NYT op-ed: Support abortion even if it’s not a “compelling story”
by Kelli
By repeating only the gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, terrifying abortion stories, we protect a lie: that abortion isn’t normal. We have learned to think of abortion with shame and fear. We have accepted the damaging idea that a person who wants an abortion must grovel before the consciences of others….
We have to stop categorizing abortions as justified or unjustified.
The best thing you can do if you support reproductive rights is to force people to realize that abortion is common, and the most common abortion is a five-to-15-minute procedure elected early in the first trimester by someone who doesn’t want to be pregnant or have a child.
It’s our job to say it’s O.K. if that’s the end of the story. It’s O.K. if it’s boring or not traumatic or if you don’t even know what it was.
The reasons, the feelings, the personal contexts — these we can also talk about, but only after we grant to each woman the right to make and do with her body what she will. Regardless of whether or not a compelling story is on offer.
~ Merritt Tierce (pictured), who has had two abortions and is the former executive director of the Texas Equal Access Fund, exhorting pro-choicers to stick to the script when it comes to discussing abortion, The New York Times, September 13
[Photo via merritttierce.com]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
If abortion is all about women’s health, having abortions should be celebrated. Instead, Merritt recommends stuffing any doubts about it’s healthy nature. You can trick your conscience or medicate it, but you can’t deceive nature.
Science is revealing more and more concerning the bonding and exchanges that occur between the pregnant woman and the young one inside of her. Something of every new life remains within the mother whether delivery is through natural or unnatural means.
Merritt says abortion is common and women have a right to think about their abortions in a common way, even though science shows that every pregnancy commonly introduces a cellular memory of every child conceived, which stays with the mother possibly forever. This cellular memory can even be found within the mothers’ brains, years after the pregnancy.
It can’t be healthy for women to ignore the health risks of denying the reality of abortion. Could it be healthy for the mother to choose to deny the reality of the existence of the cellular memory of those whom she carried, and who left cellular messages within her own body?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-discover-childrens-cells-living-in-mothers-brain/
Wow, yet another abortion advocate with a bad case of the dead eyes.
Wrong wrong wrong. Until I draw my last breath I will never support abortion. I wonder what the reasons were that shes had 2. I have tried and tried to understand why but I cant. The excuses that are the 2 most common are college and wanting out of a relationship. In other words it just isnt something I feel up to dealing with so I will abort.
And I havent even addressed breast cancer increased risk of miscarriage emotional problems and death from legal abortion. Women do kill themselves after abortion. Its just not really reported. Eh she was bonkers anyway. Ive told this story before but I shall tell it again. Susan Smith murdered her 2 children in October of 95 or 96. Cant recall. She strapped the boys into their carseats and put her car in neutral. She rolled the sleeping boys into John D. Long lake. She then ran to a home screaming “Someone just kidnapped my babies!” It was a case that stunned the nation and my kids were little at the time. Smith cried to the media with husband David crying with her. Smith pleaded “Please bring my babies back. Your mama loves you.” Little did Smith know cops already knew she was lying. It was something with the traffic lights. The light wouldnt have been red ( as Smith had claimed ) had there been a car comiing the other way. Long story short Smith confessed after police said “Susan weve known youre lying.” Smith asked the cop if she could use his gun to kill herself. He declined of course but then she asked if hed pray with her. He did. She then wrote out a confession. Smith wanted a relationship with a man who did not want children. However Ive read a book on her and Smith had had an affair with a married man as a teen. She became pregnant and he told her to abort. She made 2 suicide attempts after her abortion. PAS was unheard of back then. Perhaps had Smith had help back then this tragedy could have been prevented. But now she will. leave prison in a body bag.
“The best thing you can do if you support reproductive rights is to force people to realize that abortion is common…”
Force people to realize something? You can never *force* anyone to realize or believe or think anything, Ms Tierce.
Drinking and driving is common. So is drug abuse. Lets just accept it.
Yeah, interesting word choice Eric. Why say “force” when you could say “get” or “convince” or “make”?
I guess if it takes only 5 minutes to snuff out a life, that makes it ok?
Or if killing is common, that makes it ok?
Odd how she makes this argument that abortion doesn’t have to have a compelling story behind it and then she goes on to tell her OWN “compelling” stories about aborting her two children due to being impoverished and also due to being in an abusive relationship.
And to use her other, still living children as part of her reason for aborting? I will never understand that. I mean, animal rights advocates would balk at the idea of killing off “extra puppies” so the other puppies would have “better lives” (as opposed to simply spaying/neutering the parents beforehand, but I digress). And yet we think nothing of it when it comes to our own human children. Eh, kill off the smallest ones so the biggest ones can live better. Sure, why not.
