I didn’t care for the “tone” of that video. It seemed intent on scoring points. What I saw was a woman who is in a lot of spiritual pain lashing out. I hope everyone who sees that video says a prayer for her.

Wow…cool. I have a pro-abort relative in Seattle with 2 bored daughters…that could hav been her: )

Im very blessed to live in the vicinity of the 2 dudes who run 40DFL and I get to see them and their beautiful families at daily Mass and local events. They are the real deal.

I agree with Katherine Radclife.  We need more folks to pray for our confused brothers and sisters.  Our God is their God to.

Incidents like this reinforce my belief that we NEED these prayers and protests for life.  Women and men who are in pain need our prayers so they can come to terms with the affect abortion has had in their lives so they can begin healing.  To hide the truth because of the pain it causes is to allow the pain to continue - and be passed on.

Mike McCant, aka John Smith, why the name change? Have you been banned under the other name? The sheer illogic of your responses, as well as the tired, “Hilarious” response, kind of gives you away.

Any time we can be out there showing our support for the sanctity of human life is a good day. God bless all the people who are participating in 40 Hours

@Joanna - yes seems like “hilarious” is back using a pseudonym of which he has many.

Mark, was the swipe at the counter-protesters’ fashion statement really necessary? Comes across as awfully “Mean Girls.” Their attractiveness, or lack thereof, in no way impacts the validity—or lack thereof—of their message.

When the sperm and ova comes together it begins to grow into a baby.
When the baby is born it begins to grow into a young child, adult, then elderly person.  Life begins in the womb, no doubt about that.

The Commandment of God says “Thou shalt not kill”
That pertains to babies in the womb [or as the medical world calls it “fetus”] and it also pertains to sharia law.

This country is based on Judea/Christian Principles, which means NO ABORTIONS AND NO SHARIA LAW. 

It cannot be much simpler than that, to understand.

Alexis,

Mark isn’t necessarily bagging on the fashion accessories of the pro-aborts.  He’s highlighting the obvious and consistent correlation of the most die-hard pro-aborts with their age and political ideology (as can be generally determined by their dress, their wrinkles, and their silver hair).  They are proud, ageing hippies… the remnant of the 60s that is desparate to cling to the narcissistic culture of unbridaled sexual activity they created and make sure that it remains intact for the future generations (which, ironically, was on the other side of the street).

the future generations (which, ironically, was on the other side of the street) 

It’s SO Darwinian.  They are the children who were not aborted.

I think that what the author here, and some of the commenters too, miss is that when someone has an abortion it is because the pregnancy and the prospective baby represents a CRISIS. I would position myself as largely pro-choice but I would have a hard time going to a clinic to protest since it would put me in the position of exacerbating someone’s crisis moment for my own political ends.

I would like for the record to say for the record that people who would like to stop abortion would be more effective if they addressed the real hardships that many pregnant women and mothers and families face. If you would focus on the other matters that predate a pregnancy or the issues that plague families (not just symptoms, like divorce), there would probably be less of a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness for such a large number of pregnant women.

I have had a (wanted but) crisis pregnancy myself, which was not aborted (because I can recognize my own ability to overcome a very hard time), but the stress actually resulted in an extremely pre-term labour, and the baby’s death. Stress and worry are powerfully destructive. And I happen to be a very enthusiastic mother, currently pregnant again in a non-crisis time. It seems that some of the commentary in the blogs and generally in the community protesting abortion fails to recognize that the problem they/ you are facing is a human problem, and that people (read: pregnant women) need help that is real and consistent and easy to accept. The difference between a crisis pregnancy and a smooth one probably represents an insurmountable imaginative gap for people who haven’t experienced it, but I think that if you put as much effort into trying to ‘get’ that, and to brainstorm about how to offer solutions to problems that make the pregnancy a crisis, you’d do more good.

Many years ago I read a book called “Beyond Pro-Life and Pro-Choice” by Kathy Rudy, which was helpful in sorting out some of my thoughts on the subject. I do recommend it.

I passed by that clinic on my way to and from work for 13 years and never would have dreamed that a troop of Seattle bicyclists would actually be cheering pro life demonstrators on that spot within my lifetime. My impression was that the bicycle enthusiasts tended to come from the more liberal element in town, including the Fremonters. The times definitely are a-changing.

KHoward - and your proof that pro-lifers don’t care about women in crisis is….?

