Comments on: Telling Stories, Changing Minds (?)

By: ClinicEscort@twitter

ClinicEscort@twitter — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:21:27 +0000

(wow, so why WOULDN’T my story be posted on a financial website? awesome.)

@josefinastrummer The reason we think clinic protesters suck, is that they are gathered as political actors to harass women who are engaging in private, personal actions. Women aren’t going to the gynecologist in order to ~engage the commons~ or ~make their voices heard~ or any other such small-d-democratic happy horseshit; they’re going to get a Pap smear or pick up some pills or maybe, yeah, end an unwanted pregnancy.

These kids, on the other hand, were in DC completely as political actors. If they’re going to have a major world religion throw them a parade in the capital of the free world to tell me what *they* think, then they’re fair game in the course of doing that to spend two and a half minutes in a public space listening to what *I* think.

By: RachelG8489

RachelG8489 — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:52:24 +0000

@josefinastrummer I don’t think her intentions were to educate in the way you’re thinking. I think her intention was to make sure they knew that people who do not regret their abortions exist. And I can’t remember where I saw it or I would cite it for you, but Michelle posted somewhere that apparently most of the kids were sitting quietly and appeared to be listening. Keep in mind the difference between someone who does this on the subway (people who ride every day and are trained to block it out) and a group of high school kids from New Orleans on Amtrak. They’re not regular train riders, and they’re used to having to listen when an adult starts talking to them- plus, the adult with them tried to get Michelle to shut up, and that’s certainly grabbing attention!

(and by the way, it was a coed group of students, not just girls, and it’s just as important to make sure boys know that abortion without regret exists!)

By: theotherginger

theotherginger — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:11:08 +0000

@josefinastrummer personal narratives are compelling. even if the first one you hear is on a train, it’s a great place to start (and super courageous of the speaker on the train). I grew up in a context where I was exposed to pro-life literature and personal narratives of abortion regret so it took me a while to be pro-choice. The narratives are compelling and eventually they add up.

By: cryptolect

cryptolect — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:54:49 +0000

@josefinastrummer I also think they suck, but because that is their MO, I see very little wrong with engaging them in discussion. I sure had plenty of people engage me in discussion when my friends and I went down for the 30th anniversary (or something, I can’t make the dates square in my head) of Roe, carrying signs and wearing t-shirts. It might have been awkward, but at least she gave them something to think about.

By: josefinastrummer

josefinastrummer — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:40:48 +0000

@RachelG8489 I am glad that Michelle’s intentions were to educate these girls but I still don’t think it was very effective. You know what I do when anyone stands up on a train and starts talking? I stop listening, almost out of principle. I turn my headphones up and pay closer attention to my book. Yes, I probably miss out on stuff I would like to hear, but to hold a group of people captive even for five minutes is, to me, unnecessary and rude.

And hey, maybe in 10 years one of the girls from the train is going to write an article mentioning this, saying it opened her eyes. Awesome. But the odds of that are really unlikely because teenagers really don’t care what the adults they have to listen say, why would they listen to a stranger who just blurted out her abortion story?

By: Morbo

Morbo — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:25:59 +0000

@olivia The Catholic Church in my state as one of the big forces that organized the campaign to get the death penalty overturned. Unfortunately, parishes and even dioceses are at the whim of their pastors and bishops.

By: RachelG8489

RachelG8489 — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:25:19 +0000

So… I met Michelle on Thursday night, at one of the events that pulled her away from DC during the March for Life. I think people are missing something in their comments here. Her goal here was not necessarily to convince these kids RIGHT NOW to be pro-choice. Her goal was to make sure that these kids heard at least one narrative of not regretting an abortion. She accomplished that goal: the kids heard her. There’s a lot of power in her action, because these kids only ever hear about abortion in the context of regret and breast cancer (false) and traumatic aftereffects and all this other bullshit. Just standing up and talking to them is an amazing thing, and I’m so impressed by Michelle’s willingness to stand up and talk about the abortion that she does not regret in a train car full of people.

By: josefinastrummer

josefinastrummer — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:22:20 +0000

@lizard So true. Everyone loves babies and everyone in prison is bad.

By: lizard

lizard — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:17:46 +0000

@josefinastrummer i am pro choice but i have to agree. its way awkward to try and convince a group of teens on train. i mean if she did it one on one it would probably get through but im not so sure it would work even though i wish it would

By: lizard

lizard — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:15:55 +0000

@josefinastrummer also way easier to garner sympathy from teens for unborn babies ( fetuses) than criminals