MAYBE YOU JUST DON'T KNOW I've had an abortion. Have you?

chicago Tribune ^ | March 16, 2006 | Emily L. Hauser

[beaversmom]

I've had an abortion. Have you?

The recent decision to ban virtually all abortions in South Dakota has generated a great deal of raucous arguing; many abortion opponents hope the new legislation will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and lead to the reversal of Roe vs. Wade. As usual, the argument suggests the existence of clear-cut opinion, the "supporting" or "opposing" of the act itself.

What is not discussed, of course, are people's hearts.

Women readers, of course, know their own answer to my question; many of their men would be surprised by it.

Many men don't know that their wives, sisters or mothers have, in fact, terminated a pregnancy. They don't know because the women they love fear their response. Will he see me differently? Will he--figuratively or literally--kill me?

So, as a nation and as individuals, we largely don't talk about it. And when we do, we're often not honest. The shadow of perceived opinion is very long. We speak publicly as if there were two clear positions--but in private, most of us know this isn't the truth.

My abortion is a thing of which I'm neither ashamed nor proud. I wish that I hadn't had to do it, but I did.

The average reader will want to know why--because most of us have a sliding scale of morality.

Even some staunch opponents will agree in cases of rape; others where there is genetic defect; a larger number, if the abortion takes place early in the first trimester; many, of course, think it's always a woman's choice.

I believe there is a vast middle ground made up of most Americans, those who feel abortion is neither irredeemably evil, nor free of moral implication. Witness polls conducted recently by the Pew Research Center: 65 percent of respondents...

[Old Sarge]

I've had an abortion. Have you?

No.

[endthematrix]

Sorry, I won't even click for full story.

[MarineBrat]

My abortion is a thing of which I'm neither ashamed nor proud. I wish that I hadn't had to do it, but I did.

Perhaps the author didn't want to miss bikini season?

[vimto]

"I wish that I hadn't had to do it, but I did".


HAD TO? clearly not it would seem.

[beaversmom]

Perhaps the author didn't want to miss bikini season?

It probably was something important like that.

[jocon307]

"Will he--figuratively or literally--kill me?"

Gee, I guess her "fetus" didn't even have the chance to worry about this, before she literally had it killed.

[Renderofveils]

The average reader will want to know why--because most of us have a sliding scale of morality

Emily's hit her problem square on, but unfortunately it's easier to not deal with than to spend time thinking about whether it's moral to kill or not.

And when we do, we're often not honest

Not a problem when you've got your "morality" on a sliding scale, eh?

[wafflehouse]

"Emily L. Hauser" can suck it.
in fact, if she had, she wouldnt have "had to" get an abortion

[Berlin_Freeper]

I don't know about women who have secret abortions, I suppose they confess their sin to God and are forgiven and carry on with their lives. But I have had women acquaintances who openly bragged about having abortions.

And yes I mean ABORTIONS as in plural.

From those people I can only surmise that the left go around bragging and taking a sense of accomplishment about having had ABORTIONS.

When are we going to read about all those sickos?

The left desperately need to invade the happy home of others, because their own lifestyle and choices have made them losers and so they need to fling crap in every direction possible. Including putting their crime on your own mother. That's how low they will go. But the real question is why do they do it? Why do they attempt to make your family secret murderers?

They reject Christ with the inherent concept of everlasting life in the hereafter, so where does that leave them? That makes them see life as a hassle, a drudgery, a sort of living hell that sweet death when it finally comes will put an end to their tormented existence.

Meanwhile people on the right who have faith in a greater purpose with more to offer after life are positive. They are the winners and carry that positive attitude with them and create things.

The left destroy things, lives and themselves. Slowly but surely they will destroy you if you hang around them long enough. They have to so that death is not the Big Ugly, but rather the final peaceful everlasting sleep of non-being, where they never have to wake up to the fact that their lives really suck. That is why they are never really happy. And that is why they should never be allowed to govern.

