This blog has in recent months become the center of attention and contraversy. Stop My Abortion is the blog of a rather cynical and crass 20 yrs old woman whom just found herself unexpectedly pregnant. The woman in question, is low income and works as a bartender. In her first post April 18, she said, "Either click on the paypal link on the side of this page and give what you can, or I'm going to get this fetus scraped and sucked out of me in six month's time." The premise behind the blog was that if pro-lifers really do care about and want to save all unwanted babies, then they should pay the money to care for such children and if the pro-lifers didn't come up with the prescribed amount (and showed themselves to be hypocrits), she was going to have a late-term abortion at six month gestation. And as another blogger pointed out, as if any unwillingness to provide financial assistance (read hypocrisy) on pro-lifers' part validates the need for Roe vs. Wade. Now to me, this blog seems to be a satiracle strike at pro-lifers, in addition, there are a few things wrong with it I see.
1) The author is posing the age-old pro-choice rhetorical question: "If you're against abortion, are you going to pay for the care of all all the unwanted children in the world?" S/he is merely trying to point out flaws in the pro-life argument with logical fallacies and stereotyping.
2) If you do donate money, there's no guarantee this story is real or that your hard money will go to a a true charity cause. Instead I'd donate to an established local charity, to be sure the money will be used as you intend, such as the United Way or American Red Cross. I don't think an individual's unwillingness to donate always reflects the state of political beliefs or charitability as much as worthwhile caution in donating to a cause we have no certainty is true.
3) That kind of attention-getting rubs me all the wrong way, whether serious or satire. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and making the decision to have an abortion is not a decision to be taken lightly, like going to the beauty salon. The abortion jokes lead me to conclusions about the maturity of (or complete lack there of) the one making such jokes.
4) If this story were true and not satire, there are better ways than online solicitation (which is questionable at best) to going about to getting support and assistance. There are a number of established non-political pro-life organizations which can provide pregnancy and parenting assistance or even just financial assistance and help with basic needs. There are over 4,000 woman helping centers (comprised of pregnancy resource centers, maternity housing, adoption agencies, social services agencies, and participating church parishes) in the U.S. and 36 other countries. On the other hand, when someone genuinely wants help and I am capable of offering such help, I do so. I've helped a number of pregnant, parenting, and post-abortion young women in finding/applying for help when they otherwise had nowhere to turn.
5) Even if she was able to raise the $40,000 from pro-lifers, I don't think that alone would be enough to change her perception of pro-lifers and her political stance. The damned if you do, damned if you don't mentality. If you're a pro-lifer and you donate to this so-called woman's cause, you're accused of spending your money on caring for fetuses and not caring about the needs of born children. If you don't donate, you're accused of being a hypocrit and not caring about the unborn or caring about the women who carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. Basically it's a no-win situation, I wouldn't waste your time in discussion there.
Well, October 19 came and she had not received all of the prescribed amount ($40,000) and so she supposidly had the late-term abortion, posting questionable images of the result of the abortion. The blog has received mixed reactions from both pro-choice and pro-lifers alike. Support from pro-choicers congradulating her on "showing the hypocricy of anti-choicers" and criticism from both sides. Now I don't agree with the slander she's received from pro-life individuals, regardless of the blog being satire, such behavior does not show good will on pro-lifers part.
Update: Jivin' J brings it to our attention that , "Help My Baby Live," a website with a very similar premise to the "Stop my Abortion" blog has appeared.
No comments:
Post a Comment