Did I say 'line'? I meant lie.
Let me remind you of a piece that appeared in Cosmopolitan a little over a year ago.
I'm not sure that this video is as convincing as Emily thinks it is. Or, to put it another way, I know that, though she feels better every time she sees it, my own reaction is quite the opposite. Here's what I see when I view the video:
In this video, Emily talks about the 'support' she has and repeats, "I'm a lucky girl. I'm a lucky girl," as if she hopes to believe it.
But where is that support? A nurse in the clinic holding her hand. Otherwise, she's completely, totally alone. Alone in the car, alone in a claustrophobic studio, alone in front of a blank wall. And as she says in Cosmo, she has no long-term partners... "I thought I was OK." She can hook up... a guy here, a guy there... but there's no evidence that she has anyone to love, and to love her in return. Or, if she does, she's keeping them far removed from this attempt at making a 'positive' statement about abortion.
 |
| Emily Letts: "I knew that what I was going to do was right." * |
Look at her face. Not just the static image... look at her face as she animates it in the video. Look at her demeanor. Is she really OK?
And in the end, of what is she in awe...? "I can make a baby. I can make a life". Not a 'fetus'. Not 'tissue'. Even she knows it was a baby. A life. The first thing she would save from a fire is the sonogram of the child she discarded. And though she now casts people as 'hateful' for pointing out that she killed that child, honesty compels me to note that she did kill it, deliberately, convincing herself that what she was going to do was 'right'.
This isn't a positive video. It is a horrible, depressing account of what looks for all the world to be a sad and lonely girl lying to herself in a dark closet. It should be shared, with appropriate commentary.
So those are my visceral reactions to the video. But what does it mean in reference to the meme, "Nobody is pro-abortion"?
What we have here is someone who is PRO-ABORTION, who counsels others on the matter, and who claims lots of support. She argues in favor of it, with the express goal of proving that "there is such a thing as a positive abortion story" by becoming that story. We're not talking about exceptions for rape and incest. We're not talking about the fragile life or health of the mother. There was no agonizing over this at all; no real decision-making, no thought of alternatives. "I knew immediately I was going to have an abortion," says Emily. She wasn't even using birth control. Her horrifying tale is one in which abortion is a tool of first resort.
And Emily is not unique. So when someone tells you that "No one is pro-abortion," know that it is not true. It was not true when Barack Obama said it in 2008, and it's not true when you see it on Twitter or Facebook today. It's not true when it's said by those who would credit Emily Letts as a "courageous hero" for celebrating an act that is so casually destructive.
Plenty of people are pro-abortion. They just don't want you to know it.
Then again, some do. Here are examples that argue the point forcefully:
- From Valerie Tarico on Alternet: I Am Pro-Abortion, Not Just Pro-Choice: 10 Reasons Why We Must Support the Procedure and the Choice
- From Kristin Palpini on Valley Advocate: Between the Lines: Why I Am Pro-Abortion And You Should Be Too
- Do a Google search of your own.
Personally, I have far more respect for those that plainly state their position as in these examples than for those who pretend it doesn't exist. If you feel that a thing should be done even though it has the appearance of murder to so many, then you should be able to at the very least articulate why it should be done. When people are clear about their positions, then there can be a dialog. While there still may not be agreement, the level of respect will rise considerably when everyone is honest about their views.
* Still frame taken from Emily's Abortion Video on Vimeo. Reproduced here under 17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use, for the purpose of political commentary.
No comments:
Post a Comment