Do as I say
Since Saturday, I've been pondering abortion politics, probably due to the abortion resolution our Senate District unanimously passed at our county convention.
My own experiences with abortion are anecdotal only. In high school, I knew upstanding, good, Christian girls whose mothers drove them to Oklahoma City for abortions and upon their return, they faced whispers and gawks from their pious peers.
In college, I had the surreal experience of sitting next to The Rev. Robert Tilton's ex-wife, Leigh Valentine. On a two hour flight, Ms. Valentine boasted she was flying out to California to film an infomercial for her new cosmetics line, asked me how she could get smart college students to work for her for free, and asked who I was voting for in the 2000 election.
When I told her I was supporting Gore, she wrinkled up her face and said she was voting for Bush because he seemed like a good, Christian man and that she appreciated his stance on abortion. And then came the kicker, "I mean, I've had one (an abortion) and all," she said. "But I just wish someone had told me I had choices."
This single conversation solidified my decision to remain pro-choice my entire life.
Years later, while working for my husband, we dealt with a 14-year-old child who had been raped repeatedly and was pregnant. She was placed in the care of Child Protective Services, and the Lawyer was appointed to represent her interests. The child wanted an abortion. Individuals who worked for CPS inserted their own beliefs into the case and did everything possible to prevent her from having an abortion. The State sat down with her and made her sign statements, made her listen to ideas about adoption, told her that CPS would not consent to her having an abortion- even though there was no consent requirement for minors at the time. That has changed.
Planned Parenthood stepped up to the plate for this girl. Since she was a rape victim, the services were free. She had the procedure on a rainy Saturday across town. CPS had demanded that one of their workers attend the procedure, but thank goodness they don't like to work on Saturdays. She was well-cared for and loved the entire day. Today she is a 16-year-old girl- she caught up in school, is still with the foster mother who she was placed with and she is no longer a statistic.
I've watched abortion laws be chipped away and abortion access restricted- for minors, for waiting periods, for all women. Why not enact waiting periods for vasectomies? Why not require parental consent to purchase condoms? Unwanted pregancy is not the problem: it's a symptom of ineffective sex education, lack of access to contraception, and an unwillingness to accept that sex will happen, regardless of purity rings, pledges, abstinence-education, parental-notification or consent.
Like Leigh Valentine, I just wish women had options.
My own experiences with abortion are anecdotal only. In high school, I knew upstanding, good, Christian girls whose mothers drove them to Oklahoma City for abortions and upon their return, they faced whispers and gawks from their pious peers.
In college, I had the surreal experience of sitting next to The Rev. Robert Tilton's ex-wife, Leigh Valentine. On a two hour flight, Ms. Valentine boasted she was flying out to California to film an infomercial for her new cosmetics line, asked me how she could get smart college students to work for her for free, and asked who I was voting for in the 2000 election.
When I told her I was supporting Gore, she wrinkled up her face and said she was voting for Bush because he seemed like a good, Christian man and that she appreciated his stance on abortion. And then came the kicker, "I mean, I've had one (an abortion) and all," she said. "But I just wish someone had told me I had choices."
This single conversation solidified my decision to remain pro-choice my entire life.
Years later, while working for my husband, we dealt with a 14-year-old child who had been raped repeatedly and was pregnant. She was placed in the care of Child Protective Services, and the Lawyer was appointed to represent her interests. The child wanted an abortion. Individuals who worked for CPS inserted their own beliefs into the case and did everything possible to prevent her from having an abortion. The State sat down with her and made her sign statements, made her listen to ideas about adoption, told her that CPS would not consent to her having an abortion- even though there was no consent requirement for minors at the time. That has changed.
Planned Parenthood stepped up to the plate for this girl. Since she was a rape victim, the services were free. She had the procedure on a rainy Saturday across town. CPS had demanded that one of their workers attend the procedure, but thank goodness they don't like to work on Saturdays. She was well-cared for and loved the entire day. Today she is a 16-year-old girl- she caught up in school, is still with the foster mother who she was placed with and she is no longer a statistic.
I've watched abortion laws be chipped away and abortion access restricted- for minors, for waiting periods, for all women. Why not enact waiting periods for vasectomies? Why not require parental consent to purchase condoms? Unwanted pregancy is not the problem: it's a symptom of ineffective sex education, lack of access to contraception, and an unwillingness to accept that sex will happen, regardless of purity rings, pledges, abstinence-education, parental-notification or consent.
Like Leigh Valentine, I just wish women had options.
posted by Miss Melissa at 7:15 AM
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