[Trigger warning: abortion, murder, disturbing graphic details of Gosnell’s crimes]
In the last week, t
he Internet has been blowing up with shock, horror and outrage over the murder trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell. A late term abortionist in Lancaster, Penn., Gosnell is on trial in Philadelphia for performing gruesome and illegal late-term abortions that led to death of a woman and seven infants (though in reality, he’s responsible for killing far, far more). During the trial, former employees provided gruesome testimony detailing how Dr. Gosnell frequently and illegally delivered live, viable babies in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy and then murdered them by severing their heads with scissors. The grand jury report also details how his unlicensed staff illegally administered potentially lethal amounts of drugs to patients, how venereal disease was spread among his patients by reusing unsanitary disposable instruments, and even how he punctured and perforated wombs and bowels leading to the death of at least one woman. The conditions of the clinic can be described as a house of horrors; and according to the grand jury report, when public health officials searched the clinic, “the search team discovered fetal remains haphazardly stored throughout the clinic – in bags, milk jugs, orange juice cartons, and even in cat-food containers.” This place of horrors was Gosnell’s daily business.
There is far, far more wrong with this story than the brief summary I have given above. Desperate, mostly poor women were preyed upon for financial gain and the patient’s race often determined whether or not she received preferential treatment from Dr. Gosnell, or was pawned off onto his unlicensed staff. How various Pennsylvania state health departments and hospitals allowed these atrocities to occur in the face of complaints made by both former employees and patients, is mind-numbing. The plight of these women and their babies, were ignored. They were forgotten in the ennui of bureaucratic red tape, political maneuvering and stark disinterest.
With abortion being the political football that it is, predictably, both the pro-life and pro-choice sides are spinning their narratives around this story. For it’s part, the pro-life side has taken up the grass roots effort of elevating this story to national attention, despite national broadcast media’s seeming disinterest in covering it at all. In fact, the pro-life camp has taken up arms and accused the media of a blackout. Kirsten Powers’ USA Today column makes a powerful argument about the media’s egregious bias over a very newsworthy story, and that what happened to the women and babies at Gosnell’s clinic is a human rights issue – regardless of what side you fall on in the abortion debate. The Pro-life side is highlighting this case to bolster support for new restrictions, including TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers), which will require abortion clinics to meet strict, hospital-style building codes. Virginia succeeded in passing TRAP last week, while others states are currently working to pass TRAP regulations in their states.
Laura Bassett and Ryan Grim of The Huffington Post offered a pro-choice rebuttal to Powers’ column, stating that abortion opponents are drawing the wrong lesson from the trial. The pro-choice lesson to be learned is that this is exactly the sort of thing that happens when “undue restrictions” are made on a women’s right to choose safe and legal abortions. And for their part, they point out that the kinds of conditions that were found in Gosnell’s house of horrors are the kinds of conditions that were rife in the abortion industry prior to Roe v. Wade. They argue that TRAP regulations, which will require expensive, unnecessary renovations, will put many legal abortion clinics out of business and force women to seek out back alley abortionists, like Gosnell.
The story of Dr. Gosnell and his house of horrors is reigniting the debate. But will debating loud and long really change minds? I think that this story, as horrible as it is, further polarizes both sides, causing us to dig deeper into our respective trenches as we lob verbal hand grenades to the other side. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t debate and discuss issues. But abortion is just too touchy for most of us to be able to do that with much civility.
What I think would help is a truce, where leaders from both sides work together in a common goal to reduce abortion rates. I think that’s a reasonable goal and it is something we can do together. I have faith in many who hold to the pro-choice position that while they want women to retain a choice in their reproductive rights, they would agree that reducing the need for abortion is a good thing. But this too, is probably a long way off.
What bothers me most in the abortion debate is who is forgotten in the midst of it: the women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy and the women who’ve already made the terrible choice to abort. One side speaks passionately about saving the lives of the not-yet-born and in the same breath, condemns the mothers. The other side speaks passionately for women’s rights while withholding from women vital information they need to make a truly informed choice. Silent and desperate women are all but forgotten in the booming war of words.
In the case of Dr. Gosnell, I fear that the pro-life camp has politicized an egregious story. It has shifted the focus away from the horror of his actions and has thrown a spotlight on the media by accusing them of being self-serving pro-choice liberals. This should not be the point we make of this story! If we simply use this tragedy to further our political agenda, then we too ignore the plight of Dr. Gosnell’s victims and other women like them, just as they have been for so long ignored. So, I will speak to the pro-life camp here because it’s my camp: If we want to make a difference, we need to shift course. We need to speak to women directly and we need to speak with Christian love.
