I don’t care if you’re pro-life or pro-choice

Wherever you stand on abortion itself, it is wrong to force doctors to perform abortions.  The hypocrisy of those “pro-choice” groups who would take deny a physician’s right of conscience is just sickening.  And yet that is exactly what Obama is considering.

“But abortion is legal,” you say.  So is capital punishment, but there would be a huge outcry if doctors couldn’t refuse to administer an execution.  And while other federal legislation may theoretically preserve the right of conscience, that legislation is weak and poorly enforced.  Even Obama’s Health and Human Services administrator admits that “there might be a need to clarify existing laws.”  Unlike the other federal laws, the Bush clause also ensures that taxpayer money will not go to hospitals and clinics that violate physician conscience.

I have my own theory about why “pro-choice” groups want to take away physician choice; fewer and fewer medical students are entering the abortion practice.  They want conscripted service.  If that’s the case, they can go to hell.  My pre-med friends are working incredibly hard because they know that one day, they can save lives.  The abortion lobby has no right to deny a doctor’s life-giving call by forcing them to destroy life.

P.S.- I was discussing this with a pro-choice friend on facebook, who is concerned about the patient’s right to health care.  The Justice Party does agree that health care reform is in order.  But I don’t think that the right to health care extends so far as to be able to demand an aboriton from any ob/gyn.  The analogy I gave was this: I plan to become an adoption lawyer.  That puts me in the broader category of family law, which also includes divorce.  But no client can make me do his or her divorce, even though we all have the right to legal representation.  Similarly, if someone becomes an ob/gyn in order to treat STDs, or infertility, or whatever, that person can’t then be forced to do abortions just because it falls under the broader umbrella of medical services sought by women.

Chimpanzee Mauls Owner

A Connecticut chimp has been shot dead after seriously wounding his owner.  There was no apparent provocation for his attack.  I don’t want to sound callous, but this just underscores the fact that chimpanzees should not be pets.  I understand that he was already domesticated, but I’m sure that plenty of qualified zoos would have been happy to take him.  This tragedy was 100% preventable.

Politics and Religion: Touchy Subject, I Know

As I mentioned in my last post, there was one thing that bugged me (and the rest of my group) about the SFLA conference.  It was the implicit assumption that everyone in attendance was at least Christian, and probably Catholic.

I’m not saying that this assumption was necessarily wrong.  After all, it’s fairly easy for pro-life student groups at Catholic schools to thrive and get the funding to go to the conference, compared to secular liberal arts colleges like mine.  But I can’t help but wonder how many non-Christians are not in attendence due to pro-life leadership re-enforcing the stereotype of itself as basically synonymous with the “religious right.”  During dinner, my friend Emma summed up the problem succinctly- she had a great time, but if she weren’t Christian, the conference would have really turned her off.

The problem came up in the break-off session on recruitment, when someone asked about bringing in non-Christians.  The presenter gave the example of “one club that’s hosting a gay pro-life group, if you’re comfortable with that.”  (That club is ours.)  So they were open to the idea.  But in the opening and closing ceremonies, the conference took on a decidedly religious tone, with inspiring stories of being called to pray for forty days outside an abortion clinic, and to remember that with God all things are possible.

The late Tom Sena- a Christian, and former president of the gay pro-life group we’re hosting in April- wrote:

But abortion proponents, not to mention the media, have seized on our pervasive Christian religiosity with delight. It hands them, gratis, innumerable chances to assert: “They’re trying to ram their religion down your throats!” Why shouldn’t the undecided believe them, when that is exactly how it appears? We ourselves have made this possible, and we have only ourselves to blame.

To make a long story short, I have been giving thought to starting my own non-profit to address this issue.  It probably won’t get started up until this summer, but I want to share my ideas and see what you think.  It will be called Pro-Life Union for Secularity, or PLUS.

First and foremost, it will exist to promote secular pro-life arguments.  It will not be anti-religion, but it will not allow religious ideas to mesh with medical and legal ones.  It will produce literature, make the secular pro-life voice heard in the media, and perhaps someday open a chain of pregnancy clinics.  It will promote research to create a PASS recovery program that is neither pro-abortion propoganda nor a Bible study, which are the only things really available right now.

My biggest concern is that some Christian ethicists may say that, when faced with a woman or family in crisis, not sharing the power of the Gospel is wrong.  I’m not sure where I personally stand on that.  What I do know is that we need the support of people from every (and no) religious background in order to make abortion unthinkable in the United States and around the world.

