March 10, 2013

We Will Not Back Down!

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Information | Tags: , |
[19] Comments 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been twenty years…

On March 10, 1993 the “abortion wars” began in earnest.  To be sure, before that day anti-abortion zealots had bombed abortion clinics, harassed doctors and staff (one doctor was actually kidnapped), verbally tortured women as they entered the abortion facilities and engaged in many other forms of what soon would be called “domestic terrorism.”

But on March 10, the first shots were fired – into the back of Doctor David Gunn.

Truth be told, when I got the call from Susan Hill, the owner of several abortion facilities throughout the nation, telling me a doctor had been killed, I wasn’t shocked because in the previous months, anti-abortion activity had been ramping up.  Doctor Gunn worked at Susan’s clinic in Columbus, Georgia and at other separately owned clinics throughout the South.  He was known as a “circuit rider” because he traveled from city to city in his beat up car, performing abortions for a few hours then moving on.   Without his services (and energy), several clinics would have been forced to close because he was the only doctor.  Women would have had to travel much further to receive abortion services.

One of David’s regular stops was the Pensacola Women’s Medical Services, a relatively new clinic in a town that was well known for its virulent anti-abortion zealots.  David had mentioned to Susan that the anti-abortion activity had been picking up at the clinics he worked at and he decided to arm himself – to no avail.

That morning, David Gunn pulled up to the back of the clinic and parked in his usual   space.  There were a few protestors at the front of the clinic but when David pulled in, one of them made their way towards the parking space.  When David got out of the car, he did not bother taking his gun.  He took a few steps towards the clinic and Michael Griffin, a relatively new face to the protest scene, took out his gun and shot David in the back.  He died instantly.

The murder was the lead story in every paper and on the network news.  The inevitable had happened – an abortion doctor had been killed in the name of “saving babies.”

Soon thereafter, the dyke burst wide open.  Over the next few years there would be more murdered doctors.  Then, clinic staff people were targeted.  Those who provided abortion services, no to mention their families, were gripped with fear.  Suddenly they did not walk anywhere without checking their surroundings, looking under their cars for bombs, watching every protestor with a wary eye.  The sale of bullet proof vests escalated dramatically, clinics hired security guards and purchased expensive metal detectors.

And, yes, some doctors decided to abandon their practice and some clinics closed.  But the others hunkered down, refusing to surrender to the terrorists.  Indeed, the Tom Petty song “I Won’t Back Down” became the anthem of abortion providers everywhere.

Ultimately, the violence waned for many years.  That’s why the murder of Doctor George Tiller was such a shock because it had been a while since there was any violence of that nature.   And it will no doubt happen again but the “good” news is that that wave of violence that was ushered in on the morning in Pensacola is just a memory for many.  Still, we can never forget and we should use this “anniversary” to remember not just the sacrifice of David Gunn, but of the others who gave their lives to further the reproductive rights of women.

And rest assured that we will indeed not back down.

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March 3, 2013

Legislating In the Dark

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Information | Tags: , |
[30] Comments 

The lovely state of Arkansas has now banned all abortions after 20 weeks.  Not a particular surprise to most political folks but I have got to give a shout out to Governor Mike Beebe who actually vetoed the bill the first time through.  Yes, he was ultimately overridden by the legislature but vetoing that bill (especially when he knew he would lose in the end) took a LOT of guts.   As for the new law, I have to assume that it will be challenged in court by the ACLU or the Reproductive Rights Project.

What boggles my mind is that while most objective constitutional scholars believe that the law will be declared unconstitutional, that didn’t seem to bother these legislators in Arkansas.  Nope, they just wanted to make their political points, which make the Governor’s action even more meritorious because he certainly hasn’t won many points for his action.

Indeed, one wonders if the legislators really knew what they were doing.  No doubt they were just dragged by their short hairs by the local anti-abortion yahoos who told them “the truth,” or, more accurately, “their truth.”  I can see them now cornering one of their folks, telling them that after 20 weeks it’s a baby, gosh darn it, and we gotta protect the little ones from their oh-so-promiscuous mothers, now don’t we?

What the legislature probably never heard was that most abortions at that point are not done because the woman can’t fit into her prom dress – a common argument that has been posed by years by the antis.  If the legislators really cared to know “the truth,” they would have heard that late term abortions are done for far more compelling reasons (although, for the record, a woman can get an abortion up to 24 weeks without giving any reason).

