PRO-WOMAN ANSWERS TO PRO-CHOICE QUESTIONS™
From: "Serrin M. Foster"
For over a decade, I have been fielding hard questions. Even before I joined Feminists for Life, people couldn't accept that I was both pro-woman and pro-life.
It is so easy to get caught up in unproductive arguments that pit women against children. This week at the University of Delaware I was asked how we can work with people who disagree with us about abortion. How can we not?
We must see the humanity of every person who challenges us. Look at the question from the perspective of a person who embraces “choice.” See the pain of the woman who was abandoned by those she counted on the most and was driven to abortion. Understand the well-meaning friend who offers a quick fix, not realizing that pain cannot be diminished through abortion. Grasp the embarrassment of a parent who wants to protect a daughter from a grandchild who might “ruin her life.” Feel the fear of a young man who is suddenly faced with fatherhood, and realizes that he is totally unprepared. Recognize the betrayal behind questions from those under age 33 who have never known a day without legalized abortion.
Acknowledge them while offering unwavering hope that we can work together for better outcomes for women and children.
Let's begin
Pro-Woman Answers to Pro-Choice Questions.™
Question #1
“Can you really be a feminist and pro-life?”
Yes. Feminists for Life of America continues the tradition of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other early American feminists who opposed abortion. Our efforts are shaped by the core feminist values of nondiscrimination, nonviolence and justice for all. Established in 1972, Feminists for Life is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots organization that seeks real solutions to the challenges women face.
Abortion is a reflection that we have failed women—and women have settled for less.
"When a man steals to satisfy hunger, we may safely conclude that there is something wrong in society—so when a woman destroys the life of her unborn child, it is an evidence that either by education or circumstances she has been greatly wronged."
—Mattie Brinkerhoff, The Revolution, 4(9):138-9 September 2, 1869
We insist on a world in which women have access to all nonviolent options. Think about the consequences of such a world for the workplace, schools, and society. We encourage woman-centered and parenting-friendly policies including distance learning, which allows a new mom to be with her child while continuing her education and saving on child-care costs; affordable family housing near campus; campus and workplace child care; health care plans for students and employees that include maternity coverage; telecommuting and job sharing; a living wage; and child support when one parent is absent. We have to approach this holistically.
Pro-life feminists demand that society support the unique life-giving capacity of women, so that no woman feels driven to abortion. Women deserve better.
Next week's question: What about rape?
Check out what we've done for women lately.
Help us systematically eliminate the root causes that drive women to abortion. Join our free e-list. Become a member. Support our work. Thank you!
Feminists for Life is a 501(c)3 organization.
All donations and membership contributions are tax deductible to the extent according to law.
Refuse to Choose and Women Deserve Better are registered trademarks of Feminists
for Life of America
___________________________________________________
This is the information list for Feminists for Life.
Are you a member and is your membership current?
Go to http://www.feministsforlife.org/support/index.htm and join online or donate today!
Feminists for Life - PO Box 20685 - Alexandria, VA 22320
Women deserve better than abortion,
Feminists for Life
PRO-WOMAN ANSWERS TO PRO-CHOICE QUESTIONS™
Questions #2
What about rape? What if it was your daughter who was raped?
I would love her and my grandchild unconditionally, and I would do everything in my power to prosecute the perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law.
Out of our desire to save someone from suffering, it is normal to wish we could erase a painful memory such as rape. Unfortunately, the hard truth is that as much as we want to, we can't.
Abortion doesn't erase a memory. Think about it. Could anything ever erase your memory of September 11, 2001?
At my lecture at Vanderbilt University, a medical student told other students that abortion is a second act of violence against a woman who is raped, and said her “abortion was worse than the rape.”
Both victims—the woman and her child—deserve our unconditional support.
Pregnancy can be punishing, but a child is not a punishment. When Julie Makimaa was reunited with her birthmother, Lee Ezell ("Victory Over Violence,"
http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/1998/fall/Fall98.pdf
The American Feminist, vol. 5, no. 3), Julie asked her if it would have been better for Lee if Julie was never born at all.
