For the progressives who feel the need to tread this middle ground out there, let me just clear something up: you cannot be both prochoice and anti-abortion. Please don’t mistake this for a “you are with us or against us” ultimatum. I hope you will instead see it for what it is intended to be: a completely rational statement meant to absolve people of the apparent epic confusion raging in their hearts as they try to reconcile conflicting personal and political beliefs. And I don’t mean that simply the personal and political are at odds; in these cases often the personal and the personal are at odds. For instance, perhaps you believe that abortion is really quite awful, but women should be allowed to have them. In this case, congratulations! You are not actually anti-abortion.
Just take a deep breath and say it with me now: I am not anti-abortion.
I am not anti-abortion, because I know it is a necessary medical procedure that people sometimes need to undergo for physical and mental reasons. I am not anti-abortion, because I know abortions save lives. I am not anti-abortion, because I have had an abortion. Yes, I’m sorry to put you in this position, but 46% of women in this country, almost fully half, will have an abortion in their lifetime. You’re allowed to be the person who says “I am anti-abortion” even though you’ve had one yourself, but that will also make you a hypocrite who took advantage of the hard work other people do when they say “I am not anti-abortion” and then disavowed that work. And I don’t think you want to be that person.
We make it so scary, so wrong; it brings so much disapproval and judgment down on us that we’re afraid to just say it. I am not anti-abortion. In fact, I am pro-abortion. I am 100% behind any person who needs an abortion having an abortion, and I place “for the sake of mental and emotional health” in the “needs” column.
Say it with me now, scarier but oh-so-freeing: I am pro-abortion.
I am pro-heart transplant, pro-appendix removal, and pro-abortion, whenever one of those is medically necessary....
There are many doctors out there who wholeheartedly support abortion, speak of it in medical terms and are trained to perform them, but those doctors aren’t getting published. The shame and stigma around that work created by people like Dr. Katz makes talking about it not only unpopular but unsafe. You and only you can push back and create an environment where people can be honest rather than hypocritical, and you can start by saying it with me now: I am pro-abortion.
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