Deep down, staunch abortion advocates KNOW that the general public – even the nominally “pro-choice” – does not typically support an abortion that was done without a “compelling” reason. Not to fit in the prom dress.
That’s why Merritt and others like her have to continually say, “It’s normal! Any reason is fine! Don’t you dare question why I do it! It’s MY body!” (How odd that would sound when referring to any other type of killing…) She’s preaching to PRO-CHOICE people here, remember.
Pro-choicers haven’t even convinced their OWN that abortion for any reason is acceptable.
Rape and child abuse is common. Cmon lets just accept it! A rape could take 15 min to a short half hour. Rape …a woman man or child is abused and scarred for life. Abortion 5 15 minutes and a baby is dead for life. But lets loosen up and just accept it.
I support reproductive rights for men and women as follows. Try a condom and if you dont want any more kids because you cant handle them then a tubal ligation takes about 20 min and nobody is killed or ask your male partner to have a vasectomy!
Still trying to “normalize” abortion after all these years and it still isn’t working . . .
Drunk driving and as Heather said rape and child abuse are common and 200 years ago it was common for people like me to live and die in slavery. How does the fact that something happens frequently make it acceptable?
And once again, for many women like myself, abortion is NOT common.
Right phillymiss…the sad part is this woman has the support of women who agree abortion is ” No biggie “!!! Im glad we can both agree it is NOT and never will be normal to kill your own child!!!
Mizz Tierce understands her situation: She has to make killing a child seem like a trivial event.
She wants abortion to seem like a million women experiencing trivial events each year.
I cant give thumbs on my phone but I give u all 10. I have to go see one of my mentally retarded patients. Home care nurse. You know the kind of folks some perfect folks believe would be better off dead.
God bless nurses!
My wife and my sister are nurses and have both done home health care. You’ve answered a good calling heather, one that affirms life.
Ty Eric….since 88:)
What is with these people? Why do they think the world needs, or even wants, to know about their abortions? Why the need to shove it down people’s throats?
Hey, you folks argued this is a “private matter” and a “painful decision” so what’s with the stupid “I Had An Abortion” T-shirts, which look particularly ridiculous on aging has been feminists with their sagging boobs and flabby arms, and whining to millions of strangers on the internet?
Thank heaven people don’t feel equally compelled to share their hemorrhoid surgeries or their laser treatments for various disgusting STDs with the rest of us.
Good Lord.
Changing the way we talk about abortion will never change what it is: a mom who kills her child. Reality, by definition, resists pretty language.
Say it straight, proaborts, and let the chips fall where they may.
Hi Mary. How right you are. I remember the chant about abortion is between a woman and her doctor! Well fine then if you and your doctor are happy about it then why not keep it to yourself and stop asking others to accept it. Ive had some plastic surgery and its between me and my doctor…lol except if people are curious I dont mind answering questions. Perhaps they would like to have some work done but my mission is not to make everyone pro plastic surgery. Also Mary on the disgusting …I HAD AN ABORTION shirts they should add a line below that says AND LIVED TO WEAR THIS DUMB SHIRT!
Dead eyes, dead conscience, dead baby.
Sounds like something we should all want to embrace .
No thank you, Ms. Tierce… I prefer LIFE!
*I noticed her use of the word “force”, too. Apparently, it’s not ok to “force” someone to carry a child to term, but it’s perfectly fine to “force” someone to accept KILLING that child -or any other*
Still with the “My body, my choice” mantra ?
Must be too DIFFICULT for them (pro-aborts) to get on the internet/read books and EDUCATE themselves to the fact that your BABY’S body is NOT your body, but a SEPARATE human being.
And 10 thumbs for Mary and Courtnay! Hmmmm funny ive never seen anyone with the abortion shirt on….not EVER! Perhaps I will find one that says I HAD PLASTIC SURGERY. nah not necesssarý :)
Say Pamela or anyone….Did any of you hear about the woman thrown off the airplane who sported a TShirt that read …Uh hem…..IF I WANTED THE GOVERNMENT IN MY UTERUS ID blank A SENATOR! These women have lost it.
You mean this one, Heather ?
http://newsok.com/gallery/articleid/3653186/1/pictures/1653589
This was in front of the (Oklahoma) State Capital during the “Personhood” debate.
This was “Senator” (I use the term loosely) Judy Eason McIntyre.
For some reason I doubt the feeling is mutual.
What lovely soft, caring eyes she has. And so wise. She has clearly stated the obvious, that for the overwhelming majority of women an abortion is a procedure which causes no negative after-effects. It’s simply another medical procedure. They find the outcome beneficial. Something abortion opponents don’t like to acknowledge.