Years ago, I visited a clinic in Michigan that performed abortions up to 24 weeks.  With her permission, I accompanied a young woman who was seeking an abortion at 22 weeks.  She was receiving financial assistance from the government, lived in subsidized housing and did not have the money or insurance to get regular prenatal care.  Ultimately, she went to an Ob-Gyn who informed her that her baby had encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that caused the head to be dangerously oversized.  He said that chances were that the baby would not survive and could, in fact, harm the woman during delivery.   The woman, through her tears, told me she felt she had to abort her child.

At one point during the process, we were in the sonogram room and the nurse turned on the machine, coated her stomach with gel and together we watched the image on the screen.  At one point, she reached out to take my hand.  The image was very clear.  She actually said “oh, look at my baby!”  She asked the nurse several questions and I could barely hold back my tears as the patient talked in rather clinical terms about the image on the screen.  Then, the nurse asked her if she was ready to proceed.  The woman sighed, as if she might be having second thoughts and then she simply said “yes, I need to do this.”

Did the legislators in Arkansas even think about the cases like this?  Actually, were they even told about cases like this?  We’ll never know but I’m sure those who voted for the bill just keep thinking about “killing babies that would survive outside of the womb” (questionable) at 20 plus weeks.  I’m sure they never even considered the woman.  But what else is new, huh?

If this law actually goes into effect, more women will be forced to bear babies against their will.  The woman I met would have had to carry her baby for several more weeks and then probably watch it die.

And the war against women continues.

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February 24, 2013

Abortion

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Blog, Abortion Centers, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Information | Tags: , , |
[28] Comments 
Dr. Tiller

Dr. Tiller

George Tiller would have been proud.

In May, 2009, Doctor George Tiller was assassinated while serving as an usher at his church in Wichita, Kansas.  Over the years, he had become known world-wide as the doctor who performed very late term abortions.  As a result, he and his staff became a target for anti-abortion zealots.  Indeed, years earlier he was shot in the arm as he was leaving his clinic but he survived and was at work the next day.  For such a soft spoken man, he became a lightning rod in the abortion “wars” and ultimately one of those zealots caught up with him.

Soon after his death, his clinic in Wichita – Women’s Health Care Services – was shut down by his family.  His colleague, Doctor Lee Carhart, publicly declared that he would try to fill the void left by Tiller’s death and would try to accommodate those patients who he would have treated had he lived.  So, Carhart started doing late abortions in Maryland.  Meanwhile, however, one of Tiller’s former staff people, Julie Burkhart, had another vision.

TrustWomen.org

TrustWomen.org

Working under the auspices of the “Trust Women Foundation,” Burkhart and her troops raised approximately $1 million with the thought of re-opening Tiller’s clinic.   They have been busy renovating the office, recruiting doctors, getting permits, etc.  The new clinic will offer many reproductive health services, including abortions up to 14 weeks.  The clinic is now called the “South Wind Women’s Center.”

Needless to say, at some point the local Operation Rescue folks heard about the plans and they suddenly have a new cause (and a new fundraiser).  They are now a constant presence at the clinic (even though no patients are using it yet).  They even photographed a plumbing contractor hauling two large trailers onto the building parking lot and they then posted the name of the contractor on their website, encouraging their troops to barrage his office with phone calls.  That’s just what they do and, at times, they can be very effective.

Abortion

Abortion

Then, Operation Rescue turned their attention to Wichita’s Planning Commission where they attempted to get the clinic property rezoned to prohibit it from opening.  Despite receiving thousands of letters and emails from pro-lifers, the Commission voted 6-4 against the rezoning request.  Talk about courage!.   It is possible, however, that the Wichita City Council could still decide to take up the rezoning request on its own so that battle is not over yet.

Ms Burkhart and her staff have cajones.   They could have sat back, held an annual vigil in Doctor Tiller’s name and gone on with their lives.  But Burkhart has Doctor Tiller’s same commitment to providing health care to women despite the dangerous climate.  And, yes, she has his guts.  As she recently said in an interview:  “We’re not going to be pushed around by the antis.”

They are facing daunting opposition.  And Julie knows better than anyone that her life is on the line, just like Doctor Tiller’s was.  But she and her tenacious staff are plowing forward.   They will not be bullied.