Lee told Julie that she was the “only good thing to come out of the rape.”
When someone asks about exceptions for rape and incest, we must also consider how that makes those feel who were conceived through sexual assault.
Well-meaning statements can hurt. As one UC-Berkeley grad student said to her pro-choice peers, “I have a right to be here.”
They responded, “We didn't mean you!” She asked, “Who did you think you meant?”
My mother told this story to a coworker who agreed and said, "People never think they are talking to an exception—like me.”
Could you look at someone conceived in violence and tell her that she never should have been born? What if it turned out to be your best friend—or a relative? Would that change the way you felt about her? Would you think less of her mother?
Rebecca Kiessling, http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/2001/winter/Winter00-01.pdf a
young attorney and mother who was conceived through sexual assault, asks “Did I deserve the death penalty?”
Can you imagine if we ranked the value of people based on the circumstances of their conception?
We don't discriminate based on parentage—that's not equality! You are valuable no matter who your parents are, no matter the circumstances of your conception.
People used to value a woman based on who her father or husband was. It is similarly medieval to value a child by the actions of her father. That way of thinking is patriarchal and antifeminist and it should have gone out with the Dark Ages.
Abortion after rape is misdirected anger. It doesn't punish the perpetrator of the crime, or prevent further assaults against other women.
FFL's priority is keeping women safe. Incarcerated sexual offenders should not be allowed pornography, barbells, and early release. We need harsh sentences for sexual assault without possibility of parole.
We need comprehensive support for rape victims who become pregnant. A convicted rapist should never have paternal rights or be able to demand visitation from “his” children while in prison. But if he has the means, he should contribute child support. If a woman is poor and cannot prove the paternity, she could have problems collecting welfare. Small employers could fire her. We need to listen to those who have had children conceived through sexual assault and work for short- and long term solutions that benefit both.
Feminists for Life is a proud supporter of the Violence Against Women Act. In fact, we were the only pro-life group active in the National Task Force on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence.
After a lecture at a midwestern university where I shared the story of Lee and Julie, a student pulled me aside. She told me that she was raped by her third cousin as a mere thirteen-year-old and had became pregnant. Her parents had helped her have the privacy she wanted during her pregnancy, and then she placed her son with two loving parents.
I asked her, why did she make the decision to have the child—when she was just a girl who had lived through what was arguably the worst of circumstances? She said she would never pass on the violence that was perpetrated against her to her own unborn child. Now that is the strength of a woman!
Because women deserve better,
Serrin M. Foster
President
Feminists for Life
www.feministsforlife.org
P.S. Next week's question: What about the life of the mother?
"Abortion is a reflection that we have not met the needs of women. Women deserve better than abortion."
REFUSE TO CHOOSE® WOMEN DESERVE BETTER®
............................................
Help us systematically eliminate the root causes that drive women to abortion. Join our free e-list. http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/register.htm
Become a member. http://www.feministsforlife.org/support/index.htm
Support our work. http://www.feministsforlife.org/support/index.htm
Thank you!
Feminists for Life is a 501(c)3 organization.
All donations and membership contributions are tax deductible to the extent according to law.
Refuse to Choose and Women Deserve Better are registered trademarks of Feminists
for Life of America
___________________________________________________
This is the information list for Feminists for Life.
Are you a member and is your membership current?
Go to http://www.feministsforlife.org/support/index.htm and join online or donate today!
Feminists for Life - PO Box 20685 - Alexandria, VA 22320
PRO-WOMAN ANSWERS TO PRO-CHOICE QUESTIONS™
What you are about to read is part of a groundbreaking e-tutorial focused on the hard questions related to abortion.
Feminists for Life is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to systematically eliminate the root causes that drive women to abortion—primarily lack of practical resources and support—through holistic, woman-centered solutions.