Heather, please produce a source that states a licensed medical professional stated that the reason Susan Smith drove her poor children to drown was an abortion. Actually, please produce a source that proves she ever had an abortion. Not the National Enquired or a biased site. Otherwise, keep gossiping. You rock at it. I only hope God thinks so……..
Ummmm Tenn dont start! Get to a book store and read a book about Smith. One is called Sins Of The Mother! Its not gossip if its published in a book! Are Micheal and Alex dead or is that gossip? Did Susan drown her boys and is she doing a life sentence or is that more gossip? BTW Tenn I now know who you are.
No licensed med professional said it. I am saying it is in the book that Smith had an abortion at attempted suicide twice after the abortion. Oh thats normal isnt it? I said back in 95 PAS wasnt recognized as it is today. BUT pro aborts dont want anyone to know about PAS and that has been recognized as a severr emotional problem after abortion. They just want you to keep believing abortion is a healthy choice for all!
“Its not gossip if its published in a book!” – say what?!?
@Pamela…that must be her or the T shirt lady is a copy cat.
I found it ….i just need to figure out how to get it on site. Search engine Susan Smith abortion and tons of links pop up. Now gotta figure out how to get it on the site.
Reality/Tenn …lets go slow here for your sake. Youre just trolling for fun so I shall say it once more. Is Susan Smith in prison? Is she in there for stealing a lolipop? How did her boys die? If she did not drown them then how did they die? This is in the true story of Susan Smith. Now please show me your sources showing that this is all gossip and not fact. Go ahead ..Im waiting.
What you were challenged on heather, was your assertion that Smith did what she did because she had an abortion and that she even had an abortion. You were not challenged re her being in prison for drowning her boys. Now please show us your sources showing that this is all fact and not gossip. I expect we’ll be waiting as long as usual….forever.
>>>It is remarkable that it is so common for cells from one individual to integrate into the tissues of another distinct person. We are accustomed to thinking of ourselves as singular autonomous individuals, and these foreign cells seem to belie that notion, and suggest that most people carry remnants of other individuals. As remarkable as this may be, stunning results from a new study show that cells from other individuals are also found in the brain. In this study, male cells were found in the brains of women and had been living there, in some cases, for several decades. What impact they may have had is now only a guess, but this study revealed that these cells were less common in the brains of women who had Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting they may be related to the health of the brain.>>>
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-discover-childrens-cells-living-in-mothers-brain/
Science is continually discovering new information about the human brain. It is not for only professionals to speculate on the conclusions one may make from these scientific discoveries. Scientists aren’t generally great philosophers, though some few are. We each have gifts which we can share with others. No one is forcing anyone at gunpoint to believe or not believe in others’ conclusions here. Free country.
If Susan Smith had previous abortions, and science is saying that Alzheimer’s is related to women whose brains had NO “memory” of the children’s cells within them, it is possible that stuffing down the memory of children which were aborted could be unhealthful for the human brain.
Oh brother, look who’s demanding sources! The same person who argues that the fact he doesn’t like a source is valid enough reason why he can dispute what someone says…and not have to back it up with a source of his own.
Yet who’s the first to demand a source from others?
You should practice what you preach Reality.
Lol not tonight reality/Tenn. Ive got my facts straight. I will not play this game with you all night like last time. Run Susan Smith abortion through your search engine or buy one of the many books about her. It pops up in seconds but youre more into trolling than facts so youre a waste of time. Is Andrea Yates in prison for drowning her kids? Its in a book about her. Is that true or gossip? If it isnt true please expound on how the kids died.
Oh Mary thank God for you!!! You are a life saver!!!
Your claim is false Mary, I have not argued that the fact I may not like a source is valid enough reason for me to dispute what someone says. I argued that a source which is blatantly invalid demonstrates nothing and requires no counter.
Now what is it about this particular scenario that you struggle with Mary? heather intimated that Smith had had an abortion and that contributed to what she did. She was justifiably asked to provide a valid source for this. heather then claimed that ‘its not gossip if its published in a book’. If she provides a valid source – if such exists – which supports what she alludes to then yes, it might be necessary to find a valid source to counter it – if such exists. You should do a bit more practice and a little less preaching.
Sure Reality sure, whatever you say.
No need to get your undies in a twist.
“not tonight reality/Tenn” – not ever, same as usual.
“Ive got my facts straight” – you are repeating gossip.
“I will not play this game with” – we can only hope.
“Run Susan Smith abortion through your search engine…..It pops up in seconds” – then show us.
“but youre more into trolling than facts so youre a waste of time” – asking for a source to support what you claim is not trolling.
