I didn’t want to write this post, and yet, as I was sitting on my couch last night watching a documentary and reading article after article, tears streaming down my face, I couldn’t stop at that. I couldn’t just move on, and go on writing here about things that seem so trivial in light of this horror.
It’s a loaded story, I know, and that’s why I didn’t want to write about it. The thoughts swirl through my head, but I never feel like they come out quite right on the page. And yet, my fingers started typing almost without my control, I couldn’t not write. I couldn’t not say the things on my heart and in my mind.
I couldn’t stay silent on this one. My stomach turns and my heart breaks for the babies. The precious little ones who were violently denied their right to live. And while that part of the story is definitely important, this is about so much more than just abortion.
Whether you’re pro-choice or pro-life, it doesn’t matter – what happened at the Women’s Medical Society, 3801 Lancaster, Philadelphia cannot be ignored. In fact, I think it’s more important for those who are pro-choice to be outraged by this story and demand changes.
Those of us who are pro-life believe that abortion is killing a baby, and that babies feel pain, and that mothers are scarred, sometimes emotionally, sometimes physically, for life, and that many women who’ve had abortions can never carry a baby to term again, and that women die from abortions. We know these things, and that’s why we have been, and always will be, outraged and heart-broken by the act of abortion.
But to the pro-choice defenders – the one’s who claim women’s bodies and women’s rights – how can what happened to these women at this clinic be okay? Why wouldn’t those who believe in a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, also expect that those who perform the abortion treat her and her body with dignity and respect?
Why shouldn’t a woman be able to chose to have a procedure done at a clinic that has been inspected by the state, that is safe, and clean, and where the employees are trained medical professionals? Why would a woman choose to be yelled at, stripped of her clothing, tied down forcibly, and not listened to when she decides that she has changed her mind? Where is her choice to not choose an abortion? Or at least to choose not to have an abortion at a place where she doesn’t feel safe?
And what about her choice later on in life? What if she chooses to have a baby at another time, but can’t because of long term effects of her abortion?
How is what took place at the Women’s Medical Society in any way, shape, or form upholding and honoring of a woman’s right and a woman’s body and a woman’s choice? How can those who cry that women’s rights are at the center of the abortion issue not be outraged by the treatment of those same women in that horrendous place?
But it goes beyond women’s rights too, what about race and class? What about civil rights? That white women were treated in a different and cleaner room than minority women. Where is the outrage?!
I thought the reason that we made abortion legal was so that atrocities like this wouldn’t happen. So there would be government regulations and oversight. So that women would be protected, not preyed upon.
So I urge you, if you are pro-choice, please grab ahold of this story and help bring to light the flagrant violation of these women’s rights. Yes, babies were killed at the Women’s Medical Society, but women also died, or were permanently affected by the procedures done to them. And countless others were robbed of their dignity and respect by a man who profited greatly from their circumstances.
Does a woman only have the right to chose an abortion, and then she surrenders all her other rights for clean, safe, fair and humane treatment? Please speak out for all of the rights of women and their bodies, not just some of them.
And those of us who are pro-life, we will cry out in outrage for the babies. The ones who cannot speak for themselves. And maybe together, we can work to protect our women and children from these kinds of heinous acts and their cruel perpetrators.
From the Report to the Grand Jury:
“We think the reason no one acted is because the women in question were poor and of color, because the victims were infants without identities, and because the subject was the political football of abortion.” (Page 13)
We must not stay silent. We must act.
“Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.” Psalm 82:3-4
If you are so inclined, I found, and signed, this non-partisan petition to President Obama and would encourage you to also.
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Proud of you for saying something Emmy, and putting it quite nicely I might add
Thank you Sari! I appreciate that! Hope you and your sweet little man are doing well!
Thank You! You captured perfectly how I felt after reading several articles on this horrific story. I wanted to say something on Facebook but didn’t know how to express myself in a way that could reach my friends on both the debate. Instead, I posted a link to your article!
Thanks for sharing, Liz! I appreciate it!
I believe the grand jury got it right. This kind of thing happens because, even though abortion is a legal procedure, many women cannot get access to safe, affordable ones. If more women could get the health care of all kinds that they need, I believe there would be far fewer abortions.
I really appreciate your approach on this topic. I almost didn’t read the post because I’ve come to believe that anyone who feels the need to vocalize an opinion on this emotional, divisive topic probably can’t say anything to bridge the gap between themselves and those on the other side. I’m glad I did. I think women on both sides of the issue have deep regard for the value of life, which you articulate clearly here. (I am not so sure about many men.) That’s our common ground, and I wish more of us could stand on it together.
Thank you so much for your comment Rita – you are absolutely right, the value of life is at the core of this story/issue. Wouldn’t it be an amazing thing if people on both sides of the issue could stand together so that these horros would not be perpetrated against women or babies!
A great response to this issue – this is not just about being pro-life or pro-choice, it’s about respecting the full dignity of the person and no matter the side you take someones dignity was not being respected.
I agree! I am pro-choice and appalled at the way the news from this clinic has been handled by many people on both sides. Yes, absolutely, supporting women’s right to choose includes supporting their right to change their minds and to be treated safely and kindly throughout whichever procedures they choose.
