crisis pregnancy centers
yes, I've been slacking on keeping this updated.
And on everything else in my life. What else is new?
So, I will preface the rest of this entry by saying that this may not be the place to discuss this, but it's been bothering me...and I have to say that I'm not sure exactly where the appropriate place to discuss it would be. Not at work, probably not at school, probably not with family members and probably not with friends without the same kind of preface. So, just as a disclaimer, don't read any further if the topic of abortion bothers you. I promise not to get on a soapbox.
Abortion is not usually at the forefront of my mind. Considering that I'm a woman, and a social worker, and someone who considers myself to be a feminist, I probably don't devote enough thought to it. I have had the luxury in my life to not have to. But I drive past what I assume is an abortion clinic on my way to my internship in Fairfield. The only reason that I know that it's there is because there are always protesters outside of it. Every day. Every night. I have not driven past once and not seen them.
I think what they do is pretty awful. I would never deny anyone the right to free speech or the right to have their own religious or moral beliefs, but I just don't understand the need to judge and moralize those with differing beliefs. I don't think abortion is in the life plan of many women. I think many women probably feel conflicted and guilty and sad about getting an abortion, and I don't think protesting outside and screaming at the women who go in helps anyone. These women are already making a hard choice by being there, why make it harder for them?
Along the same lines, I was at Starbucks over the weekend (I actually needed to break a $20 bill so I could pay for parking at Sac State for my Saturday class) and waiting for my drink when I noticed a flier on their bulletin board. It was a list of crisis pregnancy centers in the Sacramento area. If you're not familiar, those are places that attempt to sell themselves as abortion clinics, but are actually run by religious organizations that try to stop women from having abortions. Usually there are no medical doctors or licensed therapists on staff. It was the sole flier on the bulletin board, and as I sat staring at it while I waited for my drink, I wondered how many women have called them in crisis and failed to get the kind of supportive, nonjudgmental help they needed? And who approves what goes up onto the Starbucks bulletin board? And if corporate Starbucks supports these organizations and if they'd like to know that that's what's being advertised in their cafes?
But I didn't ask any of that. I just thought about it.
I've been doing a lot of that.
(if you're interested, some more info below:
http://abortioneers.blogspot.com/2010/09/deception.html
http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-nyc-considers-making-crisis-pregnancy-centers-come-clean/ )
And on everything else in my life. What else is new?
So, I will preface the rest of this entry by saying that this may not be the place to discuss this, but it's been bothering me...and I have to say that I'm not sure exactly where the appropriate place to discuss it would be. Not at work, probably not at school, probably not with family members and probably not with friends without the same kind of preface. So, just as a disclaimer, don't read any further if the topic of abortion bothers you. I promise not to get on a soapbox.
Abortion is not usually at the forefront of my mind. Considering that I'm a woman, and a social worker, and someone who considers myself to be a feminist, I probably don't devote enough thought to it. I have had the luxury in my life to not have to. But I drive past what I assume is an abortion clinic on my way to my internship in Fairfield. The only reason that I know that it's there is because there are always protesters outside of it. Every day. Every night. I have not driven past once and not seen them.
I think what they do is pretty awful. I would never deny anyone the right to free speech or the right to have their own religious or moral beliefs, but I just don't understand the need to judge and moralize those with differing beliefs. I don't think abortion is in the life plan of many women. I think many women probably feel conflicted and guilty and sad about getting an abortion, and I don't think protesting outside and screaming at the women who go in helps anyone. These women are already making a hard choice by being there, why make it harder for them?
Along the same lines, I was at Starbucks over the weekend (I actually needed to break a $20 bill so I could pay for parking at Sac State for my Saturday class) and waiting for my drink when I noticed a flier on their bulletin board. It was a list of crisis pregnancy centers in the Sacramento area. If you're not familiar, those are places that attempt to sell themselves as abortion clinics, but are actually run by religious organizations that try to stop women from having abortions. Usually there are no medical doctors or licensed therapists on staff. It was the sole flier on the bulletin board, and as I sat staring at it while I waited for my drink, I wondered how many women have called them in crisis and failed to get the kind of supportive, nonjudgmental help they needed? And who approves what goes up onto the Starbucks bulletin board? And if corporate Starbucks supports these organizations and if they'd like to know that that's what's being advertised in their cafes?
But I didn't ask any of that. I just thought about it.
I've been doing a lot of that.
(if you're interested, some more info below:
http://abortioneers.blogspot.com/2010/09/deception.html
http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-nyc-considers-making-crisis-pregnancy-centers-come-clean/ )