You go, girls!

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February 17, 2013

There’s Good News and Bad News

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion Information
[22] Comments 
Abortion.com

Abortion.com

I do some consulting work for the owners of the online abortion clinic directory,  www.abortion.com.  It’s a great website that helps women find abortion providers in their local area.   In that capacity, I often have a chance to talk to owners and/or administrators of clinics all across the country.

The other day I got an interesting call from an owner of a clinic in Rochester.  After catching up on items of mutual interest, my friend then hesitantly asked THE question:  “So, uh, Pat, I was wondering if you’ve heard if other clinics’ numbers are down?”

It’s a question I used to receive all of the time.  As a staff person for the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, one of my responsibilities was to know as much as possible about what was going on in the world of the clinics.  After all, clinics are businesses so there were times when they didn’t want to necessarily talk about attacks on Roe v Wade.  Instead, I found myself on occasion talking about what their Yellow Page ads should look like, what conventions they were going to, where to get inexpensive medications and medical supplies, etc.  And, at times, we just talked about how the clinic was doing from a business perspective.

The question this woman asked me the other day referred, of course, to how many abortion patients the clinic was seeing and, based on the tone of her voice, I could tell that the number of abortion patients was down compared to the last year.  This question always fascinated me because, being good liberal feminists, our goal has always been to reduce the need for abortion.  That’s why most clinics counsel women on birth control before or after their abortion and why many also give out free birth control samples.  And the fact is that the number of abortion patients has decreased over the years.

So, that’s a good sign, right?

I told the woman that the number of abortion patients was indeed declining and she asked “do you know why?”  I think she knew the answer, but I conjectured that it was probably a combination of many things.  Let’s face it, I told her, young people are just getting smarter about contraception.  They are getting especially savvy about emergency contraception, which can stop a pregnancy from developing if taken within 72 hours after having unprotected sex.   Indeed, I have no doubt that, in this world of cell phones, tweeting and Facebook, the word is getting out and more and more women are just buying EC and stocking it in their shelves – just in case.

Emergency Contraception

Emergency Contraception

So there’s lots of good news but I could tell the woman at the end of the phone was not jumping up and down for joy.  And, contrary to what the anti-abortion folks might suggest, she was not thrilled because she had this burning desire to perform abortion after abortion.  No, she was just having a very human reaction that anyone in any job might have.  She believes that she and her staff do good work for many women and they want to continue to be there for them, but as their numbers go down, the income goes down and they start envisioning the possibility of closing their clinic.  And they firmly believe that their clinic is the best clinic in the world and if a woman needs help, they hope they go to their clinic.  Also, many of these folks have been with their clinic since the beginning and absolutely love their work.  And, no, I don’t mean they love aborting a fetus – they love helping women.  It’s more than a job, it’s a cause.

And now their numbers are decreasing.  More clinics are closing every year.

But that’s good, right?

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February 10, 2013

“One of Our Patients Died”

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Information | Tags: |
[101] Comments 
Abortion

Abortion

“Pat, sorry to bother you this morning but I wanted you to know that one of our patients died yesterday.”  I could barely understand the caller, her message being obscured by her audible sobs.

It was a Saturday morning in 1996 when I got the call at home from the director of an abortion clinic in Illinois.  As a staff person at the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, all of the directors and owners had my home phone in case of an emergency.  Generally, the calls I got at home were to tell me a doctor had been killed or a clinic firebombed.  This was the first time I got a call about a patient dying in a clinic.

The director told me that the woman had died of a pulmonary embolism, something that was totally unpredictable.  Still, although they were not responsible it was clear that the entire staff, from the director to the receptionist who checked her in that morning, they were stunned and they spent hours going back in their minds (and in the charts) to see if they missed any sign.

Despite what the anti-abortion advocates would have you believe, deaths in abortion clinics are an extremely rare occurrence.  So rare, in fact, that when it happens, it becomes ”national news” amongst the abortion provider community.  Indeed, upon speaking to the director I immediately sent out a broadcast fax to our clinics letting them know of this unfortunate event.  I was told later that the clinic received a number of calls, emails and flowers as a sign of support for the staff.

