# I had an abortion and all I got was this lousy t-shirt **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 27, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014 "2004-07-27T00:26:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/81 "2004-07-27T19:55:54Z")
> [@hildea](#): > > But when I got around to [look](http://shop.store.yahoo.com/ppfastore/ihadabt.html) at the T-shirt, I saw that it only says “I had an abortion”. What on earth is tacky or flippant about that? It dared to express a viewpoint that some people disagree with, of course! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/82 "2004-07-27T20:06:42Z")
> [@Muad'Dib](#): > > Why does everyone forget that the $300 refund was an idea that came entirely from the Democrats? Admitedly, Bush did co-opt it, but it was proposed by the Democrats after complaints that only the rich got anything out of the tax cuts. Um…it was hyperbole, **Muad’Dib**. Not that I’m for the war or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/83 "2004-07-27T20:11:07Z")
> [@Muad'Dib](#): > > Why does everyone forget that the $300 refund was an idea that came entirely from the Democrats? Admitedly, Bush did co-opt it, but it was proposed by the Democrats after complaints that only the rich got anything out of the tax cuts. Show a cite for that outrageous claim, please. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/84 "2004-07-27T20:57:02Z")
[Caveat: Haven’t read through entire thread. Will do so when I have the time.] I defer to the master. No, not that master. No, surprisingly, not Tom Tomorrow either. [http://www.xoverboard.com](http://www.xoverboard.com) Personally, I don’t really give a damn what kind of t-shirt anyone wears, but I just can’t see any good coming from this. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/85 "2004-07-27T21:57:13Z")
> [@Muad'Dib](#): > > Like it or not, many millions of people hold the honest conviction that abortion is murder. That is not just a catch phrase. They really believe that abortion is the senseless killing of utterly innocent human beings. So to see the issue taken in such a flippant manner is terribly insulting, rude, and immature. And I’m one of those millions (and one of the very few dopers) who believe abortion is murder. Do I find it insulting or rude? Sure. But no one cares. The media only takes notice when the liberals get upset. I find it ironic the T-shirts are “soft and comfortable.” After all, we wouldn’t want the wearer to experience the pain inflicted by a scratchy T-shirt, now would we? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/86 "2004-07-27T22:01:28Z")
> [@](#): > > It dared to express a viewpoint that some people disagree with, of course! No. I think it’s _tacky_. I’m all for gay rights but I don’t think gay men ought to start donning “I have anal sex.” t-shirts. That’s a visual I just don’t need while I munching on my Big Mac, thankyouverymuch. I also think it’s tacky to discuss your obstetric history while out in public, be it your abortion or the details of your 12 hour labor and delivery. Some things should be left private. You want to provoke, fine. But don’t pretend that you’re just trying to further your “cause” when, if anything, you’re only alienating the opposition further by using in-your-face shock tactics. That would be the George W. Bush method of making friends and influencing people and it ain’t very successful, in case you haven’t noticed. Make no mistake about it, people who wear these sorts of t-shirts, or who slap on those idiotic “Don’t Blame Me…” bumper stickers, are out for one thing: attention. And they don’t care if it’s a raised eyebrow or a raised middle finger. Pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/87 "2004-07-27T22:05:35Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > But no one cares. The media only takes notice when the liberals get upset. I’m having trouble typing while wiping away the tears of laughter. Is that hair shirt a good fit? ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/88 "2004-07-27T22:15:36Z")
**And they don’t care if it’s a raised eyebrow or a raised middle finger.** I think they want the finger, because then they can be a martyr. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/89 "2004-07-27T22:24:05Z")
Who, us? The cruel, evil, murderers of poor, innocent babies? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/90 "2004-07-27T23:28:46Z")
If you want tacky _and_ thought-provoking, how about a T-shirt with the slogan: _ **I got MY abortion for LESS at RAY’s BARBERSHOP** _ ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/91 "2004-07-28T01:29:59Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Um…it was hyperbole, **Muad’Dib**. Not that I’m for the war or anything. Sorry, a little pet-peeve that I should not have brought up in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/92 "2004-07-28T01:58:55Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Again-- it’s about context. If someone were to wear it at the beach, or something like that-- yeah. > > Any indication that’s happened, _ever?_ > > These shirts are for pro-choice demonstrations. Period. > > The way all the bloggers are reacting to this, you’d think women were wearing them to work. Hello – common sense, people. Yes, I understood that part thank you. And I wasn’t speaking of them wearing it to the beach or whatever. I’m quite sure my post didn’t suggest that they just “wear them out”. And actually, I was talking specifically OF them wearing it for protest purposes. So say they wear it only to a protest rally. And this is going to help them because? If they are at a rally or somewhere to protest, then wearing a Tshirt like that is just preaching to the choir for those in their same group, and likely to “turn off” protesters on the other side rather than give them ANY pause in their own beliefs. More likely just solidify the “other side’s” resolve. And as I said in my previous post, I don’t really care one way or the other, it just seems kindof like a waste of time as any sort of protest. ---