Also, though, the fact that this clinic was so horrifying does not mean that all abortion clinics in Pennsylvania need to be subjected to new rules that have nothing to do with safety. I live in PA, so I’ve been following the story pretty closely. Gosnell’s clinic was flagrantly violating many laws that existed at the time and dodging the oversight it should have had. What the state needs to correct is the unevenness of its concern for medical facilities that serve middle-class white women vs. those that serve the inner city. This is no reason why every woman seeking abortion in PA should have to have a transvaginal ultrasound. Unfortunately, Gov. Corbett and others are jumping on the Gosnell case as an opportunity to shut down clinics and sell medical equipment and discourage abortion by making it harder to get–rather than by making it easier to have and raise a child.
Years ago I stopped donating to all pro-choice organizations except the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice because I felt that they were too often taking the stance, “Women’s most important right is being able to have an abortion,” while ignoring every possibility that specific procedures for abortion might be risky, that some women might choose differently if fully informed about embryonic development, or that women might sometimes WANT to make a different choice but feel pressured to choose abortion.
It’s a difficult topic. Thanks, Emily, for addressing it so intelligently.
Hi ‘Becca, Thanks so much for your comment! It’s interesting to hear from someone who is more local to the case. From my reading and understanding, the clinic was not inspected by anyone from the health or state departments from 1993 on, due to a PA law stating they would not inspect any clinics unless they received a complaint, which numerous complaints were filed against the clinic over the years. And this was the policy for all abortion clinics, so I don’t understand how Gosnell was dodging the oversight – it seems to me that the government failed the women and children of the clinic by not providing the necessary inspections and oversight of a medical facility.
And I definitely agree with you that this case really has nothing to do with women being required to receive transvaginal ultrasounds, it is about providing safe and proper care as long as abortions are legal in this country, and right now they are, whether those of us on pro-life side wants to admit it or not. And I really like the way you that you put it – we should be discouraging abortion by making it easier to have and raise a child, not just by limiting access to them without offering pre- and post-natal support. As well as the point that the pro-choice side usually places too much emphasis on the choice to get an abortion part. And I am realizing that the pro-life side often places too much emphasis on the life of the baby part, instead of being pro-all life, including the life of the mother. I think those of us on both sides of this issue have more common ground that we realize we most of what we see of this “debate” are people holding picket signs and screaming at each other from opposite sides of the street. Maybe this case will help us learn that we can work together for the betterment of the lives of women and their babies!
Yes, the government failed the citizens by failing to investigate when complaints HAD been received. I have not heard of a law that prevents inspections unless there’s a complaint. With a little research, I found this article indicating that there were no routine inspections for 15 years due to a decision by the governor’s office–there was no law against them. In any case, of course that’s horrible, deciding that a medical facility of any kind can go totally uninspected!! But as far as Gosnell dodging oversight, it sounds like he and his employees put a lot of pressure on patients and their families to keep quiet about what was going on there, and that may have reduced complaints.
Yes, sometimes pro-life activism takes an unfortunate tone of being all about saving babies while ignoring the fact that each of those babies is attached to a person with her own life! Pregnancy can be very draining, and childbirth has serious risks, so it’s crucial to acknowledge that continuing a pregnancy has a major impact on a woman and her family. (It also has an impact on the environment and the taxpayers, which I think also needs to be acknowledged.)
When I was in college, Pennsylvania passed a new law requiring women to wait 24 hours for an abortion and to be given a booklet to read in the meantime. My campus pro-choice group obtained a copy of this booklet. We found that it was quite well-balanced, presenting an accurate description of embryonic/fetal development and lists of the physical and emotional risks of both abortion and childbirth. I think that type of educational approach is much better than screaming outside a clinic OR denying that abortion can have any negative effects.
Indeed, there’s a lot of common ground for those of us who believe that both women and babies deserve to be healthy, loved, and supported.
Oh, you’re right ‘Becca, I misspoke – I didn’t mean a law, but yes, a purposeful decision made by government not to inspect clinics. How people in government thought was okay is beyond me!? But, I also didn’t realize that the clinic put pressure on patients not to complain. That would make sense though since it does seem like that’s kind of a missing piece to the puzzle – why when there were so many patients of the clinic, didn’t someone say something? Which is just another really sad part of this story, that women we’re treated so poorly and didn’t even feel like they could stand up for themselves after the fact. Sigh. The whole thing just really makes my heart so sad
Well said! You may not have wanted to write about this but I am so glad you did. Like you, I am pro-life and cry over the killing of the unborn. But I also appreciate your entreaties to those who are pro-choice. You were both articulate and compassionate in treating a very difficult subject.
Emily, I am so proud of you for this post. It is so well researched and written, and I think you spoke your mind and heart beautifully. Thank you!
Good Morning.
I agree this is about more than civil rights. While it did take place in a poor, prodominantly colored city it is not about the color of your skin. Sometimes I am not sure if we expose the truth or help fight whatever battle will make it stop. But when we do we are just placing a bandaid over the problem. It is murder it is about killing God’s creation and standing up for the one’s who can not defend themselves no matter the class, color or sex.