Starting a dialogue over abortion issue
Dear editor,
Two Saturday evenings ago, I attended the Place of Hope fundraising event headlined by Rockdale native, Abby Brannan Johnson.
I was invited to attend by a friend, and I will begin this letter by telling readers what I told my friend.
I am a strong voice for pro-choice, but I am also a fierce advocate of engaging in (often) uncomfortable dialogue in order to find common ground.
So, it is in that spirit I write this letter.
Although I disagree with much of what was spoken at the event and I encourage all in attendance to do some fact-checking, there are two areas I would offer as bridges between the pro-life and pro-choice movements.
The first is that both groups are motivated by the desire to help women.
While much of the program on Saturday focused on the “abortion industry” and Planned Parenthood, I would point out that only 3 to 12 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services are abortion-related, depending on your source of information.
That leaves nearly 90 percent or more of funds being used for services related to other areas of women’s (and men’s) health.
On the pro-life side, according to their website, “Place of Hope provides a safe and confidential place for women to come get help and love in a caring environment,” using their resource center “for informing those with an unplanned pregnancy of options and help available to them.”
Both organizations, through their stated purposes and actions, are working to provide support and services for women who desperately need them.
Another area in which I believe people in the pro-choice and pro-life debates can find common ground is in the need for compassion. Mrs. Johnson emphatically chastised Christians for “pushing” women into abortion clinics implying that shaming women with unplanned pregnancies needs to stop.
On this, we agree.
An unplanned pregnancy should not condemn a woman for life.
Every person deserves love, help and kindness, regardless of their circumstance.
In conclusion, I want to state clearly my belief that because a person declares herself “pro-choice,” it does not make her “anti-life.”
That is a false dichotomy and my hope is that by sharing this letter, more of us will engage in uncomfortable conversations that may lead to empathy and shared understandings.
Dell P. Giles, Ph.D.
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