Here are two resources for your edification:

http://littlecatholicbubble.blogspot.com/2011/03/pro-lifers-love-fetus-but-they-dont.html

and

http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/06/disproving-the-abortion-lie-pro-lifers-dont-care-after-birth/

Just a heads up, there is another Seattle Clinic Defense vs. 40 Days for Life “protest” on Saturday, November 5th from 12-2pm.

KHoward, I think I’ve seen you here before and got the impression you were a very reasonable commenter.  However, you make two assumptions I’d like to challenge:
1) people who protest at abortion clinics (on either side, to be fair) are there primarily for self-serving political reasons, and
2) nothing is being done to address real hardships
-
I can’t speak for other locales, but our 40 Days location is directly between the abortion clinic and a pro-life crisis pregnancy center.  They literally couldn’t be much more than 500 feet apart.  In the latter you can get a free ultrasound, and they have another location (where I have been volunteering) where they keep all the clothing and miscellaneous supplies of every kind.  The clothing goes up to older kids’ sizes which indicates to me that either these women are welcome there for the long term, or that older siblings are cared for, or both.  They can help a person get medical care, get education, get a job, get out of an abusive situation…you name it. 
Then there is a serious issue at the abortion clinic, which is that young girls are often just left standing by themselves afterward.  They get a security escort to protect them from us loonies (lol!), but he doesn’t stick around long to see that they actually get picked up.  You’d think they would want to go above and beyond to prove something, but I guess not…one lady remarked that she has had to run to the aid of girls who have passed out on the sidewalk.  Of all the people I have met there, I don’t believe there is one whose thinking goes, “I will win this philosophical argument at all costs.”  They seem to be pretty well aware that the issue is a human issue.

Thanks for your response enness.                                                                                          To your points:
1. Most people who are pro-choice do not identify as such because they think that abortion is a good or admirable or desireable thing. It is a position that is taken because other options are worse. For example, desperate women obtaining abortions in medically dangerous circumstances. I think here that someone might bring up potential side-effects of abortion, but I mean un-hygenic circumstances by shady practitioners etc.
    The ONLY reason I could imagine finding myself protesting for choice outside an abortion clinic would be to lend numbers to a political fight. As you might note in Mr. Shea’s piece, the issue of the ‘numbers’ of protesters on either side was a cause for satisfaction. I feel like that would be an abuse of the women who were using the clinic’s services.
2. The question of addressing hardships is a cultural one as well as a material one. When someone has already decided on abortion it’s really too late. Is the culture family-friendly? Do people have the emotional resources to support a child? Are people making good sexual and relationships decisions? Are people suffering from depression or alcoholism or other chronic problems given assistance when their problems become acute?
    Think of this: lots of people who get pregnant (happily, under excellent circumstances) find that the actual pregnancy represents a wake-up call to pull certain parts of their lives together. I am the same person I was before I had a child, and I had the benefit of years of experience as a sister, a babysitter and nanny and as a step-mother to alert me to the seriousness of the responsibility that I was taking on (in addition to the joys etc). But when I had my first baby, I suddenly became quite a lot more focused. Many couples or single sexually active people blunder blithely forward in their lives and find themselves pregnant and realize that there is no way that they are prepared to shepherd another person through life with the child’s father. Or the other parent’s charming ways are unsuited to sharing parenthood and how will they do it alone? Or they will be stuck forever trying to cooperate with someone with whom they will not be able to get along well enough to raise a happy child. This is what has pushed some of my friends to have abortions, and not happily.
    In my case, my partner developed a really terrible cocaine habit while I was pregnant with number two. I was underemployed at the time (I’m a freelance worker). Extra clothes were not going to help. He wasn’t abusive, so no help needed there. I happen to be a little older and quite self-sufficient, but how would I support two children alone as well as to deal with someone who was wandering in trashed at 8am on Sunday morning? It was going to be HARD HARD HARD. I am Canadian, so the healthcare issue is not a concern, but if a person needs to get education, a job, childcare enough to spend time at school or work, sleep and all of the other things that need to be done, really that is the job of a family that is supported by a caring society. And if a woman doesn’t have that, she’s really on her own, which is terrible, and that is what a lot of women recognize.
    It is often the girls and women who are not at all realistic about what having a child entails who romanticize the ‘baby.’ Those children often end up neglected or abused because they are not co-operating in their mothers’ / parents’ fantasies about happy families. There are indeed programmes that can assist with people making better choices and breaking cycles, but their availability is spotty and their funding is often poor, and they can only support people to a small degree. Good but not good enough.
    As I say, at the point that someone is en route to an abortion clinic, you are probably already too late.
Best, KHoward.