White House 2

Just a quick post encouraging you to check out White House 2, a community where you can endorse/oppose political priorities and track their progress.  Registration is free.  I’ll post again when I get back from D.C., and I’ll have lots of pictures!

National Day of Service

This Monday, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Obamas invite you to honor MLK’s vision by volunteering in your community.  Their website lists a number of great volunteer opportunities.  Of course, you need not limit yourself to the events listed.  Some other ideas:

• Do your spring cleaning early this year and make a donation to Goodwill or Salvation Army.
• Give money to a local student organization, especially one that is just starting up (like this one).  I’ve been there, and trust me, your gift will go a long way.  It’s as easy as calling up your local high school or college department of student activities.
• Start microlending at Kiva, volunteer at your local pregnancy center, or give to any of Justice Party’s good causes.

I won’t be able to participate, as I will be getting ready for the March for Life in Washington, D.C.  This may cause me to miss a few days’ posts but I’ll be sure to give you a full report upon my return.

Planned Parenthood Indiana Update

New investigation gives pretty convincing evidence that PP of Indiana is drastically underreporting the number of abortions done at its clinics.

As my mother likes to say, “Let me put on my surprise face.”

The Latest Democracy Effort in China

The Christian Science Monitor has produced an article about the latest petition for democracy in China, Charter 08; unlike previous efforts, it is receiving support from a diverse cross-section of Chinese citizens.  CSM titled the article “Charter 08 Worries China,” although I think a more appropriate title would be “Charter 08 Worries Chinese Government” or “Charter 08 Brings Hope to China.”

I’m not naive enough to believe that this is going to be the end of China’s oppressive regime.  In fact, law enforcement is already “interrogating” (a.k.a. torturing) Charter 08 advocates.  But I was happy to read the article anyway.  Call me cheesy, but I see it as a testament to the human spirit.  No matter how often a government has shown itself willing and able to violently crush dissent, there will always be those who affirm their basic rights as human beings.  Always.  And they are the ones who will someday secure the right to life, freedom of worship, and democracy in China.

Toys, Babies, and the Meaning of Parenthood

I came across this rather bizarre article on Fark.  Apparently some women are “mothering” very realistic-looking baby dolls.

“Forty-nine-year-old Linda is married with no children of her own. Now, she says she feels like a mother because she has Reborns — dolls made to look and feel like the real thing.”

Another woman adds: “There’s no college tuition, no dirty diapers… just the good part of motherhood.”  To which Fark member Blues_x replies: “As a parent, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that having your love returned is the good part of parenthood. As opposed to, say, dressing a damned creepy inanimate object.”

I agree 100% with Blues_x.  Linda is not a mother, no matter how much she may feel like one.  Dolls are not a replacement for real babies.  I see this as just one piece of a larger phenomenon- a cultural tendency toward objectifying children.   Removing the child’s personality from the equation is not a way of making “parenthood” better.  Parenthood involves bringing up real people.  Not chattel, not “potential people.”  Babies are real people.

“Reborn” fans, if you can understand this, please consider adopting one of the many foster children who would love to receive- and return- your love.  If you can’t understand this… well, then you’d best stick to just playing house.

Happy New Year!

I resolve to:

• Post here every day
• Stop stressing
• Bring my own bag when I go shopping
• Make friends, especially in law school

Feminism and the Drive to Succeed

Last night, my boyfriend of nearly four years broke up with me.  This post is not meant to be a pity party.  But the breakup has gotten me thinking about a lot of issues, one of which I would like to share.  He said that I was “driven” and that he needed someone more “laid-back.”  Is this just him, or do most men find “driven” women unappealing?

I work hard and last semester was particularly stressful.  I’m writing a thesis, serving as the president of a student organization, and applying to law schools.  So I don’t dispute his analysis- I’m definitely driven.  Certainly this would be a nice quality to have if I were male, but being a woman, and a petite one at that, it has an unnerving effect on people.

I’m tempted to champion the feminist brigade here, to cry out that no woman should ever change herself for a man.  (This is, in fact, his view.)  But I’ve come to realize that relationships do change people, appearance does count, and that maybe I could stand to relax more.  The challenge is to act on these realizations without losing my feminist, driven identity.  I don’t know how I’ll do it, but it would be unlike me not to try.