Posted on 07/18/2004 4:35:00 PM PDT by vanderleun
THE REALLY AWFUL THING ABOUT AMY RICHARDS TALE AS TOLD TO AMY BARRETT in The New York Times Lives: When One Is Enough is that Amy Richards put her name on her shameful tale of selfishness.
"I found out I was having triplets when I went to my obstetrician. The doctor had just finished telling me I was going to have a low-risk pregnancy. She turned on the sonogram machine. There was a long pause, then she said, ''Are you sure you didn't take fertility drugs?'' I said, ''I'm positive.'' Peter and I were very shocked when she said there were three. ''You know, this changes everything,'' she said. ''You'll have to see a specialist.''The self-centered Ms. Richards who writes an advice column for, of course, feminist.com and has published a book called: Manifesta: Young Women Feminism and the Future, elects to undergo what is coyly titled "selective reduction." This is a nice term for the killing of one or more multiple babies in the womb. As the article puts it, "The obstetrician wasn't an expert in selective reduction, but she knew that with a shot of potassium chloride you could eliminate one or more."
"My immediate response was, I cannot have triplets. I was not married; I lived in a five-story walk-up in the East Village; I worked freelance; and I would have to go on bed rest in March. I lecture at colleges, and my biggest months are March and April. I would have to give up my main income for the rest of the year. There was a part of me that was sure I could work around that. But it was a matter of, Do I want to?"
When the time came to pick one, it was fraught with the pathetic little drama that so often overtakes these young members of our intellectual classes in urban areas:
The specialist called me back at 10 p.m. I had just finished watching a Boston Pops concert at Symphony Hall. As everybody burst into applause, I watched my cellphone vibrating, grabbed it and ran into the lobby. He told me that he does a detailed sonogram before doing a selective reduction to see if one fetus appears to be struggling. The procedure involves a shot of potassium chloride to the heart of the fetus. There are a lot more complications when a woman carries multiples. And so, from the doctor's perspective, it's a matter of trying to save the woman this trauma. After I talked to the specialist, I told Peter, ''That's what I'm going to do.'' He replied, ''What we're going to do.'' He respected what I was going through, but at a certain point, he felt that this was a decision we were making. I agreed.Hard to imagine if "Peter the Boyfriend" would have had much of a future with this woman if he'd piped up to say, "Maybe it isn't such a good idea to kill off two of my children." He'd be history and Amy would be wrapped in the arms of the sisterhood at feminist.com. But then again, if he was that kind of a man he wouldn't be with this kind of a woman.
The climax of this sordid little drama is delivered as casually as the rest of the entire episode:
When we saw the specialist, we found out that I was carrying identical twins and a stand alone. My doctors thought the stand alone was three days older. There was something psychologically comforting about that, since I wanted to have just one. Before the procedure, I was focused on relaxing. But Peter was staring at the sonogram screen thinking: Oh, my gosh, there are three heartbeats. I can't believe we're about to make two disappear. The doctor came in, and then Peter was asked to leave. I said, ''Can Peter stay?'' The doctor said no. I know Peter was offended by that.Offended? By being denied the right to be present at the execution of two of his children? Why should a man so lacking in manhood be offended? He probably made a face and then beat it to a bar, glad he'd gotten off easy, once again.
Then again, he missed the central life experience of "making two heartbeats disappear." Never a rose without a thorn.
The story, from Amy's point of view, has a happy, almost Hollywood ending, complete with a whiff of false remorse and guilt:
I went on to have a pretty seamless pregnancy. But I had a recurring feeling that this was going to come back and haunt me. Was I going to have a stillbirth or miscarry late in my pregnancy?
I had a boy, and everything is fine. But thinking about becoming pregnant again is terrifying. Am I going to have quintuplets? I would do the same thing if I had triplets again, but if I had twins, I would probably have twins. Then again, I don't know. Well, it certainly good to know that 'everything is fine' and that there is a boy survivor in the world. But it is not so good to know that Ms. Richards only took from this experience what she brought into it -- nihilism, selfishness, and an ego much bigger than her sense.
She's the very essence of the Modern Feminist of the Future, all me and no see. Triplets, no. Twins, maybe -- but maybe not.
Michelle Malkin who pointed this story out comments: " So she's terrified? I can only imagine how her surviving son will feel when he grows up and learns about the fate of his siblings."
I don't. There's nothing in Ms. Richards' character that makes me think she'll have the guts to tell him about it. I realize that means that I believe she'll finally develop a sense of shame about what she did, but I believe even the most vapid among us can grow a real moral sense. At least, that's my hope.
In the present day, the application of eugenics wouldn't be limited to Jews only, however. Evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics would face the same.
I can think of no greater sin then murdering your own children.
Me either. And to keep an apartment and a freelance job? I'm guessing sin is not something she is concerned about.
Why not just ask Amy herself? She deserves a good FReep!
AskAmy@feminist.com
May she repent while there is still time.
I pray that Amy will hear the loving call of God, accept His grace and His Son, and then learn to forgive herself in order that she can be a loving Christian woman to her son. I pray that Peter will find salvation, too, and that they will be married and raise this little boy together in a Christian home.
I pray that the baby boy will never have a moment when he doesn't know that God and his parents love him and that he is a child of God.
I pray that Amy will read this and know that she is the subject of prayer out of love and gratitude for God's forgiving me for being a sinner.
So what happens if this self centered critter, finds her son to be an inconvenience-does she drown him in the bathtub?
He should be removed from her custody and she should be sterilized.
For the children.
I told her that I had just read an article in which she described how she murdered two of her children. I asked her where I could find the passage that justified this. I read that "in His hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:10. I asked for her comments.
/s/ Pegita/Pennsylvania
There are so many infertile couples waiting for children and this witch killed off twins. She was pregnant anyway...why not have all 3 babies & put up 2 for adoption. That thought NEVER seemed to cross her mind.
Sounds more like a liposuction procedure instead of abortion. Deliver us, dear Lord.
sw
I also have emailed this person.
My sister tried for years to adopt, but couldn't because she was past 40. Finally, an unwed mother with a mixed race child who was convinced abortion was wrong got to the social service agency where my sister had her papers. My niece is now 10 years old and I'm her favorite uncle.
There is no such thing as an unwanted child-- only unfit parents who would do both sides a favor by putting their child up for adoption.
What makes you think the father had any say in the decision. It sounds like he was a t best ambivalent about the decision and more likely wanted the children, but they were just too big of an inconvenience for Ms. Richards.
"I'm John Kerry, and I approved this message."
I e-mailed her a little something too. I don't think she'll like it though. I posted it on the other thread and that's probably enough provocation for now. I should pray for her and her boyfriend and the doctor, not to mention her son. Do you think she'll ever realize what a horrible thing she's done? I hope so. With God, all things are possible!
Good for you! May her mailbox be full of responses to this article!!!
And who says Western culture is superior!?
Amazing.
...not married. What the HELL is goig on i this world?
these people don't see this as evil....
they are totally apathetic to what she just did....
no more of an issue than canceling a magazine subscription.....
there again.....this woman and her ilk, are sociopathic personalities...
there is no problem answering questions because they have no conscience....
we would like to have her suffer some emotional breakdown, but she just won't....
our culture is thoroughly entrenched in "Me first"...
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