Thanks for your response enness.                                                                                          To your points:
1. Most people who are pro-choice do not identify as such because they think that abortion is a good or admirable or desireable thing. It is a position that is taken because other options are worse. For example, desperate women obtaining abortions in medically dangerous circumstances. I think here that someone might bring up potential side-effects of abortion, but I mean un-hygenic circumstances by shady practitioners etc.
    The ONLY reason I could imagine finding myself protesting for choice outside an abortion clinic would be to lend numbers to a political fight. As you might note in Mr. Shea’s piece, the issue of the ‘numbers’ of protesters on either side was a cause for satisfaction. I feel like that would be an abuse of the women who were using the clinic’s services.

Cont’d                                                                                                                           2. The question of addressing hardships is a cultural one as well as a material one. When someone has already decided on abortion it’s really too late. Is the culture family-friendly? Do people have the emotional resources to support a child? Are people making good sexual and relationships decisions? Are people suffering from depression or alcoholism or other chronic problems given assistance when their problems become acute?
    Think of this: lots of people who get pregnant (happily, under excellent circumstances) find that the actual pregnancy represents a wake-up call to pull certain parts of their lives together. I am the same person I was before I had a child, and I had the benefit of years of experience as a sister, a babysitter and nanny and as a step-mother to alert me to the seriousness of the responsibility that I was taking on (in addition to the joys etc). But when I had my first baby, I suddenly became quite a lot more focused. Many couples or single sexually active people blunder blithely forward in their lives and find themselves pregnant and realize that there is no way that they are prepared to shepherd another person through life with the child’s father. Or the other parent’s charming ways are unsuited to sharing parenthood and how will they do it alone? Or they will be stuck forever trying to cooperate with someone with whom they will not be able to get along well enough to raise a happy child. This is what has pushed some of my friends to have abortions, and not happily.

2. The question of addressing hardships is a cultural one as well as a material one. When someone has already decided on abortion it’s really too late. Is the culture family-friendly? Do people have the emotional resources to support a child? Are people making good sexual and relationships decisions? Are people suffering from depression or alcoholism or other chronic problems given assistance when their problems become acute?

Think of this: lots of people who get pregnant (happily, under excellent circumstances) find that the actual pregnancy represents a wake-up call to pull certain parts of their lives together. I am the same person I was before I had a child, and I had the benefit of years of experience as a sister, a babysitter and nanny and as a step-mother to alert me to the seriousness of the responsibility that I was taking on (in addition to the joys etc). But when I had my first baby, I suddenly became quite a lot more focused. Many couples or single sexually active people blunder blithely forward in their lives and find themselves pregnant and realize that there is no way that they are prepared to shepherd another person through life with the child’s father. Or the other parent’s charming ways are unsuited to sharing parenthood and how will they do it alone? Or they will be stuck forever trying to cooperate with someone with whom they will not be able to get along well enough to raise a happy child. This is what has pushed some of my friends to have abortions, and not happily.

In my case, my partner developed a really terrible cocaine habit while I was pregnant with number two. I was underemployed at the time (I’m a freelance worker). Extra clothes were not going to help. He wasn’t abusive, so no help needed there. I happen to be a little older and quite self-sufficient, but how would I support two children alone as well as to deal with someone who was wandering in trashed at 8am on Sunday morning? It was going to be HARD HARD HARD. I am Canadian, so the healthcare issue is not a concern, but if a person needs to get education, a job, childcare enough to spend time at school or work, sleep and all of the other things that need to be done, really that is the job of a family that is supported by a caring society. And if a woman doesn’t have that, she’s really on her own, which is terrible, and that is what a lot of women recognize

It is often the girls and women who are not at all realistic about what having a child entails who romanticize the ‘baby.’ Those children often end up neglected or abused because they are not co-operating in their mothers’ / parents’ fantasies about happy families. There are indeed programmes that can assist with people making better choices and breaking cycles, but their availability is spotty and their funding is often poor, and they can only support people to a small degree. Good but not good enough.
    As I say, at the point that someone is en route to an abortion clinic, you are probably already too late.
Best, KHoward.
Sorry for the multiple entries - it wouldn’t work otherwise.