FFL’s president, Serrin Foster, speaks at colleges and other institutions across the U.S.
These are some of the questions she answers again and again.
For those who are just joining the e-tutorial, you may read the questions and answers from previous weeks.
This week, Serrin answers the question:
Questions #3
What about “the life of the mother”?
Since we are both pro-woman and pro-life, we refuse to choose between women and children.
Sometimes doctors advise abortion because they are unaware of other options or because they are pressured by fear of malpractice suits. We believe that physicians and other medical personnel should treat both patients and do what they can to save both lives.
This is what was done before the Roe decision was handed down.
Thankfully, medical advancements continue to save more lives. Situations in which the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother are extremely rare. Late-term abortions are never medically necessary. Emergency C-sections are often the medically appropriate response to save both mother and child. Viability at this stage of the child’s development is generally very good, especially with advances in neonatal care. Babies who weigh just under a pound are surviving!
As for first-trimester scenarios, most are to save the mother from ectopic (“out of place”) pregnancies, which typically occur in the Fallopian tube. Surgeries for ectopic pregnancies are not medically classified as abortions. Since the child has no chance of survival, and the mother can survive if the pregnancy is ended, we must do what we can to save her. To let both die would not be pro-life. At this time uterine transplants to re-implant the baby into the womb are not possible. (But if this becomes a viable option, it would have enormous ramifications for the entire abortion debate, since becoming un-pregnant would not be the same as having an abortion!)
Finally, there are issues related to mental health. While pregnancy can be a stressful experience and sometimes bring on or exacerbate depression, psychological stress should not be “treated” by abortion. Psychiatrists and psychologists need to treat mental health issues directly.
A two-year study on abortion revealed that out of 400 women who had an abortion at a Buffalo, New York, clinic, women who suffered from clinical depression were twice as likely to regret their abortion (30% versus 15%). This surprised doctors who assumed that pregnancy and motherhood would exacerbate their depression. In addition, several large studies (in Finland, Great Britain, Canada and the U.S.) indicate a link between abortion and suicide and psychiatric admissions.
Pro-life feminists are committed to protecting the lives of both women and unborn children. We call for honesty, accuracy and compassion in considering “the life of the mother”—with a focus, always, on life-affirming solutions.
Because women deserve better,
Serrin M. Foster
President
Feminists for Life
www.feministsforlife.org
P.S. Next week's question: What if she is poor and/or abandoned?
"Abortion is a reflection that we have not met the needs of women. Women deserve better than abortion."
REFUSE TO CHOOSE® WOMEN DESERVE BETTER®
............................................
NEW! Peace greeting cards just in time for the holiday season.
Help us systematically eliminate the root causes that drive women to abortion. Join our free e-list. Become a member. Support our work. Thank you!
Feminists for Life is a 501(c)3 organization. All donations and membership contributions are tax deductible to the extent according to law.
Refuse to Choose and Women Deserve Better are registered trademarks of Feminists for Life of America.
___________________________________________________
This is the information list for Feminists for Life.
Are you a member and is your membership current?
Go to http://www.feministsforlife.org/support/index.htm and join online or donate today!
Feminists for Life - PO Box 20685 - Alexandria, VA 22320
PRO-WOMAN ANSWERS TO PRO-CHOICE QUESTIONS™
What you are about to read is part of a groundbreaking e-tutorial focused on the hard questions related to abortion.
Feminists for Life is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to systematically eliminate the root causes that drive women to abortion—primarily lack of practical resources and support—through holistic, woman-centered solutions.
FFL’s president, Serrin Foster, speaks at colleges and other institutions across the U.S.
These are some of the questions she answers again and again.
For those who are just joining the e-tutorial, you may read the questions and answers from previous weeks.
This week, Serrin answers
Question #4
What if her partner, friends or family have abandoned her?
Or what if she is poor?
Lack of support often coerces women into abortion. As pro-life feminists, we choose to support and empower women rather than abandon women.
