Abortion thinking

What are they thinking? It's good to know.

Some responses to a pro-child comment somewhere on the west coast.

Hmmm...'Project Rachel' sound like the same folks who write "abstinence education" texts telling our youth that premarital sex makes you suicidal, and homosexuality is a psychiatric disorder. Anything to control people's sexuality, after all...

Interesting no? This person sees no reason to control one's sexuality.

I have had a dreadful experience with the "church" and abortion. It has been a story of induced shame, fear and deconstruction. My "problems" had to do with growing up in an alcoholic home and experiences of severe depression and social rejection. I was attracted to the "church" because they offered forgiveness and healing, but after I came into the church, along came the never-ending juggernaut of epithets. Somehow, abortion is a sin the people in the church can justify treating differently than other sins. They justify harming people in the name of being angry about abortion. They deny that they harm people, and replace their denial with projecting "PAS" on a person. Not healing, more like "heeling" or "helling." I've had it - my non-religious friends are much more christian in their attitude and behaviour towards me. I love the church, but I'm too suggestible and it is a crime to subject myself to the endless banging. How is it healing to say to me that I always have to feel dismal? Or if I don't "heal" in the suggested way like going to a retreat with the "correct" sort of mea culpas? What, confession and baptism wasn't enough? My conclusion is that the religious don't even believe in their own religion, that they don't believe forgiveness works, and that not only will God get you, but "we" will make sure you feel lower than a worm. That's what I can't stand the most, the offering of hope and the banging on it with a sledge hammer, thanks a lot! I don't suppose it would be possible to suggest that people be kind and mind their own business and especially not project onto others what they "should" feel and call people all sorts of names and other awful things. This wouldn't prevent being active against abortion, and it would be more Christ-like.

Interesting, and I bet this mindset is very widespread among young women cast out on their own.

"Somehow, abortion is a sin the people in the church can justify treating differently than other sins..."

No differentiation between scales of sin.

I don't suppose it would be possible to suggest that people be kind and mind their own business".

A hurting person is experiencing a touch of insanity. This is something I will try to keep in mind.

The extreme anti-abortion crowd interestingly enough, are also generally virulently opposed to birth control as well, saying it "degrades" a woman to use it. Basically, they want total control over women and their bodies. As an above poster called them: the American Taliban. These extremists would rather see a woman die from a coathanger-induced abortion than see a near-microscopic fetus die. No one likes the idea of abortion, and in a perfect world there would never be any. But this isn't a perfect world and therefore it is a very needed last option, should others fail. Sure, regret and maybe guilt may follow an abortion, but then we all have regret and guilt for something or another that has occurred in our lives. It is not mental illness.

Again, these folks think religion wants to control them, or control all women in general. Is self-control not passed along to the new generation at all anymore? Maybe not. And with that big hole in their formation as adults, it takes a special approach to reach them I am sure. Something like approaching a 7 year old. More love than discipline perhaps.

But if the 7 year old finds themselves out on their own in the world trying to act like an adult it must be a terrible situation. If their role models have been the characters on the hour long television shows, we might get what we got.

Oh man!!! I am a post abortive woman. I also work with women who have had abortions and men who have been fathers to the children. For the PI to write such an biased article is amazing.I had a choice...and what was the choice? The choice was to kill my child. That was the choice. I had no regrets for years and years and years. THEN, one day I saw a fetal model of what my child looked liked when I had him aborted. Talk about shock! Talk about regret! Did I come to that with Project Rachel's information? No, I came to that regret all by myself and I understood for the first time in 20 years that I had been a party to the taking of a human life. A life that had been created within me.People, you can write all the rhetoric you want - you can call life 'fetus' which is latin for "little one" and you can deny all you want...that is your right.However, there are many women who do regret having had an abortion and there are many women who do suffer emotionally from having had an abortion. There are also women who do not suffer, as I did not, for 20 years...I do believe that those who castigate us who are working to help women and men are themselves trying desparately NOT to deal with having been part of the taking of human life. The involvement may be as simple as not saying anything when a friend comes and tells you that they will have an abortion all the way to having an abortion.The good news is that when the anger is over and the denial is gone, Rachel's Vineyard (which are the retreats) and Project Rachel, (which is NOT Rachel's Vineyard but one on one counseling) will be here - be here without judgement and without condemnation.Bless you all - Lee Anne

God help us all. God forgive men for having much to do with these lonely and abandoned women. God forgive us parents for not being the models children learn goodness from. Mercy is required to continue.

Perhaps we're at the bottom now, and the only way forward is up. That has not been the way of things, but nothing continues on a straight line with hope I hope.

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