Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping!
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Posted on 02/03/2006 11:10:47 AM PST by presidio9
The UConn Women's Center hosted an event Thursday night that highlighted a woman's right to choose an abortion. Co-sponsored by the National Abortion Rights and Reproduction Action League (NARAL), the event consisted of the documentary film, "Speak Out: I Had An Abortion," and a discussion among students about the social issue.
The film documented the stories of several women of different racial, social and religious backgrounds and their decision to have an abortion performed on them, whether it was legal or illegal depending on the time period. The film was directed by Gillian Aldrich and produced by Jennifer Baumgardner. The first segment dealt with an 85-year-old black woman named Florence Rice who had an illegal abortion performed to her at the age of 16 in 1938. At this point in time during the Depression, abortions were both illegal and greatly shunned upon in society, yet Rice stated she had no regrets over her decision.
Many women spoke about their lives and their decision to have the procedure, even if they had to keep the ordeal a secret from friends and family. Some, however, had to face the harsh consequences from their families. Jenny Egan had an abortion while in high school in 1994, but faced many hardships growing up in a conservative Mormon household. Her mother found out about her abortion after an anti-abortion group known as "The Brotherhood" sent a letter informing her parents of the abortion, to which her mother inflicted much guilt onto Egan. Upon entering an all-girl college, Egan found comfort in telling her story to her peers.
A woman named Robin Ringletta-Kottkin, who grew up in a strict Catholic household with anti-abortion beliefs, had to ultimately choose to have the procedure after an adoption agency informed her that they would not accept a bi-racial baby, since the father of the child was black. While still in college and with no way to care for and support the child, it was then that she realized society had valued some children over others, which led to her decision. Ringletta-Kottkin discussed the day of her abortion and the protesters she had to face outside the clinic. It wasn't until inside with the female physician that she felt comfortable about what she was doing. Since then, she has regretted not talking about her abortion because it had just created more shame for herself.
The goal of this documentary was to discuss this social issue with true stories of women who had to face this decision and the comfort they felt in openly dealing with their stories. The film chronicled the support women had for each other- whether it was just with their gynecologist or holding "speak outs" where women spoke to large crowds about their experiences. "When I saw women standing up for their support of abortion, I realized how little alone I was," remarked one woman who participated in pro-choice rallies.
After the film, Lisa Marie Griffiths, an instructor in the School of Nursing and a board member of NARAL, hosted an open discussion with students on their thoughts on the film and any questions they had regarding the medical procedure and social history of abortion. Some students chose to discuss their own experiences with abortion and the difficulty that came with the decision.
"The purpose is to bring awareness of women's choices and to increase acceptance in women's abortions," said Griffiths about the goals behind the event. "If we don't talk about it, it's still going to be a social stigma."
Also probably feared that her parents would yank her out of college if they found out. And I think we need to keep in mind how difficult information was to come by in the pre-Internet age. I wouldn't believe any college student today who said she could find an adoption agency willing to take a biracial baby off her hands (though she'd still have trouble finding one that could guarantee it would be promptly adopted), but 30-35 years ago, if you couldn't find something you needed in the yellow pages, you were out of options. In this woman's case, it appears that what she needed was an agency who would take her biracial baby immediately after its birth, without her parents ever finding out she'd been pregnant. That's why I don't find anything unbelievable about her story. Sure, she COULD be lying, but if she is, there are still plenty of women who werein her situation in that era who DID have the experience she described. Nobody here has any basis to be branding her a "liar".
Find me an adult that went through foster care that thinks he would be better off as an abortion victom.
I sigh with you. I am unfortunately a UConn alum too.
I recall a few years back the university was going to get a animal vaccine research center built on campus for a $1 price tag from Pfizer (a value of like $80 million) and a crew of several virology experts added to their animal science, molecular bio, and pathobiology departments. Instead, a small group of humanities students (with support from their marxist professors) protested the plan, put an enormous ammount of junk environmental science (about contaminating the rinking water supplye etc) on the radio. They got a lawyer friend to file in court. Pfizer and the university wanted to fight it but Pfizer couldn't afford ther delay to their operations. They pulled out and set up at a mid-west university with an agricultural program.
wow..lotta typos..sorry
Check out the suicide rate among teens and young adults who've spent time in the foster care system.
And find me an adult who was conceived as a result of rape, who would prefer that the rape hadn't occurred. Individual experience doesn't necessarily translate into sound public policy.
And find me an adult who was conceived as a result of rape, who would prefer that the rape hadn't occurred.
Find me any one who thinks rape should occur! What a stupid argument... Find me a child of a rape victim who thinks that they should have been aborted.
I asked you whether YOU felt that Free Republic is a conservative website or a Libertarian one. Why are you unable to answer this question directly? It involves your personal beliefs.
I asked you whether YOU felt that Free Republic is a conservative website or a Libertarian one. Why are you unable to answer this question directly? It involves your personal beliefs.
No, I find it hard to believe that "social isolation" or "rejection" would be major issues for devout Catholics. Devout Catholics are active in their parishes, and hence, find most of their social and peer groups there. Even in the early 70's there would be little sigma for the family of a biracial baby in a Catholic peer group.
Actually, I found it interesting that both of the clearly sympathetic authors of this article are men.
This was patently untrue. Any person raised in a devoutly Catholic family would have known today, 35 years ago, or 200 years ago that she could turn to a local parish priest for help without judgement. And if she were ashamed to approach one she knew, there would be others available. As important as it seems to be for you to prove otherwise, this woman is lying about something.
Countering the barrage of anti-abortion activism that pervades college campuses? Surely you jest.
You don't honestly believe that college campuses are barraged with anti-abortion activism, do you?
Now, if this event was planned as a balance to a pro-life event, you might have a point. But I don't believe that's the case.
Well said! Our rights come from God, not the government as the loony left believes. There is no God given right to kill the innocent.
Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping list...
It's true there are lots of healthy black babies in foster care, but that is because their mothers have not terminated their parental rights. In other words, those children are not currently available for adoption.
http://www.margaretsanger.blogspot.com/
So this alleged "need" for legal abortion no longer exists.
Since this was, I believe, done on a college campus, I highly doubt there is much if any anti abortion rhetoric going on.
Thanks for the ping!
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