“The “Clinic Defense” folk thinking they were cheering for them, gave the bikers a thumbs up and the biker yelled back, “Not you! Them!” and pointed to our guys.”

You had me rolling on the floor with that line, Mark!  Great article! Your vivid description of the lame protestors was so funny it seemed to be from a spoof publication like The Onion or cracked.com, except to my great pleasure it was oh-so-hilariously true!

On a more serious note, though, I do agree with Katherine Radcliffe,  when it comes to the video.  The woman in that video is lashing out because she is in a deep, deep pain most of us will never know or be able to comprehend.  We need to fast and pray for her as much as possible!

Please, Mr. Shea, avoid the vulgarity. It demeans your message.

@KHoward:    “...because the other options are worse…” There is nothing worse than killing an innocent baby. Nothing. No crises, no emotional frustration, nothing. It’s never ok to kill a baby. That’s an absolute, not a situational statement.
“...The ONLY reason I could imagine finding myself protesting for choice outside an abortion clinic would be to lend numbers to a political fight…As I say, at the point that someone is en route to an abortion clinic, you are probably already too late”  The reality is different: the group that sidewalk counsels near two abortion clinics in our city have a turn-around rate nearing 20%. Nothing political about that - just lives saved. (They are Helpers of God’s Precious infants of Michigan). Amazing group.
by the way - watch 180movie on youtube. God Bless!

I didn’t watch the video, but the continually low turn-out on the pro-abortion side is good news for us…it means the culture is shifting, thanks be to God. Now if the press would only stop mis-representing the numbers when they report events, and stop taking pictures angled to make the sides look equal in numbers, we would have even more to be happy about. Thank God for the net…now we can get the REAL story…pro-life is gaining. Alleluia!

@KHoward: You stated, “Many couples or single sexually active people blunder blithely forward in their lives and find themselves pregnant and realize that there is no way that they are prepared to shepherd another person through life with the child’s father. Or the other parent’s charming ways are unsuited to sharing parenthood and how will they do it alone? Or they will be stuck forever trying to cooperate with someone with whom they will not be able to get along well enough to raise a happy child. This is what has pushed some of my friends to have abortions, and not happily.”

If a couple or single sexually active person is self-aware enough to know that they are not prepared to shepherd another person through life or that their partner is unsuited for parenthood, the time to make a choice is BEFORE having sex with that person.  Just because something will be hard does not make it impossible or not worth doing.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/mark-shea/hilarious-pro-abort-ineptitude/#ixzz1bjukhBBX

@KHoward: “[...] This is what has pushed some of my friends to have abortions, and not happily.”—My dear fellow-Canadian: Everybody has ‘reasons’ pushing them to do the bad things they do. I do, you do, we all do. That’s just reality, the world we live in, as it has always been. But your solution - to effectively legitimize the bad things, the worst things, in fact - is the very worst solution possible. Can you see that?

@KHoward - Having an abortion is the most selfish act a woman can perform! There is absolutely nothing worse than aborting your child. Nothing! We live in a society of instant gratification and abortion is a “quick fix” for “the problem”. Society is in a tailspin to nowhere where babies can be killed in their mother’s womb and some in such a cruel manner with late term abortions, that it is hard to understand how we got to this point. We have become a narcissistic society where the BABY in the mother’s womb has no advocate, no voice and nor rights and can be killed at will. Where is the outrage? God help us.

Mr. Shea I do not think Our Lord would have been so judgmental and condensing towards the counter protesters.  He would have shown compassion and understanding.  To attack them personally about how they were dressed and more importantly their age was inappropriate and uncalled for.  It took away from the message of your article.  We Catholics are supposed to show by example, pray and have compassion for our brothers and sisters and not attack them.  I know I sound naive but shouldn’t we strive to be that way as much as possible in everything we do?

KHoward—I think you bring up some very good points which us pro-lifers who are accustomed to “preaching to the choir” may not always hear.

I suspect that many people who say they are pro-choice are closer to being pro-life than they realize, but for various reasons do not want to be seen as such, because pro-lifers are stereotyped as Bible-thumping, judgmental fanatics. Also, it is never too late to reach out to women contemplating abortion since many women choose abortion only reluctantly, due to pressure from the baby’s father, from parents, or friends. If someone, even at the last minute, offers them a real way out they may take it.