But the fact is that abortion clinics are medical facilities that conduct surgery and, as in any other medical facility, sometimes things can go wrong or there can be a unfortunate, natural occurrence.  The death could also be the result of blatant negligence or just an unfortunate set of circumstances.  It’s possible that the patient did not tell the clinic some vital information that led to her death.  It could just be anything

I thought about that incident years ago when I heard that a 29-year old woman had recently died when she was having a late term abortion performed by Doctor Lee Carhart in Maryland.  Of course, the anti-abortion groups were quick to pass judgment.  “The avoidable death of this young woman dramatically illustrates the dangers of third trimester abortions that are done outside of the safety of obstetrical standards,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue and Pro-life Nation.

This is par for the course.  A woman unfortunately dies and the anti-abortion folks will jump all over this, making it appear as if nothing was done to save the woman’s life, that the staff just sat around watching Oprah while a woman died in their clinic.  They’ll suggest that staff tried to cover up the “botched abortion.”  And, of course, they’ll then argue about the “dangers” of legal abortion.

Approximately one million women each year get abortions.  Some will be injured, some will have a bad reaction emotionally and a very small handful will die from the abortion itself or have some complication.   Those who oppose legal abortion will fail to mention that on average only six women die from complications of a safe/legal abortion in the United States and that there are actually 13.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. And more than 68,000 women nearly die in childbirth in the United States every year.

No, instead they will spend their energies trying to bring as much attention as possible by focusing on this one very unfortunate incident, they will rush to judgment without collecting any official facts and they’ll argue that, because of a rare incident like this, abortion should be made illegal in this country.  Oh, and they’ll probably throw in there a pitch for money to their organization.

In the meantime, they will totally ignore the hundreds and thousands of women who get abortions safely, who go home after the procedure, go to work the next day and move on with their life with no regrets.

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February 3, 2013

The Last Abortion Clinic In Mississippi?

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Centers, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Information, Abortion Pill | Tags: , |
[161] Comments 
Abortion

Abortion

Susan Hill and I were having lunch at the Mayflower Hotel years ago when she informed me that she was opening up another abortion clinic, this time in Jackson, Mississippi.  I looked at her incredulously and asked her why?    “Because the women down there need a good facility” she answered.

I had known Susan for many years by that time.  She was a vivacious, articulate woman who could sweet talk anyone to get what she wanted.  She’d also rip your lungs out if you crossed her.  At that time, she ran seven abortion clinics in cities like Jacksonville, Raleigh and Fort Wayne.  She also owned what had to be the most famous abortion clinic in the country, the Fargo Women’s Health Organization – the only clinic in the state.  Because it was all by itself in that conservative part of the country, it was the target of incredibly intents anti-abortion activity.  Protests with thousands of people, fire bombings, constant death threats.  Their doctors had bodyguards and were smuggled into Fargo in the back seats of cars.  The clinic was featured on the cover of the New York Times Magazine.

Abortion

Abortion

And Susan loved all of the attention it got.  It was her political statement against those who sought to make North Dakota an “abortion free state.”

At that time in Mississippi, there were two other abortion clinics that left much to be desired.  “The women deserve better and I’m gonna build the Taj Majal right there in Jackson,” Susan told me.  She was anxious to go into the belly of the beast and build a state of the art abortion facility in that backward state.   Over the next year or two, she spent a lot of time flying back and forth to Jackson.  I can still visualize her walking the streets in her skin tight dresses, usually a black ensemble that offset her outrageously blond hair.  When she walked into a room at the Ritz in Manhattan, she attracted attention.  I could only imagine the ruckus she caused in redneck country.

Susan ultimately built her clinic, which I was fortunate enough to visit on two occasions.  It was a jewel, albeit an eyesore to the anti-abortion zealots who now had a new target.  And they camped out front for years thereafter.   But the clinic survived and served thousands and thousands of women.

A few years ago, Susan Hill died of breast cancer.  I think of her often.  And I could not help thinking about her again just a few days ago when I read that the Jackson Women’s Health Organization was on the verge of closing.  It seems that the Health Department has announced that it would revoke the clinic’s operating license after an inspection found that it is has not complied with a state law that requires that all abortion doctors to maintain local hospital privileges.  Closure of the clinic may take up to six weeks until a hearing can be held and a formal revocation can take place.

But I also heard that the clinic staff was fighting hard to keep the only clinic in Mississippi open.  They are apparently grasping onto any straw and fighting at every turn to assure that women in that state have access to good reproductive health services.

