She has to drive herself even though he said he would be there for her and they would go together so she didn't have to go through this by herself. She waited as long as she could, but couldn't wait any longer because her appointment was for one. Really she's not that surprised he didn't show. He hasn't shown himself much around here since she told him. But it would have been nice to have someone go with her. She's scared.
She tries not to cry on the ride to the clinic, but she can't help it. She's thought about this decision long and hard and to her it's the only choice she can make. It's not fair, but than what's happened isn't fair either. She keeps wiping at her eyes as she drives. Her hands shake as she takes them off the steering wheel to wipe at her eyes.
As she pulls up towards the street she sees a crowd in the street and the parking lot. This is just too much for her. She pulls the car to the side and just sits behind her steering wheel and cries. She is close enough to see the signs and the pictures they have on the signs. She feels sick. She wants to have the strength to continue and do what she knows she must, but she doesn't know if she can go through that crowd.
She's never felt more alone than at this moment.
This post might, no change that, this post will upset some people. I can't help it. This subject is probably one of the most emotional subjects in politics today. What am I talking about? Abortion. Anyone that doesn't want to read any farther feel free to excuse yourself now.
Saturday when I went over to visit my brother we drove over to Metairie to check out the book stores and CompUSA. To get to Borders we drive through the back roads and one road brings us past a clinic. Yes, one of those clinics. And in the street and the parking lot are a crowd of people with signs and little children and yelling and you know the drill.
I've driven this way plenty of times before and there are ususally a few people walking around outside the clinic with signs, but this time there had to be at least fifty people protesting. Adults with their children. I saw kids in strollers, kids that were just walking, kids older...all following behind a protesting Mommy or Daddy.
How could someone that needed to get to this clinic even get to the parking lot? It was chaos. I can't even begin to imagine what a young girl that has made what is probably one of the most difficult decisions of her life has to think when she gets to this clinic and has to basically fight her way to the front door.
Last time I looked abortion was legal in this country. I know protesting what you don't believe in is a time honored tradition and there is no shame in it, but this is going beyond simple protesting. They are trying to make it impossible for someone to get into the clinic.
Now I'm a man so I feel like I'm a little out of my depth in this arguement. Why should I be able to tell a woman what she can do with her body? What right do I have to tell her to have the baby, no matter what the consquences. I don't believe I do. It is her decision whether to have the abortion or not.
This issue hits so many hot points. The religious right have taken it as their ralling point. Supreme Court justices are decided on by whether if they'll overturn Roe vs. Wade. The basic premise of state and church being separate get a lot closer to each other when the subject is abortion. The religious right want to ban abortions because every life is sacred, but it supports the death penalty. I guess it gets to decide which life is worth saving or not.
I guess it depends on when you decide life begins. The anti abortion side wants to keep pushing that definition back, until it basically becomes life as soon as the sperm does its job.
I'm not talking about abortion as birth control. I really don't think that is as common as the anti abortion side tries to claim it is. They want to use a lot of scare tactics to make people think everyone that has an abortion is evil.
There are no easy answers, but the one answer I know is that if a woman wants to have an abortion that is her right and she should be able to and at the moment that is the law and she should not have to feel like a pariah to accomplish this.
Everyone should remember it's not their decision, it's not my decision, it's her decision.
3 comments:
I firmly believe in a woman's right to choose.
Well done Sir.
As someone who has had to make the decision to have an abortion, I want you to know that I appreciate this post. The thought of protesters on that day, which was probably the hardest day/decision so far in my entire life, freaked me out and I knew I would not be able to deal with them if they were there, thankfully there wasn't any. I don't know what I would have done if there had been. I could barely look at the other people using the building (the clinic was in an office building) on my way up there.
I don't think people understand that choosing an abortion is much more complicated then the media makes it sound. There are countless reasons to choose an abortion, and unless you personally have made the choice to have one you cannot judge those of us who have.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but I won't. Just thank you so much for this post.
Great post John. Thank you.
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