Friday, September 11, 2009

"Saving" Babies.

“We confirmed that a second baby was saved from abortion on Saturday at Carhart’s mill. Woman went in then left without abortion. -Operation Rescue”

The thing is, abortion clinics have options counseling. They will help you decide if abortion or birthing- be it to parent or as part of an adoption plan- is best for you. My friends who are counselors have told women to come back another day as they were not emotionally ready to have the procedure right then. They have also helped women decide against an abortion after reviewing their options and emotional needs. Most women come into abortion clinics with their mind made up and the counseling only helps in that maybe they have no one else to talk to. Others come on in the middle of life upheaval that leaves them a whirlwind of emotions they need to sort out. I don’t see ob/gyns and prenatal care clinics employing social workers, psychologists and/or therapists to ensure that the women have access to all their options and are thinking in a clear mental state.

So maybe the woman left because of the anti-choice folks’ bullying. That would be a shame that they emotionally unloaded on her so much that she felt pressured to change the rest of her life, despite probably deciding on an abortion after weighing her options. Or maybe- her options counselor helped her conclude that she really did want to give birth and helped her plan her best options. I hope it’s the latter and that she has a tentative plan with support . But if it is the former, I wish her the best of luck and hope it does end up being the best decision.

1 comment:

RF said...

thank you for writing this! the Abortioneers also have a post recently about counseling women who are ambivalent. and I think it's so so so valuable that pro-choice health centers DO go through attentive counseling, and really important that people understand that. On the flip side, THANK YOU for asking Why don't OBs have therapists on hand to check if women really know what they are doing. !