When a Woman's Choice is a Woman's Choice

So I just found out I'm a grandmother!

I'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time. This 5 month old bundle of joy is so precious that I'm already in love. I wouldn't give him back for anything in the world and I don't even know him well enough yet! My son didn't want to be a parent. Yet, despite the safer sex talks a pregnancy happened. I told my son that those things happen when you leave your reproductive health in the hands of others. However, I still believe that the woman has the right to choose to whether she wants to carry a pregnancy to term or not. The young lady chose not to terminate her pregnancy and the result was a beautiful grandbaby for me.

I'm sure some on the other side wonder how I can love my grandchild and still be pro-choice (you know how illogical and irrational their thoughts are). The answer is simple. Women should be able to determine, no matter the circumstance, whether they want to become a mother. I know the argument about the father's involvement in the decision making (heck look at my son) but it is more often than not a woman's responsibility to raise and support the child (even in some cases where the father is in the household). So until a man can carry a child and accept all that comes with it, I don't believe their rights trumps a woman's.

My son wasn't ready and didn't want the baby, the mother did. I accept and respect that.

And I will continue to be pro-choice until the end!

"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.

Dr. Carhart and Women

Well I am still trying to pull myself together so I will make this short and sweet. Will post something a bit more thought provoking later this week. It was a long drive!

A van full of CAF people drove down.....was a 7 hour drive which took us 8 - 10 hours. 10 people in the van....gas and bathroom breaks! I'm tired!

Will post a pix later!

My Take on What Happened at Dr. Carhart's Clinic

I have a twitter account, and I was micro-blogging the whole day while us CAF folks were helping to defend Dr. Carhart's clinic from an ad-hoc protest called by Operation Rescue and local anti-choice groups in Nebraska. I thought I'd post what I saw and heard, from the beginning.

6:13 AM
At the clinic... Lines of pro choice folks surrounding clinic, some stayed all night(?) Most have been here for 2 hours already.

6:43 AM
The antis said they'd be here 30 minutes ago... We already have the sidewalks surrounding...

6:53 AM
Saying "pro-abort" does nothing more than make you sound like a moron, folks.

7:08 AM
Cops kicked us away from the front if the clinic, saying it's the anti-choice folk's spot... We've been here over 2 hours.

7:21 AM
They're here! Yelling! Praying underneath gas station signs!

8:01 AM
Two bomb sniffing dogs onsite. Plus riot cop van in waiting.

8:09 AM
Patients starting to come in. Chants of "Welcome, welcome, this clinic stays open," to drown out anti-choice folks on bullhorns.
(Actually, I was wrong. There weren't any bullhorns, one guy had an amazingly loud voice.)

8:24 AM
Again, with the "fetuses are not babies" sign. Grrrr. Bad sign. Fetuses ARE babies in some peoples' eyes, even prochoice ones.

8:26 AM
Also, stop trying to sell your newspapers. *mutters under her breath so her commie and socialist friends don't hear her*

8:51 AM
Most of the anti-choice folks are older, all white and they seem to be all Catholics. I said the rosary with them. It's been awhile.

9:05 AM
Why do anti-choice folks think they have a monopoly on religion? I'm an atheist, but the only one at work! Everyone else attends church.

9:41 AM
As soon as my group walks up, the guy starts shouting about how, "slavery was legal!" Way to go, white dude.

10:02 AM
Oper. Rescue is claiming there's about 60 for both sides. Liars. There's about that anti-choice, yes, but double that pro-choice.
(Later, it was more like triple that, at least, for our side, with more like 70/80 for the anti-choice folks' side.)

10:15 AM
Two people who have been convicted of committing felonies against clinics/staff (one arson, one injury) are here, protesting Dr. Carhart.

11:34 AM
RT @rhrealitycheck: http://twitpic.com/fpo4t - This is jennifer mccoy. She burned down a clinic in virginia. #carhart

12:07 PM
McCoy's parading a black child that's clearly not hers (her white kids aren't interacting w/her) AND her children are playing in the street.

12:55 PM
People kept on screaming at women coming into/out of clinics, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" Obnoxious.

12:56 PM
Somebody from Army of God was here, too. Which is why there was a swat team.

1:43 PM
1 in 3 women will have an abortion by the age of 45. Over 60% of those women who have an abortion already have children.

1:47 PM
Goodbye parting: a little girl trying to wave a Bible at us, which was too heavy for her to hold. I think that sums up the day.

Other clinic defenders stayed longer than we did, to make sure the last patients and the staff got safely to their cars, but we had a 7/8 hour drive home, so we left (I got home at 1 in the morning on Sunday, after leaving Chicago around 8 on Friday!). I'm really happy that we went and I got to meet Dr. Carhart. He was a very nice man and very, very appreciative of us being there (and so were at least two of the patients/support that we saw).

NEBRASKA BOUND

Hello all!! I am headed to Nebraska today to help keep choice possible! We all need to continue to do our part in this reproductive justice movement. If that means traveling out of state or blogging from home, PLEASE continue doing it! If not now ya'll..... WHEN?! Success starts with trying... Peace!!!!

Headed to Nebraska

A few of us in the CAF community are headed out to Nebraska to help defend Dr. Carhart's clinic from an "outreach" event hosted by Operation Rescue. I don't know why their "outreach" involves people from all over the US, but hey. Here's some interesting info on both Dr. Carhart and Operation Rescue.

"Dr. Carhart, Under Threat from "Domestic Terrorist Network," Abandoned by Federal Marshals," by Jodi Jacobson at RH Reality Check

Rachel Maddow exposes Operation Rescue's connection to Scott Roeder, the man who assassinated Dr. Tiller.

"The A Word" Hosts Discuss Parental Notification

Chicago Abortion Fund presents July 2009's "The A Word". Nicole and Shay host this month's show and they discuss Illinois' parental notification/consent laws. Check out part 2 and 3 on our youtube channel!