They may or may not ultimately prevail.  But their courageous efforts deserve much applause.  I know Susan is rooting them on right now.

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January 27, 2013

Much Ado About Nothing

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Blog, Abortion Information | Tags: |
[53] Comments 
Abortion

Abortion

I’m not gonna write about the “March for Life.”   I went over there for a while, braved the freezing temperatures, listened to a few of the predictable speeches (I had no idea how bad a person I was) and just hung around until my meter expired.  I will say that I saw lots of young kids and hardly any of those old gross fetus signs.

Interestingly, I heard no talk about this legal case that’s been getting a lot of attention lately where the “Catholic Church” is supposedly backing down from its centuries old position that fetuses are people and deserve full legal protection.  Now, let me clarify.

Thirty-one year old Lori Stodghill was seven months pregnant with twins when she arrived at the St. Thomas More Hospital in Colorado on New Year’s Day, 2006.  She was vomiting and short of breath and she soon passed out as she was being wheeled into an examination room.  The staff tried to resuscitate her to no avail and she died of a massive heart attack.  Her doctor, Pelham Staples, who coincidentally on call that night but he apparently never answered his page.  Ms. Stodgill died at the hospital less than an hour after she arrived and her twins died in her womb.

Abortion

Abortion

Soon thereafter, the inevitable lawsuit was filed by Ms. Stodghill’s husband.  He filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, arguing that Doctor Staples could have saved his wife’s and the twins’ lives if he had at least instructed the emergency room staff to perform a caesarian-section. An expert later said such a procedure may not have saved the mother, but it may have saved the twins.  The lead defendant in the case is Catholic Health Initiatives, an Englewood-based nonprofit that runs the hospital as well as roughly 170 other health facilities in 17 states.

So, the focus of the suit turned to the twins.  In response, the attorney for the defendants came up with an interesting argument.  He argued that the plaintiff’s case (as it related to the twins) was not valid because “in Colorado that the term ‘person,’ as is used in the Wrongful Death Act, encompasses only individuals born alive…therefore plaintiffs cannot maintain wrongful death claims based on two unborn fetuses.”

That’s when the proverbial poop hit the pro-choice fan.  Hypocrisy, they screamed!   So, now, because it’s convenient and it might cost them money, the “Church” is saying that fetuses are NOT people?  Now they want it both ways?  Suddenly, this “gotcha” moment spread like wildfire.

I grow weary of how political groups (on both sides of any issue) love to scrutinize every word uttered by their opponent and blow it up if it appears to contradict their mission in any way.  They watch for any comment – even if someone is merely asking a question out loud – and they pounce if they think they can make hay (or money) out of it.  Then, the media jumps on it.  If some rock star says something – like a Dixie Chick questioning the Iraqi war – Fox News is all over it.   And MSNBC ain’t any better folks.   It’s the 24 hour news cycle that strains for any kind of “news” and political advocates now know how to play the game.

So, unless I am totally missing the boat – and that is always a possibility – the way I interpret the attorney’s defense is that if you review the current law in Colorado it says that the two twins shall not be recognized as “people.”    And, as such, they cannot be brought into this lawsuit.  As far as I know, the “Catholic Church” has not reversed their centuries old doctrine that fetus are (or at least, should be declared) a “person.”  I think we all would have heard about that policy reversal, don’t you think?

They surely do not like this Wrongful Death Act as it is written in Colorado.  Chances are they may have actually opposed it because it didn’t include their precious fetuses.  And they may be actively trying to get the law changed.  But the law is the law at this point and, while they may not like it, they will surely try to use it to their advantage.

So, what’s the ballyhoo all about?

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January 20, 2013

Abortion Rights: Forty Years Later

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Blog, Abortion Information, Roe V Wade | Tags: , |
[70] Comments 
Abortion

Abortion

Before I embark on my next award winning column, I want to inform our readers that my co-blogger, DRK8blogginfem, is now on sabbatical.  As most of you know – especially you pro-lifers out there – she is a professor at a local college in Pennsylvania and it’s just become a matter of time management.  So, she will be on the sidelines for a bit.   Meanwhile, however, I’m pleased to report that I will soon be joined by two other bloggers – and one of them is from Ireland where things are hot and heavy.  Stay tuned.

