I agree with Michele in almost all aspects of her blog post. Her responses to the readings were very similar to my own and I could relate very much to all of her thoughts on abortion. I too feel that the readings for Tuesday’s class opened my eyes to different opinions and experiences on abortions, however I still feel that my beliefs on abortion still hold very strong. I definitely believe that each woman should have the right to an abortion. At the same time, however, I believe that women also have the right to birth their child if they so choose. Therefore, I find abortion to be a very personal issue in which there is no “right” decision that follows for every individual. Some women are ready to be moms while others are not. Some women are ready to give birth, while other women are not. While I have always believed abortion to be an individual decision, these articles really opened my eyes to the faults and extremes of judgment so common in an issue that is largely no one’s business to asses except the individuals involved in conception.
Although I didn’t consider it at the time that I read Inga Muscio’s article on the “suck[y]” nature of abortions, Michele makes an interesting point, highlighting the hypocricy in the fact that Muscio condemns modern clinical abortions despite the fact that she has had two herself. I do agree that Muscio’s adamant view, arguing that “abortion sucks,” (Muscio, 112) both literally and metaphorically, is somewhat hypocritical. I believe, however, that Muscio is in a very credible position to state her opinion on clinical abortions since she herself has experienced two of them.
Muscio did not argue that women do not have the right to an abortion or that women should not have the choice whether or not they want to birth their baby. Instead, she suggested that based on personal experience, clinical abortions are extremely draining, painful, and messy compared to organic methods including “praying, massaging, tea drinking, talking, and thinking,” (Muscio, 116). She holds that clinical abortions “ruthlessly sucked” out her insides, causing difficulty walking, extreme pain, and “gaping wound[s],” (Muscio, 114). I think that while her description of clinical abortions is extremely negative and painful sounding, she has a full right to describe them as so.
Muscio juxtaposes clinical abortions with more natural methods of abortion that seem entirely less imposing, dangerous, and traumatic than clinical abortions. Personally, I never knew methods such as massage therapy and tea-drinking were effective in executing abortions. Given her experience with both methods, Muscio is definitely in a strong position to promote one method over the other. I think that if she were to judge someone for opting for a clinical abortion, that would be hypocritical. However, instead, I think that she hopes to make public her own experience for the benefit of women in her position, faced with the decision of whether or not they want a clinical abortion. Muscio suggests that there are alternate options that may be less painful and damaging.
I think that her push for greater discussion about women’s bodies and “our selves” is very important. She holds that “healing starts from within,” (Muscio, 115) and that women must concentrate on the “power within” their own circle of friends and family (Muscio, 117). Muscio urges us to establish a greater connection and understanding of ourselves. She wants us to study and examine what works for us, what hurts us, what makes us happy, what makes us feel powerful, and what makes us feel free. She suggests that if people were more aware of organic abortions, “there wouldn’t be much of an abortion debate,” (Muscio, 117). While her bias and preference toward natural abortions is definitely obvious, I think that Muscio’s larger argument for a greater inner understanding is crucial. I believe that all too often, personal abortion decisions are swayed or judged by completely uninvolved and unaware individuals. People must understand that the choice for, or against, abortion should be a personal decision, free of judgment and debate from or against others.
I also found Allison Crew’s essay very interesting, with very important messages on the topic of abortion. Like Inga Muscio, Allison Crews calls for “more information,” saying mothers need to be “supported in their choices, whatever they may be,” (Crews, 143). I fully and completely back Allison Crews on this point and could not have said it better myself. Crews recognizes and understands that the decision among abortion, birth and subsequent adoption, or birth and subsequent raising of the child is a different issue for every single woman, each of whom has very different circumstances than any other woman.
Growing up in a pro-life household, Allison Crew most definitely had opinions, probably seemingly laws as she was a child when they were first introduced to her, imposed on her constantly. She now has realized that this fight against pro-choice women that she participated in before she was even a teenager was the result of “anti-abortion points that had been burned in to [her] mind,” (Crews, 144). Before she knew herself and had any chance to examine her inner workings and opinions, Crews experienced intense opinions and judgments she didn’t even realize she had a choice in forming.
As Michele mentioned, a turning point in Crews’ life took place when she was 12, an initially regular day when she was protesting outside an abortion clinic with her mother. She witnessed a girl enter and eventually exit the clinic. Upon her exit, a man yelled at her “the blood is on your own hands! You know what you did; only God can wash the blood away,” (Crews, 144)! The pain and desperation Crews recognized in that girl’s eyes struck a chord inside her. She realized that the girl “had the right to make a choice for herself and her future without being harassed and intimidated,” (Crews, 145). Crews realized that the girl was being judged based on her age, sex, and state of reproduction (pregnant). Crews connected her thoughts and realized that this girl had the right to search inside herself and to execute a decision based on her own feelings and concepts of what is right rather than the opinions and bias of random outsiders.
I was also very interested and surprised by Crews’ story of the negative responses when she searched for “solace” in the feminist, pro-choice online community. She assumed, like I also assumed, that these women would “support [her] right to choose, support [her] right to become a mother,” (Crews, 146). She quickly realized however, that they considered abortion the only choice. Thereby, not endorsing any choice after all. Many of these women were extremely judgmental, calling her an “irresponsible teenager” (Crews, 146) despite the fact that they didn’t even know her or the personal details of her situation. These women told her that she was “responsible for the ‘backsliding of the feminist movement,” (Crews, 146), a claim I find entirely ludicrous and conceited.
I find these exclamations extremely hypocritical, naïve, and arrogant. These women fight for the choice of abortion, the right of a woman to choose to undergo a medical procedure, however they simultaneously condemn any choice other than abortion. Personally, I believe that is the “backsliding of the feminist movement.” These women reprimand and rebuke a choice that a woman has made. They scorn the research and regard with contempt Allison Crews’ attempt to make the informed, unbias, confident, and right decision for herself. I think that support for women and a recognition that the abortion decision is a personal choice is absolutely crucial in our society. How can women form a confident and assertive decision if they are constantly swayed by the opinions of those around them?
Women must experience education on the topics and opinions surrounding abortion and further, they must always be able to find a support system, no matter their decision. However, how do we create an environment, completely free of bias, on an issue so ridden with personal opinions and beliefs? Further, with an issue as important as the life of a child, how is it possible to completely remove emotion and intensity from discussions in hopes of effectively educating individuals on their options? Also, is it even realistic or effective to remove emotion from abortion discussions? Or is it naïve to assume that emotion can be removed from education and understanding since abortions/childbirth are, no matter what, emotional and absolutely life-changing?
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