Since I could not talk to anyone in person today, I decided to start some research and what I found today is actually very upsetting. I typed in “London Ontario + abortion” for Google, and the first link to show was for Birthright (www.birthright.org). The website advertises this group’s services as “We are here to help you in making a decision about your pregnancy” and “We want you to know the many options available to you.” They also claim to offer “Non-judgmental and caring advice.” The website also says “Birthright is a fully independent organization, not affiliated with any church or public agency.” All this sounds really good as they offer a 24 hour helpline for pregnant girls. HOWEVER, when I called the helpline and made sure to immediately inform the woman that I was not in crisis and did not want to tie up a line that someone else may need, I asked if there was another line I could call for some answers for an assignment, the woman gave me the number to a Right to Life clinic.
Right to Life (http://www.right2life.ca/
) is an organization devoted to criminalizing abortion and is the group that organizes the "Life Chain" which is the anti-abortion protesters. Maybe, I am missing something, but if a group claims to not be affilatted with any church or public agency, how can they give me this number?? Furthermore, when you look into the Birthright website, under services they provide, it quickly becomes obvious which way their counsellors are likely to push these girls towards. They provide "maternity and baby clothes", as well as information on "prenatal development", "adoption", and "pregnancy and childbirth." Nowhere is abortion even mentioned on this website.
4 comments:
To be fair, with a name like "Birthright" did you really expect to find a fair representation of both sides of the argument? It's pretty unabashedly pro-life in sound, and evidently in sentiment too.
The fact that they claim to be unaffiliated and non-judgmental is pretty ridiculous, given their obvious leanings. One would hope that the name would give the caller an idea of what to expect from the other end, but clearly that isn't necessarily the case every time.
I'm pretty uncomfortable with the idea that anyone calling a crisis line in those circumstance could end up talking to people with such a clear agenda. The whole idea of a help line is built around providing a sympathetic and objective voice, a sounding board to allow the caller to work through their thoughts and try and come to a decision. Once you start throwing personal politics into the mix on the receiving end then it's not a help line, it's a guide to a stated objective.
Do they claim to be non-directional? It's slippery and conniving semantics to allude to neutrality by saying they're not affiliated by a church. Really turns the personal issues faced by the callers into a numbers game. The whole argument between pro-choice and pro-life so often gets broken down to statistics, which allows the callous kind of talk you can hear from both sides about something so... Important. It's the only word that comes to mind right now.
Every group, whether, pro abortion or pro choice, is going to try and put a spin onto everything they say in order to make it look like the best idea. I don't blame them. It is up to us, individuals in society, to be responsible enough to be educated on what we are seeing in our world and know how to look past those spin words and make an informed decision for ourselves as to what we believe is moral and right. Abortion is essentially killing a life, but so is giving birth to a child who will live in poverty and in a terrible environment. Obviously the best option to satisfy both sides (in my opinion) would be to accept the responsibility of getting pregnant and bringing the baby to full term and then giving it up for adoption if they, themselves cannot adequately care for the child. There are many people out there trying to have kids and they can't so adoption is their last hope of having a family. It is extremely selfish for a girl to think that she can just erase her actions if she gets pregnant by having an abortion.
All in all, both sides of the abortion issue have vaild points and there is no need for people to be hlding protest signs with mangled fetuses or for anyone to feel threatened, but the main issue is that there are lives on the line and that all life should be treated with respect.
I wrote the first comment to this post, and I just want to quickly comment on the second response:
"Abortion is essentially killing a life, but so is giving birth to a child who will live in poverty and in a terrible environment."
Whoever wrote this, congratulations. This could easily turn out to be the most offensive thing you will write in your entire life. Gotta love the internet.
Every group is not necessarily going to put a "spin" on everything they say, it is entirely possible to be non-judgmental and non-directional and if a helpline advertises itself as such it should train its volunteers accordingly. Callers have the right to expect that they can call in for support without being judged and told what to do (if that is how the line is advertised). As for the rest of your comment, I have a couple of responses:
"Abortion is essentially killing a life, but so is giving birth to a child who will live in poverty and in a terrible environment."- Abortion is not "essentially" killing a life, there are varying opinions on this issue, depending on where you consider life as beginning. As well, going off what the previous poster has pointed out, I think that there might be a few (million) people born into poverty who would be a bit offended by the idea that they might as well be dead.
"Obviously the best option to satisfy both sides (in my opinion) would be to accept the responsibility of getting pregnant and bringing the baby to full term and then giving it up for adoption if they, themselves cannot adequately care for the child."- Uhh nooo, this does not satisfy both sides, unless by both sides you mean the pro-lifers. The issue is not whether or not a woman is able to care for a child, but whether or not she has control over her own body. Reproductive rights are basic human rights that should be afforded to all women, it is up to the individual to decide whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term, and any moral concerns are her business.
"It is extremely selfish for a girl to think that she can just erase her actions if she gets pregnant by having an abortion."- Her actions? Since when is getting pregnant solely the girl's responsibility, and since when are girls the only party who want abortions?
Maybe give your comments a bit more (as in any) thought next time.
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