“Is Andrea Yates in prison for drowning her kids? Its in a book about her. Is that true or gossip? If it isnt true please expound on how the kids died” – again you demonstrate your evasion of what you have been challenged on.
Wow, snappy comeback Mary.
No reality youre just like a cat chasing its tail. You have zero interest in facts. You just try to drive pro life ppl nuts. Why are you hear? Seriously? Why? Did Andrea Yates have a doctor tell her husband to stop impregnating her because she was mentally ill? Indeed. Well Rusty didnt listen and now look at whats happened. Its in all of the books written about Yates. 5 dead kids. Must be gossip unless you know something I dont. Please share!
“You have zero interest in facts” – au contraire, that is why I ask for them. You consistently fail to provide them.
“You just try to drive pro life ppl nuts” – not at all, I am here to expose fallacies and misrepresentations.
“Why are you hear?” – because I have ears.
“Did Andrea Yates have a doctor tell her husband to stop impregnating….Rusty didnt listen and now look at whats happened” – and again you totally ignore what you have actually been challenged about. Why is that?
“Its in all of the books…..Must be gossip unless you know something I don’t” – maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But your claim that ‘its not gossip if its published in a book’ is extraordinary.
@DocKimble…Susan Smith had one abortion and attempted suicide after that abortion! She tried to OD on pills after a fling with a married man. Since PAS is so recognized today Im simply saying that it wasnt at all back then. We will never know if this tragedy could have been prevented had Smith received help for PAS. She was very emotionally unstable. Did she ever recover from her abortion? She went on to marry David Smith and gave birth to 2 sons. She begann an affair with a man named Tom Findley. He cared for Susan but broke up with her in a Dear John letter. He didnt want a ready made family. Susan was crushed and although she had other options she chose to kill the boys. Her original plan was to die with them. I remember not wanting to watch the tow truck pull her Mazda out of the lake. It was heartbreaking.
A very severe case of the dead eyes.
“Susan Smith had one abortion and attempted suicide after that abortion! She tried to OD on pills after a fling with a married man” – and what is your valid source for this?
Lovely eyes. Deep and thoughtful.
Why are you here? Run Susan Sith abortion through your search engine. I WIN. Im going to bed.
Why are you here? If you think that making claims without providing valid sources and ignoring requests to do so is a win, good luck to you. Not much of a prize though.
Meanwhile Michelle is telling school kids what to eat, smokers are being hounded from health care jobs and elsewhere, the size of soda is being regulated, Vicodin is a C II drug now, a kid can’t wear a “virginity rocks” T shirt to school, and this lady wants abortion 100 percent unregulated.
Yep, things are upside down.
“A very severe case of the dead eyes.”
I concur.
Such wise eyes.
Dead eyes and if she smiled her face might crack.
Reality I did find an article about Susan Smith confessing to killing her 2 boys. She bought up her abortion during that confession. Why? It didnt matter… that blob of tissue. Imo and I am a nurse so I guess I could be a medical expert. PAS may have contributed to Smiths deranged mental status. You will be eating crow soon but I tend to forget although you demand sources they are never good enough for you.
“You will be eating crow soon” – that’d be a bit difficult given you never serve anything up.
“but I tend to forget although you demand sources they are never good enough for you.” – says she who has never provided any.
Well Rusty didnt listen and now look at whats happened. Its in all of the books written about Yates. 5 dead kids. Must be gossip unless you know something I dont.
Apparently you don’t know that Andrea Yates’s medical records were entered as evidence in her trials. Or possibly you don’t know that medical records are not gossip.
Lisa C you ate way LATE to this conversation. I am a nurse and reality says the books I read are gossip. So please dont get involved unless you know the full story. No HIPPA violation if its in a book…duh!
I said no such thing heather. Maybe one day you’ll get your facts right.
Lisa C you ate way LATE to this conversation
Heather, you’re carrying out this conversation on a public message board. People who are not conversing can still watch the conversation unfold in real time, and even go back and read it later.
No HIPPA violation if its in a book
I didn’t say anything about HIPAA. I corrected your bizarre delusion that information about Andrea Yates’s medical history is not gossip because it is written in a book. That is wrong. The reason it is not gossip is that her medical records were released to the public during her trials. If all we knew about her medical records were unverified rumors, then that would still be gossip. Even if it were in a book.
Incidentally, if a hospital or physician had revealed confidential medical information to an author, then the hospital or physician would be in violation of HIPAA. “It was for a book!” would not be an excuse.
…duh!
When it comes to you, Heather, there just aren’t enough “duhs” in the world.
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[…] For instance, excusing abortions for rape and incest is bad. To do so is to say some abortions are justifiable, some are not. According to post-abortive Merritt Tierce in a New York Times op ed: […]
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