So, Tuesday is the 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade.  I live down here in Alexandria, Virginia so by the end of the week pro-life activists will be streaming into town for their annual “March for Life” (they are marching on the weekend).   Of course, it’s more than one march.  It’s a series of prayer vigils, concerts, visits to Capitol Hill (more on that later) and protests at local abortion clinics.  A fun time will be had by all.

Abortion

Abortion

To this day, however, I do not understand how the pro-life movement has made this day theirs.  I mean, if I recall correctly January 22, 1973 was a day of liberation for millions and millions of women, wasn’t it?  It was the day that ended the era of illegal abortion.  It was a day that guaranteed that women would no longer have to resort to back-alley abortionists or self-induced abortions.  Roe v Wade saved the lives of thousands and thousands of women over the years.  Now, I know pro-lifers will point out that women have died from legal abortions and that is unfortunately true, but the number of deaths after Roe is miniscule compared to the epidemic of deaths that occurred pre-Roe.

So, how is it that the pro-choice movement never organized an annual “March for Choice?”  Well, the answer is simple.  Most people get energized when they are losing, when they are fighting FOR something.  In the case of the pro-lifers, it’s seeking an “end to abortion.”  They envision saving all of those “little babies,” giving little or no thought to the millions of women who each year feel compelled to abort.  Nope, they just love those babies and we’re the “baby killers” so let’s go to Washington, D.C. and march!

Abortion

Abortion

On the other hand, pro-choicers find themselves in the fortunate position of having to defend legal abortion and it’s harder to get people energized when you’re defending something that young people in particular have been living with all their lives.  As we have recently seen, the murder of 20 children with a semi-automatic assault weapon is a much more immediate and compelling image than the grainy black and white photos of a women lying in her own blood, the victim of a self-induced abortion in 1964.  It’s just not the same.

So, the anti-abortion crowd has basically kidnapped this day from us.  They’ll go up to Capitol Hill on Friday and hand out red roses to all of the congressional offices (we used to take them, put them in water, then bring them home to our spouses).  They’ll talk about how every woman who has ever had an abortion has regretted it and is on the verge of suicide.  They’ll talk about dismembering fetuses, partial birth abortion (which, ironically, does not dismember a fetus), Obama wanting to mandate abortion and how ObamaCare is going to force all of us to pay for abortions up to 42 weeks.  It will be the same ole, same ole.

But, damn, I wish we could take this day back!

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January 13, 2013

Is the Pro-Choice Movement “Losing?”

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Information | Tags: , |
[51] Comments 
Abortion

Abortion

The January 20 edition of “Time” Magazine has an interesting cover story.  It suggests that since abortion was legalized by the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, the abortion rights groups have been “losing ever since.”   I’m sure it’s an interesting piece.  I say that because I still have not read it.  Frankly, I don’t read a lot of pieces like this one because I can predict by now what they will say.  And, in this case, I’m just not sure how one can make the determination that we are “losing.”

If you are just looking at the hard numbers, such as the number of abortion clinics in the country, you might think we are losing because there are fewer clinics.  Indeed, the pro-choice groups always harken to that statistic which says that 78% (or thereabouts) of the counties in the country have no abortion providers.  So, yes, there are fewer clinics, especially in some rural areas.  But let’s think that through a little.  The fact is that the number of women seeking abortion services has also slowly decreased over the years and fewer patients mean that some clinics will not be able to survive.  That’s just plain ole capitalism.  So, if the number of clinics is decreasing does that mean we are losing?   I’m not so sure.   Indeed, I consider abortion a very specialized form of medicine and, unlike chiropractors or dentists, there just isn’t an abortion clinic on every corner.  In some rural states, women do have to travel to get an abortion but does that mean we are losing the battle?

Abortion

Abortion

The “Time” Magazine piece will no doubt discuss the thousands of anti-abortion bills that have been introduced on the state level.  Yep, there is a lot going on and by this time just about every state has some kind of law requiring parental consent, a 24 hour waiting period and other insulting measures.  And, sure, these are “victories” for the anti-abortion movement but keep in mind that their ultimate goal is to outlaw abortion and they are nowhere near that goal.  In fact, they couldn’t even pass that “Personhood Amendment” in the friggin state of Mississippi.  It also failed in Colorado.  Also on the national level, keep in mind that the anti-abortion folks control the House of Representative, meaning they control what bills they will consider.  And John Boehner and his crew would never, ever think of bringing up a national “Personhood Amendment” for a vote because they know it would never become law.  And why make your own members walk the plank voting on such a controversial issue when it’s not going anywhere?   Also, on the national level keep in mind that with Obama’s re-election, he will certainly have a chance to appoint some more pro-choice justices who will further enshrine Roe as the law of the land.

