3.08.2009

More on Alison and Biffle and reproduction

Recently Biffle and I were interviewed by the Post and Courier about our views on and experiences with abortion. The interviewer edits the Faith and Values section of the paper and wanted to present two different complex case studies, one of a pro-choice family and one of a pro-life family. The interviews appeared in the paper this morning.

Our interview
The pro-life couple's interview

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

AWESOME article about your family (and a beautiful photo!).

I have never been pregnant and so have not had to wrestle, personally, with the issue of abortion. I am, however, staunchly pro-choice and find that I have little tolerance for many pro-lifers. Where are they when in comes to the woman actually having the baby and needing to be able to parent and support the child? This does not come easily or naturally for some. Often, it seems, these same people who are PRO-life are then ANTI-helping the mom and baby once the baby is actually born.

If a woman feels, for WHATEVER reason, that she is not ready to be a parent or not prepared to raise a child, I think that is her choice and she needs to be able to make that choice in a way that best works for her. I am a licensed counselor and have seen so so so many children who were born who were not wanted, then raised in horrendous situations either with their family or bounced around in foster care or both. Am I saying that they would be better off if they had not been born? I don't know. I guess that is not for me to say but I do wonder if some of them might think that.

Life IS precious, I think that both pro-life and pro-choice folks can agree on that. I can't imagine that any woman who decides to have an abortion takes the decision lightly. I have talked with two friends who say that, while it was the right decision at the time, it still left emotional scars that they continue to carry.

I wish pro-life individuals would consider and respect the massive and lifelong responsibility of parenting and raising children half as much as they worry about those first nine months.

Taylor said...

These are my favorite parts of the article: You are forcefully pro-choice, very political, and a nerdy intellectual from Cookeville, TN with a shock of brown hair.

You should put that on your CV/have a t-shirt made that says that

Unknown said...

That was beautiful, Alison and Walter. I was really touched by your answers in the interview.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I admire your courageous choice to make this story public--see, even there, I hesitated and wrote "this story" instead of "your abortion." I think one of the battles that women face is exactly that--the taboo of talking about it, of even saying the word "abortion." Many women know, as you knew, that terminating a pregnancy is the right choice for them, but they are silenced in the aftermath of this decision. When women report that they are still scarred/shaken by their experience with abortion, I wonder if this cultural shaming isn't the major culprit. Thanks for offering such candid answers and congratulations triple times on the birth of sweet Maybelle.

Curtis said...

It's certainly a nice article- though where's the description of Walter's hair-do? "... a wild shock of brown hair." Are you Hermione Grainger? Or some wild woman who (gasp) doesn't wake up in the morning and immediately reach for the blow-dryer? BTW, hope spring is as lovely in Charleston as it is here in N FL!

Anonymous said...

Allison, I do value your opinion even though I disagree with it. I am pro-life because I feel it's not the baby/ fetus/ whatever you want to call it's fault that the parents weren't ready for this big step.I grew up in an environment that taught me it was wrong, but as I've grown older I have realized how hard it is to get pregnant for some people. Some people to through months of agonizing treatments in order to conceive. These treatments are not cheap. Some people want to be/ and would be good parents; however, they are left with 2 choices accept that you are a freak of nature becase you can't or adopt.

in the end it is the woman's choice to abort the child, or they can find a suitable family that would love the child as their own, I know there are lots of families that would adopt if given the option.

Quiche said...

Lovely article and I so love the photo!

Elizabeth said...

Great honest article. Thanks for doing that interview.