it's no secret to anyone who knows me well, where i stand on the abortion issue. i worked at planned parenthood for four years, both educating youth on sexual health and relationships, as well as acting as a counsellor for victims of sexual, physical, emotional and other forms of abuse. i managed various relationships with women both young and old, as well as men in various forms of crisis. from all of these both heartbreaking and strengthening experiences - and as a woman who believes in women's rights as human rights - i have a strong opinion on civil rights for women, and a strong belief that there is NO place for the state, in a woman's body. i filled out paperwork for women who could not speak english; i held the hands of women with black eyes by their husbands of 16 years; i sat with a mother, grandmother, and the young 10 year old raped by her step-brother; i sat with couples who cried without words for hours.
i was once invited for an anti-abortion rally by a person i knew in university, who said i 'needed to be saved, and reminded of what was true and right' because (in his opinion - yes, it was a him), i was uneducated, and naive about the issue - i have not spoken with him since.
this issue has once again come to light largely due to wendy davis' filibuster to help block a controversial anti-abortion bill - her 11 hour filibuster brought to light EXACTLY what people think. and, while i have strong opinions, and strong opposition to those who think otherwise, i have to say, i'm always happy when something brings people out to talk. when something eats away at enough people that they can't hold it in. sure - there are ALWAYS people who talk when they shouldn't. people who share their opinions - without knowledge, understanding, or scientific fact - to anyone who can hear them. there are always split opinions, and people who try to boil things down to tiny insignificant facts, which aren't actually related to the overall picture. like, when i pass by anti-abortion rioters with photos of still born babies with clearly defined fingers, stating that they are 4 week old fetuses. scary how much some people missed in biology class.
but without delving too much into the details, and picking apart arguments about the definition of 'person', and all of those things that make this human rights issue so interesting, i'd simply like to share one of my favourite essays to date on the issue. who would've thought tht rob delaney - the man responsible for more penis jokes on my twitter feed than all of the comedians i follow - would be the one to write the most eloquent, respectful, and beautiful words regarding this entire issue? well.... anyone who has ever read any of rob delaney's writing - that's who.
the most perfect way to say it all. check it out.
"I support a woman's right to safe, legal abortion because centuries of history shows us that women are going to get abortions whether they're safe and legal or not. And when they're not safe and legal, these women will often die terribly or be damaged irreparably. In my fantasy utopia, there would be no abortion. There'd be contraception readily available and there'd be education geared toward preventing unwanted pregnancies. Adoption would be easier.
We don't live in a utopia, however. We live in a country where scoundrels are certain and nuance is vilified. I opened up my own thought process above to demonstrate that it isn't neat. But it's all taking place unified in one man's skull. And I'm not unique in having a complex thought relationship with abortion. I'm like a lot of people. Most people."
read the rest of his essay here.