Abortion

Abortion

I’m sure the piece will discuss the polls and how support for “choice” has dwindled a bit over the years.  But I’d be really interested in looking very closely at those polls.  How was the question asked?  Who conducted the polls?  I cannot prove it but I still believe that a majority of people in this country, if engaged in a dignified honest conversation, would eventually say that they support some access to abortion services.

So, yes, over the years we’ve taken our hits and access to abortion services might not be what it used to be.  But, for the most part, if a woman in this country wants to get an abortion, she can get one.  Does that mean that the pro-choice movement is “losing?”

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January 10, 2013

Abortion and Critical Thinking

Posted by DrK8 under Abortion, Abortion & Religion, Abortion Rights
[62] Comments 

NoFetusDefeatUsSome of my detractors know that I teach in a private, liberal arts college. From comments collected over the years, it’s apparent that they worry about the negative influence I might have over young lives. In their uninformed perspective, they seem to imagine that I push a pro-abortion agenda (whatever that might mean) in every course I teach. In reality, I don’t worry about such an influence because my teaching aligns with our school’s mission statement. In particular, my goal in teaching is to help students become independent critical thinkers who are intellectually agile, who value vigorous and open-minded debate in a civil context and who challenge intellectual orthodoxy. Somehow, abortion simply does not figure into this goal.

So, in a course that examines mass media, students choose a controversial topic to analyze how it is framed in the media. This aim of this semester-long project is to provide them with the fundamentals of thinking like a scholar—to equip them with the resources and habits of mind to reflect critically about the impact of our media-saturated culture on issues that are often hotly debated in the media. The topics range from gun control to foreign policy, from funding the Head Start program to gay marriage, from immigration to the fiscal cliff and so on. The assignment is not to form opinions about a topic or to be persuasive in their end-of-semester presentation. It is to examine closely how media present the debates. For example, much of the gun control debates in contemporary media frame the issue as a second amendment issue versus and gun violence issue. As always with controversial topics, the media frequently does a poor job at providing much beyond the superficial sound bytes. The abortion controversy is no different. The media use humpty dumpty terms like prolife versus prochoice when in fact the controversy is much deeper.

This controversial issue project affords students the opportunity to look beyond the superficial by developing skills to research and evaluate resources and to see who and what is powering the ubiquitous media. The project also helps expand the awareness of how controversial issues are framed in the media and how these issues impact their thinking, their sense of identity as a citizen and their participation as a citizen in the global community.

In my classroom, students who believe abortion is murder, as some do, hear students who believe that abortion is a woman’s right. Both views are protected. My job is not to persuade them to choose sides. Education is not about competition or proselytizing, or, at least, it shouldn’t be. It’s about teaching them to think critically, to evaluate the validity of arguments, to recognize loaded language, and to identity the power inherent in any mediated text.

But if my sole concern was to push an abortion agenda, a fantasy of some of my detractors, I’d probably begin with video Slide1clips of protesters and reviews of prolife web sites. I’d invite them to consider the definitions of compassion, respect and civility. I would encourage them to think critically about ethics, religion and violence. I would address the rights of women vs the rights of men. With this imaginary abortion agenda, my courses would definitely change. In organizational communication, my abortion agenda would require students to study the mercenary aspects of organizations like Priests for Life, Operation Rescue or Life Dynamics. We’d compare the celebrity machinery of Hollywood to the celebrity machinery of the anti abortion industry, including the actors and the fans.  In Documentary Film-Social Justice, I would definitely focus on reproductive rights from a global perspective including family planning, abortion doulas, the women who die from illegal abortions and the impact of religious fundamentalism around the globe. I could go on and on. But I won’t. Abortion is a topic that is critically important for women. But I won’t let it interfere in my teaching. I’ll guide students to think for themselves and leave the proselytizing to the Taliban Club members wherever they live and work–whether it’s in the U.S. or Afghanistan.

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