Southern Politics, Abortion and an Identity Crisis

As Americans begin weighing their options in terms of which presidential candidate is worthy of our votes, there’s been a slow-burning mindset that this presidential election could very well go down in history as one with an incredibly low number in terms of voter turnout. Many Republicans are finding themselves struggling with a bit of an identity crisis.

Those glorious years of the Reagan and Bush presidencies are long gone. Those were the good ol’ days when a proud Republican could be sure of one thing – the core belief system of the collective Republican president. These days, however, many conservatives are taking a step back for a better perspective and what they’re finding is a scenario that’s anything but proud or certain. And if you’re a female Republican? Indeed, your back is definitely against the wall.

By now, everyone’s had the opportunity to mirror the about-face Republican candidate Mitt Romney made in his stance on abortion. He’d gone on record several times in support of pro-choice before changing his view in 2007, when he declared he is now pro-life. He’s also said he would support any efforts that included overturning the historic Roe v. Wade decision and then allowing states to decide whether they would allow abortions to be performed. This is where things become a bit more complicated.

The Mississippi Factor

In late 2011, Mississippi voters were given the opportunity to pass the Personhood Amendment, or Prop 26 as it was sometimes referred to. In essence, this bill would define “life” as beginning at conception.

What made this such a heated controversy was the vague nature of the bill’s wording: “Article III of the state constitution, “The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”

The threat associated with this bill was the very real possibility that birth control, in-vitro fertilization and the morning after pill would be outlawed. It got worse, though. There were absolutely no provisions made for extraordinary circumstances, including pregnancies as products of rape, incest or pregnancies that jeopardize the mother’s life if carried to term. Many ever-faithful, southern conservatives held their ground by insisting God would have to make that decision if it come down to saving only one life between the mother and the fetus. This would be a highly debated bill and one that very narrowly was voted down.

Abortion Law Quietly Signed in Mississippi

This week, Mississippi’s new governor, Phil Bryant, signed into a law that affects abortion providers. What many aren’t aware of is Mississippi is home to just one abortion clinic, located in the state’s capital. House Bill 1390 quietly made it through the state’s legislative process and onto Governor Bryant’s desk, where he wasted no time in signing it into law.

The new law requires abortion providers to be board-certified OB GYNs and they must also have admitting privileges at a local hospital. The three physicians employed with the Jackson Women’s Health Organization are all board certified gynecologists; however, only one of those doctors has admitting privileges. The clinic’s owner, Diane Derzis, is now preparing for a legal battle. She has vowed to sue the state. Governor Bryant continues to reiterate his goal of eliminating abortion not only in Mississippi, but the entire country.

With Mitt Romney agreeing to participate in any efforts of overturning Roe v. Wade and returning the choice to each state to decide the legality of abortion and these “fanfare-free” bills being quickly signed into law that make it nearly impossible for physicians to perform these procedures, there’s no doubt a movement in some states is taking place.

Not Birth Control

While no one argues that abortion should be an acceptable form of birth control, what many are failing to see is the devastation many young girls and women will face in some circumstances. There are those times when abortion is appropriate. To eliminate this as a possible avenue, especially for rape victims or when other extraordinary dynamics are present, is unnecessarily cruel.

The irony is found in Romney’s own words. In 2010, he is quoted as saying about abortion, “…the fact is that two lives, not one, is involved.” The truth is, there are many more than one or two lives involved. Women contemplating abortions have hundreds of politicians along for the ride, making it anything but “only” one or two lives involved.

 

Is the Adoption System Broken?

It’s not often anything in the news affects me on any level; which is sad since I think most of us are so conditioned these days to the overexposure of the worse of human nature.  And too, I don’t know if I’m just feeling melancholy – this is possible since I cracked my ankle again and am moving slow.  Either way, I came across the tragic story of the Tennessee couple who returned their adoptive son to Russia several weeks ago.  Russia is where they initially adopted him and they now say he is a psychopath.  Making matters worse, they put the young boy on a plane alone to make the journey.  People are very vocal on where they stand and believe me, most of them aren’t siding with the would-be parents.

This got me to thinking: how often does this happen?  I’m talking about adoptions in general.  How far have we come, as a society, in our efforts of improving the human condition during these painful/blessed/sad/happy events?  That’s one thing that is certain; these emotions are strong and someone is always blissfully happy because of an answered prayer and most of the time, there is a woman or young girl who hasn’t even realized how hard she will likely grieve for a very long time.

In order to contrast current adoption laws/methods, we have to take a look at the past for perspective.  Here’s what I found.

In 1939, Kingsley Davis wrote an article that was published in The American Journal of Sociology.  His words, verbatim:

The bastard, like the prostitute, thief and beggar, belongs to that motley crew of disreputable social types which society has generally resented, always endured.  He is a living symbol of social irregularity, an undeniable evidence of contramoral forces…

Years later, Curtis J. Young, Family Research Council, wrote “The Missing Piece: Adoption Counseling in Pregnancy Resource Centers”.  Here’s what he wrote in 2000:

Counselors must be trained to give women sound reasons that will counter the desire to keep their babies.  One example is to reinforce the notion that it takes a strong, mature woman to place a child for adoption.  Honestly addressing the issue of financial survival can be compelling as well.  Counselors must communicate that adoption can be a heroic, responsible choice and that the child benefits tremendously.

Interesting, yes?  Quite disturbing as well.   How can anyone honestly believe another human being can counter such an innate force and a “desire to keep their babies”.  Have we grown so narcissitic as a society?

This next bit of info, depending on how you read it, is more than a little disturbing.  Granted, it is subjective, but decide for yourself.  Written by Bill Pinson in 1964, from “Mothers Out of Wedlock”:

The woman pregnant out of wedlock suffers despair and loneliness.  A feeling of helplessness, coupled with that of severe guilt, sometimes leads to suicide.  Denial and a desire for concealment are frequent first reactions; this is dangerous because a lack of proper care may be the consequence.

These three quotes are from natural mothers and speak of their pain and sense of loss.  The first two are from the mid-1960s while the third is more current, though I couldn’t find an exact date.  It was most likely penned within the past two years, and certainly within the past five years:

• It was inhumane and unethical to subject anyone – most especially the vulnerable minor – to this such trauma.  But to ensure she was silenced and abandoned her whole life was to ensure her dehumanization was permanent.
• I have come across articles by nurses who arrogantly think if they just counsel the mothers right in the hospital, we’ll go away whistling and dancing happily.
• Remember the days when we were young and people would say to us, “Don’t do something to ruin your life?”  I finally understand what ruining a life means.

Instead of putting my two cents in (well, instead of putting ALL of my two cents in), I’ll leave it up to you, the reader.  I know that many adoptions are the true blessings they’re intended to be and I know millions of babies are better for the adoptions.  Still, there’s much work to be done to address the human condition of all involved.  What do you think?  Leave a comment or send me an email.