A woman who is pregnant needs to know that there are perfect strangers who will care for her even if the people she counts on the most have let her down. She needs information about child support laws that prohibit coercion by the father either by physical force or by threats to withhold child support.
Universities should support marital and single parenting choices as well as adoption options.
Feminists for Life’s College Outreach Program focuses on resources—housing, child care, maternity coverage in student health care, telecommuting options, financial aid, etc.—so women aren't forced to choose between sacrificing their education or career and sacrificing their children.
We do not eliminate poverty by eliminating poor women’s children. It is degrading to poor women to expect or imply that their children aren't welcome. We believe that poor women deserve the same support and life-affirming alternatives as wealthy women.
A woman who is pregnant needs to know that there are pregnancy care centers listed in the “abortion alternatives” section of the yellow pages that provide direct assistance and coordinate public and private assistance.
Abortion is not an enriching experience. An abortion won't get a woman a better job or get her out of a bad (for example, abusive) situation.
And what has Feminists for Life done?
Feminists for Life has worked to prevent the coercion of women into unwanted abortions. FFL consulted on the groundbreaking Coercive Abortion Prevention Act introduced by Michigan women legislators in 2006. The five-bill package identifies very specific forms of coercion, from financial threats to physical violence, which could result in jail time and/or fines.
FFL has done other work to prevent coerced abortions due to threats to withhold child support, instead encouraging the active support of fathers in the lives of their children.
FFL has sought to educate women and men regarding the rights and responsibilities of fathers. And FFL was the only pro-life group to successfully advocate for the Enhanced Child Support Enforcement Act of 1996, which will help streamline the collection and distribution of child support, establish uniform laws governing interstate child support cases, and expand penalties for child support delinquency.
Since 1994, Feminists for Life has led the revolution on campus to meet the needs of college-age women, who have the highest rate of abortion, and redirect the debate towards action for women.
FFL hosted the first-ever FFL Pregnancy Resource Forum in 1997 and developed creative tools to evaluate and spark discussion about the lack of services for pregnant and parenting students, including FFL's Pregnancy Resource Survey,SM resulting in concrete improvements on top campuses across the country.
FFL has also helped to introduce legislation to put into hyper-drive pro-woman solutions on campus. FFL worked to introduce the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act (2005-06), which, if passed, would provide $10 million in grants to 200 colleges and universities for annual pregnancy and parenting resource forums and a central office to coordinate and promote ongoing resources and support on and off campus.
And on the anniversary of Susan B. Anthony’s birth in 2006, FFL held the first-ever Capitol Hill briefing on the needs of 4.5 million parenting students, and millions of students who become pregnant and need resources and support for marital and single parenting choices and various adoption options.
Feminists for Life also works for low-income women. FFL was the only pro-life group active in a unique coalition of women's groups to successfully fight child exclusion provisions in welfare reform. (The “family cap” was later tested on poor women and teens in New Jersey and proven to significantly increase abortions.) And FFL was the only pro-life and women's group to actively champion the New York state model program to help working poor pregnant women receive prenatal care through the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Because women deserve better,
Serrin M. Foster
President
Feminists for Life
www.feministsforlife.org
P.S. Next week's question: What if she just doesn’t want it?
"Abortion is a reflection that we have not met the needs of women. Women deserve better than abortion."
REFUSE TO CHOOSE® WOMEN DESERVE BETTER®
............................................
NEW! Peace greeting cards just in time for the holiday season.
Help us systematically eliminate the root causes that drive women to abortion. Join our free e-list. Become a member. Support our work. Thank you!
Feminists for Life is a 501(c)3 organization.
All donations and membership contributions are tax deductible to the extent according to law.
Refuse to Choose and Women Deserve Better are registered trademarks of Feminists for Life of America.
___________________________________________________
This is the information list for Feminists for Life.
Are you a member and is your membership current?
Go to http://www.feministsforlife.org/support/index.htm and join online or donate today!
Feminists for Life - PO Box 20685 - Alexandria, VA 22320
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