I’ve been fortunate enough to be a girl whose Mom is also her best friend. And by that I mean, she knows me SO well that she can predict how I am going to react to something before I do it.
A perfect example of this is a situation that happened back in 1998. I was roughly 19 or 20 years old and my Mom and I had gone to Horton Plaza, an outdoor mall in downtown San Diego. We were leaving the city and came to a stop at a red light about 5 blocks from the freeway. As we were stopped at the light, a group of Pro-Life protesters came walking across the cross walk with their giant over sized posters of a mutilated and deformed baby that was about 9 months old. I was absolutely appalled. Not only was their poster factually inaccurate, but the fact that they were exposing innocent people and children to these images made my blood boil. My first instinct was to grab for the handle, jump out of the car and tell those people that they were a disgrace to their cause. But before I even moved my arm an inch, my mom hit the LOCK button on her door and just sat there. She knew what I was about to do and was telling me, “I know…I know…it is horrible and those people disgust me but stay in the car.”
Before anyone reads this blog any further, know right now that this is not about anyone’s opinion on Abortion. I am personally Pro-Choice (with limitations based on circumstance and situation…I don’t think it should be a baby killing free for all) but I completely respect the opinion of anyone who is Pro-Life…excluding people who have not looked at the facts and extremists such as the protesters I ran across.
I have been listening to P.O.T.U.S. ’08 on XM all morning and after they covered the debate from last night they went live to coverage of a “Right to Life” demonstration that is about to take place this morning due to the anniversary of Roe Vs. Wade. I was completely fine with this “Right to Life” event until I heard something so disturbing that I was ready to reach for the handle and jump out of the car again. Apparently, several Christian schools have been busing in children for this rally. That’s right…I said children. CHILDREN. Then the reporter proceeds to mention that he has seen more than enough signs of dead, mutilated, and deformed fully grown babies on giant rally signs. Not only is it bad enough that these signs exist and are at this event, but these people had the nerve to walk with them held high and proud right past these innocent children who were coming off of the buses.
As I listen to the radio, I am sitting here in utter and complete disgust. I know I am a Liberal and I know I am Pro-Choice, but can anyone else see the MAJOR problems that I have with this?
1. Children have NO place in ANY political venue. PERIOD. First of all, they are ENTIRELY too young to grasp such adult concepts and it is incredibly irresponsible for the adults in their life to force such serious and heavy issues on them. Second of all, children should be brought up to make good decisions while still having the right to form their own opinions. I don’t know who I’d be today if one of my parents would’ve forced their opinions down my throat. And that is something I am thankful for.
2. The fact that anyone would be willing to subject children to the over exaggerated view points of extremists is appalling. I am not a parent but I would like to think that I would NEVER subject any child to a picture of a decaying dead baby. That is wrong on so many levels.
3. I can’t comprehend how anyone can call themselves a Christian and be involved with bringing children into this type of event. In what part of the bible does it say, “Expose your children to anger and images of horror so that you can further your own agenda”? Disgusting. Can these people not understand how hypocritical it is of them to live by a “What Would Jesus Do?” set of “values” yet encourage their children to be exposed to this?
4. Who are the parents that signed off on the field trip slip to allow their children to attend such an event? Although my Mom was quite “loose” with what I was allowed to attend, I highly doubt she would think it was OK for me to attend a political and highly controversial event such as this as a child. She would rather pull me out of that school for them even asking if it was OK.
OK…I am done venting now. But for the sake of those children, I pray that being surrounded by such hostility, noise, and graphic images will not scar them. I pray that it doesn’t make them become just like the parents and adults in their life that have pushed their well being aside in order to prove a point or further their own agenda.
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3 comments:
Okay - I'll play "devil's advocate" here. I hope to instill in my child the importance of standing up for what you believe in. Obviously, these (adult) protesters are very passionate about their beliefs and want their children to know about it. Now, forcing a child to look at a mutilated fetus does seem wrong (especially when these same parents probably wouldn't let their kids see "Saw"). (hehe - seesaw) But letting your child know that it's okay and even encouraged to be a protester seems rather American (in a good way - not like eating-at-McDonalds-every-day American or refusing-to-learn-another-language American).
Just as a side note: I find it interesting (but most likely coincidental) that you capitalized "Liberal" and not "bible."
Oh that's right...you weren't there for my "chat" with the group. Well, I think the Bible slip was partly "ignorance of proper capitalization" and partly a subconscious slip. I'll explain later if you want me to.
Playing "devil's advocate" to your "devil's advocate"...I agree 110% that parents should teach their children the importance of standing up for what you believe in. BUT...there is also a time and a place for those teachings to take place. In my opinion, a hostile and controversial environment is NOT an appropriate time or place for those teachings.
Political rallies, especially ones as tense as Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice, often involve two sides yelling and screaming at each other. Not to mention the possibility of an outbreak of violence or police activity. I don't think getting arrested or in a fight is the way you teach a child how to stand up for what they believe in.
Children should never be subjected to grown up concepts, ideas, or problems. Children need to be children. Let them play dress up with their Barbies and race their Hot Wheels. Let them ask "why?" to something every 5 seconds. Let them enjoy and embrace their innocence without being subjected to things that their brains are literally too underdeveloped to understand. "LITERALLY." lol
I see 110% where you are coming from but my childhood was slightly robbed from me and I was forced to be a grown up before I needed to be. And that was one of the worst mistakes that my parents made. I guess maybe that makes me more sensitive on the subject.
PBS had a rather disturbing yet informative show about partial birth abortions even explaining step-by-step how they flip the baby around inside and what they do to the baby. the most disturbing part was sticking a pick in the nape of the baby's neck to kill it. talk about needing therapy after that...
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