An analysis by Amanda Marcotte on choice and shame

Good read.

Here's an exerpt:

"But my shoulders really start to tense up when I hear, 'I'm pro-choice, but ... .' What follows that 'but' is 99 percent guaranteed to be egregiously sexist, a suggestion that huge numbers of women wait eight months and abort for the hell of it or that women prefer to have their uteruses vacuumed out instead of taking a pill or that you should feel ashamed—or at least act like it. And that's what I got off this guilt-tripping 'I'm pro-choice, but ... ' whine written by Mary Ann Sorrentino. "

My thoughts

At center is the the idea of women who have had abortions speaking out. I believe women who choose to do this should be encouraged through whatever medium they choose. This is their coming out. I never want women to be pressured to speak about her experience, but if she chooses to, she should be encouraged because the absence of these real stories is what allows stereotypes and anti-choice testimonies by "women who regret" to become the primary definers of the abortion experience. I accept that there are women who regret, and I am still learning about how large their numbers are. I believe these women, like all women, should seek the counselors that are best for them as individuals, if they choose to have counselors.

I simply wish that these women gave other women the same acceptance for their personal choices and experiences, even if they don't agree or approve of them. What do you think "pro-choice" stands for?

To learn more about the stories of women who don't regret, see I'm Not Sorry. I should say that this group alone is still not representative of the entire abortion experience, though I suspect more women belong to the "no regret" group than the "regret" group (I don't mean these website's numbers, I mean the general society of women of the abortion experience). I do remember a site that tries to include a broad range of many types of abortion experiences. I'll get that link later in an update.