Argh. People drive me nuts sometimes.
NPR just ran a story on anti-abortion activists who are taking pictures of people walking into clinics where abortions are performed. Then they're posting those pictures on the net, as as sort of cyber scarlet letter.
My immediate reactions:
1) Do they have the people sign a release form? If not, can't they be sued for violating the right of privacy of private citizens?
2) Because these are private citizens. There is no presumption of the public's right to know if random chick from Nowheresville goes to the Planned Parenthood clinic.
3) It's no one's business.
4) It's not the same as publishing, say, pictures of men who are soliciting prostitutes. That's illegal, unless you're in Nevada. Abortion -- hell, women's health clinics! -- are legal in this country.
5) You feel one way about when life begins. I feel another way. You can't force me to agree with you, and I can't force you to agree with me. Stop trying to shame me into what I feel is a bogus moral position.
6) No one gets an abortion for fun. No one thinks "Hey, why don't I get a D&C today? Well, that or a manicure." It's probably one of the hardest decisions anyone can ever make. Why are you bent on making it that much more traumatic for someone?
7) If you are against abortion, fine. Don't have one.
8) If you want to help the unborn, be available to adopt unwanted children -- drug-addicted children, malnourished children, fetal-alcohol -syndrome children. Support women who choose to keep children, through supporting affordable health care and child care, etc.
9) If you want to eliminate abortions, support affordable, effective contraception. And plausible sex-ed in schools. (Abstinence-education alone isn't going to cut it.)
10) For that matter, hold boys and girls to the same standard when it comes to sex. Quit this "Girls who have sex are sluts/boys who have sex are cool" dichotomy. To hell with that. Tell your son to be responsible -- if he's going to be sexually active, make sure he's not even thinking about pulling that tired "like wearing a raincoat in the shower" complaint.
Look, I respect your opinion on abortion. I disagree with it. I won't force you, or your daughter, or your sister, to abort a pregnancy. Maybe I think that would be the best solution in some cases, but I won't force you to do it. Do me the favor of granting me the same respect.
I was a little -- ok, extremely -- freaked when my sister and her husband became born again. To me, that meant they'd immediately become rabid intolerant assholes. It didn't happen. They try to live exemplary lives, but that doesn't mean they spend all their time concentrating on what everyone else is doing wrong. We've talked about it -- they're anti-abortion but pro-choice. In other words, they would prefer it if abortions didn't happen, they would never have an abortion themselves, but they don't presume to tell me that I can't have one. I respect that. Why can't you photo-taking intolerant bigots grant me the same courtesy?
NPR just ran a story on anti-abortion activists who are taking pictures of people walking into clinics where abortions are performed. Then they're posting those pictures on the net, as as sort of cyber scarlet letter.
My immediate reactions:
1) Do they have the people sign a release form? If not, can't they be sued for violating the right of privacy of private citizens?
2) Because these are private citizens. There is no presumption of the public's right to know if random chick from Nowheresville goes to the Planned Parenthood clinic.
3) It's no one's business.
4) It's not the same as publishing, say, pictures of men who are soliciting prostitutes. That's illegal, unless you're in Nevada. Abortion -- hell, women's health clinics! -- are legal in this country.
5) You feel one way about when life begins. I feel another way. You can't force me to agree with you, and I can't force you to agree with me. Stop trying to shame me into what I feel is a bogus moral position.
6) No one gets an abortion for fun. No one thinks "Hey, why don't I get a D&C today? Well, that or a manicure." It's probably one of the hardest decisions anyone can ever make. Why are you bent on making it that much more traumatic for someone?
7) If you are against abortion, fine. Don't have one.
8) If you want to help the unborn, be available to adopt unwanted children -- drug-addicted children, malnourished children, fetal-alcohol -syndrome children. Support women who choose to keep children, through supporting affordable health care and child care, etc.
9) If you want to eliminate abortions, support affordable, effective contraception. And plausible sex-ed in schools. (Abstinence-education alone isn't going to cut it.)
10) For that matter, hold boys and girls to the same standard when it comes to sex. Quit this "Girls who have sex are sluts/boys who have sex are cool" dichotomy. To hell with that. Tell your son to be responsible -- if he's going to be sexually active, make sure he's not even thinking about pulling that tired "like wearing a raincoat in the shower" complaint.
Look, I respect your opinion on abortion. I disagree with it. I won't force you, or your daughter, or your sister, to abort a pregnancy. Maybe I think that would be the best solution in some cases, but I won't force you to do it. Do me the favor of granting me the same respect.
I was a little -- ok, extremely -- freaked when my sister and her husband became born again. To me, that meant they'd immediately become rabid intolerant assholes. It didn't happen. They try to live exemplary lives, but that doesn't mean they spend all their time concentrating on what everyone else is doing wrong. We've talked about it -- they're anti-abortion but pro-choice. In other words, they would prefer it if abortions didn't happen, they would never have an abortion themselves, but they don't presume to tell me that I can't have one. I respect that. Why can't you photo-taking intolerant bigots grant me the same courtesy?
posted by SAJ at
6:05 PM
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