A little background, for those who don't know: For some reason it became a big deal circa 2001 after overhearing some students in my high school talking about abortion and how it's the woman's choice. All of them agreed, being the teenaged-feminists they were--even kids that were very Christian in faith. I don't know how it ended up being so important to me, as although we were loosely Catholic in my household, it was never forced on me, but from then on I decided I was going to talk to everyone I could about it and get answers. The more I did that, the more disappointment I felt...in so many people I had looked up to and respected, the sadness of their ignorance and/or indifference to the murder of babies, sort of made me 'grow up' and stop fearing authority (at least in my lame high school). Teachers that I admired, were now shaded with, well...death, in my eyes. After getting in trouble for wearing my pro-life shirts (was even scolded and taken into the bathroom to turn my shirt inside out by a security guard) I contacted the Thomas More Law Center who wrote a letter to the school demanding they allow my shirts---which by the way, only said "Abortion Sucks" or "Abortion is Homicide". I carried my legal paperwork in my bag around school just in case. However small that seems, I am proud to have my peer's (whether they hated me or not) remember that about me rather than something inconsequential. It empowered me to think for myself. (And to think that the bully, who mocked those shirts, became my super-intelligent and compassionate husband who has emboldened my position, and inspires me even more, is amazing to me*.) I was even mentioned by Dr. Laura :) If you search my maiden name "Gallardo" you might still be able to find press releases. That was fun to search my name back then!
I don't even think this guy was pro-life lol..I still made him hold my sign :)
My dr. seuss pro-life shirt.
This shirt I wore (before legal defense) said "I'm sorry, does this offend you?" lol..getting an attitude with the security guards lol.
This was jazz band--so fun! My sister and I even did a song at the school talent show calling out the principal for being a liar (about ever having me in his office and telling me I couldn't wear my shirts..) Hey, I was a little drama queen lol.
Okay so basically I wanted to write a blog comprising all the arguments I've had over the years. I used to have long drawn out debates online and in person--neither side backed down, but eventually it just turns into them personally attacking me (which sometimes hurt, but ultimately it meant they gave up). I haven't done it in years...pretty much since becoming a mom, because I have no energy. Believe me it is SOO exhausting, mentally, emotionally and even physically. I also avoided it because it always leaves me feeling that the world is hopeless. But every now and then I'd hear news about it and hear people's thoughts and they frustrate me so. I know most people don't know or care about the details of the issue; they stay on the surface with terms like "women's rights" instead of digging just a nano-meter deeper and defining what 'right' they are agreeing with. After a while, I realized the best way to cut through all the crap in an argument about abortion, is to actually ask the 'pro-choice' person questions. I don't even have to defend my stance typically, because they aren't able or willing to answer simple questions--which shows you how much thought they've really put into their position. But I don't care how annoying it might be, I will never stop trying to inform people what I learn. I feel the tide is starting to turn because it's getting harder to deny truth about life. By sharing the main arguments I can remember (and some recent ones), and why they are wrong, I hope to get people to face their own beliefs, or lack thereof. I have known people and had friends who have had abortions. I feel horrible for them, and wish I could help them. I know that regardless of what they say, they are paying a heavy price and feel demeaned, not empowered. While women who make that decision do have to eventually be accountable for it and I believe, work to help other women from making that decision, the culprit is really the abortion industry: the doctors who perform them and lie to women, and the ones in power defending their right and funding the industry. It's never too late to change--many former employees of Planned Parenthood have quit and some even exposed the sad details of the business. If you have had an abortion, please get involved with the silentnomoreawareness campaign. Once you become educated about any given issue, you have an obligation to do something.
Where to start? I suppose the most common one is 'what about rape/incest?'
(yeah--I can definitely see the baby peeking out his mom's vagina saying, "welp, oh i'm one of those? ok yeah go ahead kill me."--can't stand when people try to turn murder into an act of charity. After all, my dad was a product of rape. He had a very loving mother and a wonderful, adventurous and full life. )
It's so easy to think about the atrocious act of rape and say, 'hmm, yeah, that's totally not fair. The woman shouldn't have to deal with that baby.' Stop for a minute. That kind of thinking is like applying a 'merit and demerit system' to life; because she was wronged, she should get a
get out of jail free' pass. First off I would ask, if in cases where the woman wasn't raped, if she was just careless, is it wrong then? Usually when they ask 'what about rape', they are saying, "yeah abortion is wrong, but.." If you accept that abortion is wrong, that it is murder, the circumstances with which the baby was conceived, don't change that. The intent behind the act of sex doesn't determine that baby's value. Besides, telling a victim of incest/rape to cause another victim, isn't going to help anyone. No matter how uncomfortable 9 months of a pregnancy and birth can be, it cannot compare to the baby's plight being diced up or burned from the inside out with saline.
Remember this statistic--abortion in the U.S.-- less than 2% of abortions are because of rape or incest. And almost half of abortions in this country are repeat ones...
This was my initial comment in response the people who made the actual video...a backward and very ill-informed wanna-be political channel called the young turks:
Same answer applies to people who time and time again say, "yeah one abortion is fine. but three? come on! That's wrong." If it's murder, even one is wrong. That one life taken, hurts the mother (and father) for a
lifetime.
I remember hearing a guy say, "the baby won't remember it since they die." Besides the total irrationality behind trying to justify murder with the fact that, they will be dead, and therefore not recall being cut up, I can't stand the thought of excusing something based on whether it will be remembered or not...what about the CURRENT pain and torture the baby feels? And the life of possibilities stolen? Weird argument, but this is why I am showing you the things pro-choice people come up with when confronted.
I hear about 'overpopulation.'
Okay, this is one of the most frustrating excuses ever. First off, if you want to get all scientific, the world isn't close to being overpopulated. The fact that the powers that be waste money and enforce policies that shrink the middle class, and cause rampant unemployment and foreclosures, doesn't mean we are overpopulated. Especially in this country, we are actually being outnumbered compared to other countries. (And there isn't a shortage of commodities and resources to support more life---there are only stubborn bureaucracies that squander/block them.) Which is why only in this country, are the poor, obese. Aside from that fact, EVEN IF it became a concern, a civilized democracy would never resort to killing babies as any sort of solution.
The argument that abortion is equivalent to contraception methods like condoms, and the pill...look up the word 'contra-ception'. Before conception. Abortion always happens after conception...after life has been conceived. (this one's for another blog, but even the pill isn't always contraception...if you look at the purpose of the pill, it is to keep the uterine lining thin enough that a fertilized egg (read--'embryo') cannot implant itself and stay alive...which causes a heavy period, in which often times the embryo is too small to be noticed, when it is flushed out with menstruation.)
And most of the time especially on youtube, I get people telling me to stop saying 'baby'--informing me it's a 'fetus'.
This is funny to me. I don't care what you want to call it. Here's a little bit of the convo I had earlier--my name is 'jsnukem.':