[carumba]

The premise that men can't get pregnant so they can't express an opinion on this matter is false. Right and wrong are not as movable as this author wants to believe. Knowing something is wrong and doing it anyway causes guilt, remorse, shame, and feelings of hopelessness. If you cannot invent a rationalization (good excuse) you will have to face the truth and the realization that poor decisions in the past have brought you to rock bottom at breakneck speed.

[papertyger]

"I wish that I hadn't had to do it, but I did".

Here is an object lesson for our discussion the other day of "how women work."

[Caesar Soze]

The recent decision to ban virtually all abortions in South Dakota has generated a great deal of raucous arguing; many abortion opponents hope the new legislation will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and lead to the reversal of Roe vs. Wade. As usual, the argument suggests the existence of clear-cut opinion, the "supporting" or "opposing" of the act itself. What is not discussed, of course, are people's hearts.

Abortion stops a heart. What else is there to know?

[beaversmom]

But I have had women acquaintances who openly bragged about having abortions.

I believe it. Back in 2000 when Yahoo had clubs, they had one on there called Abortion Celebration. You should have seen the "lovely" things they posted on that forum.

[Threepwood]

This little document is confused, self-serving slop from top to bottom.

"I ask myself: When I aborted my first pregnancy, did I kill a baby? I honestly don't think so."

I call this the "uncertainty" defense of abortion. Who knows where life begins? Some very, very helpful "feelings" say it was ok, so it has to be ok. The sad fact is though, this is an abuse of uncertainty that idiots use to protect themselves from the intellectual consequence of their actions. In this case she "honestly" doesn't believe she killed a baby.

Let me put it this way. Let's say I handed this twit a box that may or may not contain a kitten, and told her to throw it in the ocean. I suspect she would want to know for sure if the Threepwood kittenbox was empty before chucking it overboard. Barring that information, the moral decision (if you like kittens, I guess) would be to refuse to preform the task until you knew for sure. That seems reasonable to me.

However, confronted with a entity inside her own body ( which even in the most fevered circles of pro-choice world is viewed as at least a potential human) Emily decided that uncertainty of the status of this entity meant she could destroy it. Uncertainty on a binary decision works that way:either the entity inside of a pregnant woman is a human being or isn't.

Emily obviously chose "Isn't", and offers absolutely nothing to support it except her painfully earnest desire that she was correct in her assessment. In fact, she rejects the very idea that she should have even admit the possibility that she was wrong or even justify this insane gamble!

There are arguments for abortion which are more intellectually respectable, but this celebration of ignorance and abdication of personal responsibility is absolute crap. Whatever gets Emily through the night is her business, but this is nothing an intelligent person can take seriously.

Sorry to rant, but sloppy wishful thinking irritates me to no end!

[TN4Liberty]

Emily obviously chose "Isn't", and offers absolutely nothing to support it except her painfully earnest desire that she was correct in her assessment.

I want to commend you. Your point is profound and so well stated.

[RadioCirca1970]

The left LOVES this tactic, they practically invented it. They get to not only assess the argument, but they think they can determine who gets to rebut the argument based on past experiences...

"I've had an abortion, have you? Well then since you haven't you can't talk about this."

Remember this argument in the run up to the IRAQ War?
"Have you been to WAR?! Well then, since you haven't--- you can't talk about it!"

And this oldie but goodie from the hey day of Affirmative Action.
"Are you Black? No? Than you can't possibly understand discrimination and the need for Affirmative Action."

The liberals are so tiring, they wan to lock off entire areas from discussion and decide who gets to proceed..

[captain anode]

So this type of woman, who can so easily snuff the life of her own baby, can she turn on her sleeping husband on some cold night?

Sleep tight boys. If I should die before I wake...

[beaversmom]

I want to commend you. Your point is profound and so well stated.

I second that.

[SubMareener]

Here is the real kicker: "I can only function in the cold reality of my own world--and as such, I alone can judge whether my abortion was a moral choice. It wasn't easy, it wasn't happy, but it was the least-bad of two bad choices. It was moral." Emphasis added.

I wonder what other things Emily thinks are moral?