Also, it should be remembered that many abortions are repeats by women who have already had one or more abortions in the past. A pro-life group may be too late to save a woman’s first child, but if she knows they are there offering help and they treat her kindly, she may turn to them for help the next time she is in a similar situation.

40dfl ‘is going on all over the country and in Canada right now’ And in London, UK!

@CatholicBri - Good for you for being effective. Hopefully the rest of the children’s lives are as well-supported. My own step-daughter was not aborted because of a feeling of optimism on the part of her parents that dissipated over time and now she is suffering from depression and has had to be hospitalized for self-harm and suicidal feelings.

@several others - Clearly not every woman feels that abortion is the worst thing ever, which is why it seems to be the better option. Also, people often make lousy choices in their lives (think of smokers, or those who text while driving etc). Those people also don’t want to experience some of the possible negative consequences of their behaviours. Education helps redirect some people, but clearly not all.

@ElaineS - the characterization of pro-lifers outside clinics as ‘Bible-thumping, judgemental fanatics” is EXACTLY a problem for your movement, in the same way that the stereotypical Virago is a problem for feminism.

Best, KHoward

I admire your writing and your thought very much (your new piece on moral progress is wonderful) but I quite agree with Ms. Ulasinski on your rather snide descriptions of the pro-abort protestors.  Isn’t it enough to point out how wrong they are (and how few of them there are)?  As a woman and as a Catholic who tries (not always successfully) to see the dignity in every person, I get very tired when any criticism of a woman’s thought, opinions, beliefs, or behavior is punctuated by a mean comment about her age and her appearance.  I expect better from you, Mr. Shea.

@KHoward: “Clearly not every woman feels that abortion is the worst thing ever, which is why it seems to be the better option.” Yes, clearly; and that is clearly not the point. The point is that it is evil. You have a choice to kill the child based on despair for his/her/your future (killing + despair = two evils) or the choice not to kill and not to despair (not kill + not despair = zero evils).
@critics of Shea’s “snideness”: I appreciate having a realistic picture of who we’re up against and I appreciate Shea informing us about it with a sense of humor… but that’s just me.

I think it’s important to mention also a third evil mentioned by the prophet Isaiah which is typically connected with the so-called pro-‘choice’ position: Woe to you who call evil good and good evil. This is perhaps the worst and most deeply corrupting of the three evils.

I notice that the option of adoption hasn’t been mentioned in this discussion thus far, and I would like to include it.

A woman who finds herself in a crisis pregnancy has at least three (if not more) choices: (1) give birth to the infant and try to raise the child under difficult circumstances; (2) arrange to destroy the infant in utero, or (3) make an adoption plan for the infant.

A woman facing a crisis pregnancy need only get in touch with a nearby crisis pregnancy center or even with the nearest Catholic parish, and she will find access to a social worker who will work with her to help her find just the right family for her baby, and in the meantime, avenues for assistance with the woman finding a job if she needs one, a place to live if she needs one, applying for government assistance programs such as income assistance, food stamps, rental assistance, as well as maternity clothing, health care, transportation, etc. Catholic hospitals and physicians will arrange with the mother-to-be to accept payment that she can afford to make and to waive the remainder of their fees. There are happily-married stable U.S. couples living in good homes who have been on waiting lists for three, four, five years to adopt a healthy infant within the United States, and who have at last journeyed halfway around the world, filling out paperwork in Russian or in Chinese, to adopt a baby from overseas. Many of these families would have been overjoyed to make a U.S. adoption if one had become available. Some U.S. couples adopt privately, forming a relationship with the mother-to-be, and have agreed to pay for virtually everything she needs, from a home, food, clothing, the use of a car, prenatal care, and when the time comes, the hospital and doctor or midwife and all other medical bills. There is a plethora of programs out there, both government-sponsored and private to assist pregnant women who need help. And volunteers who work with women who need help are just a phone call away at any Catholic church or crisis pregnancy center.

Truly, no woman in a crisis pregnancy need feel alone or without choices. To go through the entire nine months of pregnancy, give birth, and finally entrust one’s baby to another family does indeed represent an enormous sacrifice. But a woman who does not wish to destroy the life of an innocent child, either by attempting to raise him or her in impossibly adverse circumstances, or by killing him or her outright before birth, will find all the assistance she needs to make a happy, healthy future possible for her baby if she is willing to take advantage of the adoption resources available.