While there are many, many pro-life individuals and Christian organizations that actively provide guidance, hope, support, love and grace to women in crisis pregnancies, I think that as a whole, the church is not known for it’s love for this group any more than it is known for its love of gay people. Far too often, when the subject of abortion comes up, I hear sanctimonious responses that label women as evil, selfish murderers who simply want a “convenient way out of a pregnancy.” Instead of tending to women in crisis, far too often Christian pro-lifers offer, “I told you so’s” in the form of “Stop having sex!” We rub salt in festering wounds when we say, “Women are using abortion as birth control!” I read statements like “Our culture wants its abortions!” and “Women don’t want their babies!” and it angers me. Is it any wonder that so many think the church is loveless? In a crisis pregnancy situation, or in the aftermath of one, do statements like these demonstrate love? Or do they condemn? When women hear statements like these, will they draw the conclusion that the church is a safe place to go for help and support if they are in a crisis pregnancy? Do these statements offer hope? Or do they just pile on the shame? We need to stop these kinds of injurious assumptions. They do women (and the children they carry) no good. They hurt our cause. They reveal our lack of empathy. They display our spiritual pride. Who of us could look at a woman in a crisis pregnancy (or a post-abortive woman) and say with certainty, that if we had been born into her body, her family of origin, her subcultures, and had her lifelong experiences (good and bad), that we would make different choices than the ones she has made that led her to the steps of an abortion clinic? I’m not saying we excuse sin. I’m saying we attempt to understand the heart and reasons behind it.
To start, let’s get beyond a black and white understanding of why women choose abortion. A crisis pregnancy is a very complex situation. A woman is often filled with fear and anxiety. And she’s desperate. A decision to abort is not made in a vacuum. While the choice is ultimately hers, others are also involved in her decision: partners, husbands, parents, friends. There is plenty of responsibility to go around. While the pro-choice side touts this issue as a woman’s right to choose, when a woman chooses to abort her child, ironically it’s because she feels as if she has no other choice. And contrary to what many pro-lifers assume about women contemplating abortion, more often than not, she WANTS to keep her child. David C. Reardon, Ph.D. in his article, “Women Who Abort: Their Reflections on the Unborn”, writes:
“These findings suggest that for most women, abortion is at best a marginal choice. Between 30 and 60 percent of women having abortions initially have a positive desire to carry the pregnancy to term and keep their babies. Many of these women still desire their babies even at the time of the abortion, but are aborting only because they feel forced to do so by others or by circumstances. Indeed, of women who experience post-abortion problems, over 80 percent say they would have carried to term under better circumstances or with the support of loved ones, over 60 percent report having felt “forced” to have the abortion by others or circumstances, and approximately 40 percent were still hoping to discover some alternative to abortion when going for counseling at the abortion clinic.”
If you think the research is bogus, I can attest to knowing many women whose stories bear these findings out. These women are from all walks of life: married, single, and divorced, ranging from their teens to 30s at the times of their abortions. What this research tells me is that there are more women than not who want help and support – not abortions. This tells me that there is a need that is not being met that the church can fill. This tells me that many, many women in crisis pregnancies do not currently associate the pro-life camp and the Church as offering an alternative to abortion. Regardless of whether or not we think that assumption is true, perception is reality. And we have our work cut out for us. So where do we start?
Individually and corporately, we need to change our attitudes towards women in crisis pregnancies. This doesn’t mean that we condone sexual practices that go against Christian belief. But it does mean that we empathize. We need step into their shoes and understand how they got to this point and understand the emotions they experience in their crisis rather than condemning them in their point of need. We also need to speak out against men shirking their responsibilities and encourage men to be responsible fathers and partners. And we need to support men in this effort as well. Lastly, we need to speak to women directly and demonstrate our love for them and their babies. And we can start with actions and attitudes that say:
- We know you’re scared. If you want to keep your baby, there is hope. We are here and we can and will help you carry your baby to term and help you raise the child or help you find a loving home for your baby.
- Please do not abort your child. If you harm your baby, you are harming yourself. The relief you will experience after an abortion is temporary. But the cost for choosing death is a high and terrible price you will most likely pay for the rest of your life.
- No matter what brought you to this place in life, you have worth. God loves you and we love you.
- Even if you do choose to abort your baby, we are here for you and will support in your healing and recovery afterwards if you need us.
The fact is: only a mother can save her unborn child’s life because the child is solely dependent on her. What we CAN do is help the mother. When you help the mother, you help the child. Rhetoric is not enough. Do you want to reduce abortion rates? Work at a crisis pregnancy center. Offer a room in your home to a woman in a crisis pregnancy. Put your time and money where your mouth is. No woman ever WANTS an abortion. What she WANTS is HOPE. Offer HOPE. Give her DIGNITY. Most women in crisis pregnancy situations are in it because somewhere along the line, their dignity was taken from them. Do not judge them. Love them. Most of them know they’ve messed up and they don’t need to be lectured. When you offer love and restore dignity and respect, you earn the right to speak truth to a woman when she’s ready to face the consequences of her actions. And for God’s sake, do not mistake “speaking truth” for being loving. There is a time and a place for that, but not when the wound is so fresh and while the fear of the future is still looming.
Let us become a people, a Church known for love, not just talk. If we do not have love, we are a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. We are just loud and annoying. It’s time to do more than just debate the issue of abortion. It’s time to do more than just vote our consciences. It’s time to step in and be the hands and feet of Christ to women who are desperate for help. It’s time to seek out the faces in a “faceless issue” and stop ignoring women in crisis pregnancies. It’s time to reach out to the forgotten ones and rescue those who want to be rescued. It’s time to demonstrate love and accept people no matter their sins, and erase their shame. For when we erase shame, we cultivate hope and love. Where there is hope and love, there is life. If we offer hope and love, we can throw a lifeline to the “forgotten ones” and slowly change the tide of a culture awash in despair and death.