**Author:** ![sperfur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9adbd/32.png) [@sperfur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sperfur)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/93 "2004-07-28T02:38:18Z")
> [@Primaflora](#): > > I’ve had an abortion. If I got pregnant now, I’d have another one. I’m not ashamed of it. What she said. > [@CanvasShoes](#): > > And it’s an agonizing decision for many… For many of us, it _wasn’t_ an agonizing decision. We either knew we didn’t want a child at that time, or we knew we didn’t want children at all. Thank god I didn’t have to use a coathanger, because I would have. > [@PunditLisa](#): > > I don’t know one woman who has made such a decision flippantly or without a great deal of tears. Hi. I’m **sperfur**. Now you know at least one woman who didn’t have to think twice. No tears. Just determination. If you want to call that ‘flippant’, so be it. > [@DirkGntly](#): > > …the mantra is now, “safe, legal and any time, any place, **for any reason** ,” which is exactly the “slippery slope” that the “pro-life” side claimed they were trying to avoid. bolding mine What business of yours - or anyone’s - is my reason? Personally, I wish more women chose to have an abortion rather than have and raise a child they’re not mentally or financially capable or raising. We’ve all seen way too much child neglect and abuse and wondered ‘why on earth did that person have that child?’ \*\*Woman punishes her children by leaving them in a hot car with the windows rolled up while she gets her hair done. Kids die. \*\*Woman wants new life with new boyfriend, drives car off pier with kids inside. Kids die. Just two highly pulicized examples of dead kids of mothers who should have thought twice about having them. Why did those women have those children in the first place? I know a lot of other people, many of them anti-choice, have had this same thought. Their solution is adoption _only_, my solution is _that woman’s choice_ between adoption and abortion. _ **And I don’t apologize for it.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/94 "2004-07-28T02:47:34Z")
Sorry, **CanvasShoes** , I assumed you were talking about casual wear, because I can’t conceptualize how having a message on a T-shirt in the context of a political demonstration can be “flippant.” It’s become standard to use T-shirts as a medium in demonstrations. They’re hands-free, which frees hands for placards, or even more practical things. > [@](#): > > If they are at a rally or somewhere to protest, then wearing a Tshirt like that is just preaching to the choir for those in their same group, and likely to “turn off” protesters on the other side rather than give them ANY pause in their own beliefs. I think you misunderstand the purpose of a demonstration. It’s not about persuading opposition – it’s about increasing the visibility of your side. Numbers. You want to show people with influence that the issue matters to people. Just putting your body out there is using what influence you have to persuade the people who hold the reigns of power. That’s why demonstrations on controversial issues are met with counterdemonstrations. Nobody expects that sloganeering is going to persuade anyone. At pro-life rallies, you’ll see plenty of “Abortion is Homicide” t-shirts. These people aren’t being flippant, either-- they’re totally earnest. Most participants know that they aren’t going to get access to the podium, and there’s little chance that a reporter covering the event will ask them for a statement – but they still want to assert themselves and show solidarity for their cause. You know (or hope, at least) that there are going to be cameras. Same deal on both sides of the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/95 "2004-07-28T02:55:07Z")
So can we at least pretty much agree that, if this woman was wearing this shirt **at a rally or protest** , everyone’s pretty much fine with it? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/96 "2004-07-28T03:04:49Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Sorry, **CanvasShoes** , I assumed you were talking about casual wear, because I can’t conceptualize how having a message on a T-shirt in the context of a political demonstration can be “flippant.” Not a problem, I didn’t mean to “sound” defensive, just wanted to be sure that it was understood what I mean. > [@](#): > > It’s become standard to use T-shirts as a medium in demonstrations. They’re hands-free, which frees hands for placards, or even more practical things.I think you misunderstand the purpose of a demonstration. It’s not about persuading opposition – it’s about increasing the visibility of your side. Numbers. You want to show people with influence that the issue matters to people. Just putting your body out there is using what influence you have to persuade the people who hold the reigns of power. That’s why demonstrations on controversial issues are met with counterdemonstrations. Nobody expects that sloganeering is going to persuade anyone. > > At pro-life rallies, you’ll see plenty of “Abortion is Homicide” t-shirts. These people aren’t being flippant, either-- they’re totally earnest. Most participants know that they aren’t going to get access to the podium, and there’s little chance that a reporter covering the event will ask them for a statement – but they still want to assert themselves and show solidarity for their cause. You know (or hope, at least) that there are going to be cameras. > > Same deal on both sides of the issue. Okay, yeah, now that you’ve lined it out for me, it does make a certain kind of sense. I guess I was kind of thinking of it being a protest in the sense that the participants were hoping to “score points” or something. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/97 "2004-07-28T03:39:10Z")
> [@Hamadryad](#): > > So can we at least pretty much agree that, if this woman was wearing this shirt **at a rally or protest** , everyone’s pretty much fine with it? Oh yes, in that context I would not care. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/98 "2004-07-28T03:51:59Z")
**spefur** > [@](#): > > Personally, I wish more women chose to have an abortion That is the most disgusting thing I have read on this board, ever. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/99 "2004-07-28T04:07:01Z")
> [@milroyj](#): > > That is the most disgusting thing I have read on this board, ever. And this is one of the most blatantly dishonest quotations i have seen on this board, ever. Considering the source, however, i’m sure that no-one is too surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014/100 "2004-07-28T04:11:05Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > And this is one of the most blatantly dishonest quotations i have seen on this board, ever. > > Considering the source, however, i’m sure that no-one is too surprised. 😕 Why? It is, and I say this without hyperbole, a horrific statement. No. Never mind. This is turning into another damned abortion thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-an-abortion-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-t-shirt/257014.md?page=6)