where not considered ligitimate targets. Unfortunately, modern warfare has largely forgotten that concept. In 1973 the war on the innocent opened in our country, a war in which no prisoners are taken and no mercy is extended. And feminists are the storm troopers in that war. Planned Parenthood is the SS in that war and abortion sites are the extermination camps, dedicated to the slaughter of God’s most innocent. 70 years after the close of WWII we are still aghast at the magnitude of that slaughter. We have so far exceeded that vast killing as to make the Nazis look like pikers. If I were to suggest that these two feminists were Nazi-like I am sure to be labeled “fanatical” or “extreme.” But the advocates of child-murder pursue their cause with the same single-minded zeal of the Nazi machine that carried out the Holocaust in Europe and the Communist regime in Russia and in Asia. I have seen war up close and personal and I can surely recognize it when I see it. It is truly war.
I had started a comment previously but a glitch stopped me from finishing…There is a delusion that takes over. A feeling of needing to seek empowerment. Its a strong drive that can cause you to ignore your family, friends, spouse and most of all the inner voice of God. I wanted so desperately to “fix” what had been done to me that I completely shut out any voice of reason that tried to help me sort my mind and my heart out. Women in this day and age are fed a lot of garbage about having control, being equal to men, sexual liberation and whatever else. Any woman my age who unfortunately grew up on the heels of the 70’s and matured in the 80’s was bombarded by the message that the only cure for the inferiority of being a woman is to become the stereotypical cold, calculating, unfeeling and amoral man. We were told that strong women don’t have to obey biology, religion or be in the least bit moral. We were brainwashed into thinking that doing for self at the expense of all others was the ticket to happiness. So when I was confronted by an unplanned pregnancy due to rape less than 2 years after my marriage I wanted that control. I didn’t want to be the pathetic rape victim forced to suffer a pregnancy that I was not in control of. I convinced myself that I was being an independent woman. My husband is staunchly pro life. Even when he was a affirmed atheist he would say taking any life is wrong. He offered to raise the baby and do whatever was needed but I was angry, deluded and spiteful. I now believe that since I couldn’t hurt my attacker I wanted to hurt what was created. I held out for as long as I could to try to fool my family into thinking I was going to do the right thing but I made sure I didn’t back down. My husband went with me to the clinic but he said he was only doing it on the hopes that at the last second he could get me to change my mind. It didn’t work. I went through with it. When I saw him again he knew I went through with it and I’ll never forget the profound sadness in his eyes. We didn’t discuss it. He was kind to me but there was so much emptiness between us. At the time though I was relieved that I had fixed my problem but I never felt peace over it. I felt haunted and as I got older I started to question why I was so unforgiving of myself for the rape. Why I never considered adoption. Why I never allowed my husband to prove himself as he had promised. This was 21 years ago and not a day goes by where I don’t wonder who it was that I put to death.
Mary Martinez, I understand more than you will ever know, even though I never had an actual abortion. I suggest you get in touch with Rachel’s Vineyard; there should be a website on line, and if your are Catholic, go to confession when you feel the time is ripe. Pray for the grace to make a good confession. I will keep you in my prayers.