Abortion is one of those issues you should never write about in a blog. You are just asking for cannonade fire from both ends of the abortion debate. But I'm just shaking my head on how the pro-life movement in Boise turned a PR victory into a dumb defeat.
First the victory. In the news section of our website, you will find the story of a young woman named Kelly Antonczak who testified before a legislative committee that she was coerced by her family to have an abortion as a teen. When the idea that the state was considering a law outlawing coercing someone to have an abortion, I was somewhat ambivalent. "When does that EVER happen?" I thought. After seeing Antonczak's story of abortion coercion however, I had two reactions. The first was I wanted to get her family's phone number and tell them what a bunch of jerks they were for not supporting their daughter. The second was that it seemed reasonable to me that a teen who finds herself in this situation should feel she has the law on her side.
Pro-choice advocates objected (as they seem to reflexively do to any pro-life proposal), saying there are better ways to deal with this issue. I don't necessarily disagree, but it seems to me neither side of this debate is served by a situation where a young woman feels somehow coerced into an abortion. You can't legally force a family to be supportive of their children, but society can at least pass laws that encourage it as best it can on decisions of such importance.
It was a strong PR moment for the local pro-life movement. And then they blew it.
It happened when a pro-life advocate called the local Planned Parenthood office pretending to be a racist who wanted to donate money for black women to get abortions (you will find a story on that on our website as well). The Planned Parenthood woman on the other end of the line, clearly having never confronted something like this before, was clueless on how to react, and so she did what many do who are uncomfortable with conflict when confronted with blatant racism. They simply go along and hope it is a very short phone call.
I don't agree with her response, but I'm much more disturbed by the clearly deceptive, racist phone call that prompted it, and I suspect a lot of other people who aren't advocates on either side of the abortion debate see right through it. It speaks to the Achilles' heel of the pro-life movement that hurts it reputationally. The pro-life movement is seen by many as extreme where activists feel their ends justify their means no matter how reprehensible.
Blatant lying! No problem, because we're pro-life! The misleading of pregnant women by the setting up of fake 'abortion clinics' that won't perform abortions? Justifiable because we're pro-life! It's gotten so deceptive, there's been federal legislation proposed (as well as bills in some states) to outlaw that practice. I have even had conversations years ago with pro-life activists who would defend the murder of doctors who perform abortions because ... "We're pro-life!" The irony did not escape me.
In the defense of the pro-life movement, many do condemn the actions of those who are on the movement's extreme, like the pro-life advocates who picket soldier's funerals because they believe the deaths are God's punishment for abortion. But overall, I wonder what more mainstream pro-life parents teach their kids. "Johnny, it is not right to lie or deceive people ... unless of course it is for the pro-life movement!" How do you claim the moral high ground while defending overt lying and deception? Where's the moral high ground in that?
The pro-life movement has made a positive impact on the abortion issue. Abortions are way down nationwide, something all can agree is a good thing. The film 'Juno' reflects an attitude amongst many teens who choose to give birth rather than having an abortion. That's in part because the pro-life movement has helped remove some of the social stigma of teens who make that choice when they find themselves pregnant and has built support systems for them. This in my opinion is where the pro-life movement can and has had its greatest impact ... winning over hearts and minds! That's especially important for their cause as we come to the day when surgical abortions will be completely replaced by something as easy as taking a pill a pregnant woman could secretly order over the internet.
But you don't win hearts and minds by lying. You don't win hearts and minds by deceiving. You don't win hearts and minds by entrapping. No one in their right mind believes Planned Parenthood is a racist organization, and insisting as much based on a deceptive phone call just makes you look deceptive ... kind of dirty ... and almost as dumb as someone who writes a blog on the topic of abortion.
i am a little late on this, but i remember the report.
i saw it different.
i saw a young girl who didn't want her car or college fund taken away from her, so she got an abortion.
so not only shame on her parents for holding the "it's your college money or baby" card over her head, but shame on that girl for basically saying she did't want to get her car taken away from her so she will abort.
i believe in a woman's/girls right to an abortion...but don't tell me that you got one because you didn't want your car or college fund taken away from you.
Posted by: JenH | March 20, 2008 at 10:41 PM