First off, I’m not “so convinced” - I’m just merely capable of taking a website’s claim at face value. Secondly, off the top of my head, I can come up with several examples of what some women might be afraid of:
[ul]
[li]Zealous pro-lifers who will condemn them as murderers regardless of which side of the debate they are on.[/li][li]Family members or friends who they personally know, who they believe will be confrontational (emotionally, physically, verbally, etc.) regarding their decision to have an abortion.[/li][li]Pro-choice advocates who will immediately hijack their dialogue and belittle their fear of being outed.[/li][/ul]
That wasn’t real hard to come up with. Certainly those are legitimate, reasonable excuses that people would want a separate forum and movement in which to discuss their experiences?
Your use of “probably” proves my point. You, in fact, do not know that these women feel unsafe discussing their experiences in public, nor do you know to what extent those emotions run. Thus, your assessment was invalid, or at the very least, poorly thought-out.
The fact that they feel “unsafe” doesn’t make it unsafe. They feel guilty, and may have issues with family, and might run into a crazed anti-abortion protestor who will be upset with the fact that they feel guilty…but I certainly wouldn’t use the word “unsafe.” Unsafe is the word you use when you have to walk into an abortion clinic, past the protestors, past groups who have a history of violence against patients and care providers entering the building.
You’re right…I don’t know. But any intelligent person can weigh the situation and see that they’re not in any more danger than you or I. They’re feeling guilty and want a group to share that guilt with.
Which is exactly why that website doesn’t mention absolutely anything about physical danger. You should actually take a look at it, rather than glance at one quote at the top of the front page - you may discover that it’s something entirely different than your original post on the subject made it out to be.
Hey, maybe you did! Because that’s *exactly * what that site appears to be.
It was an exhilarating experience, but now I’m very, very tired. And even a full day after having left DC, every muscle in my body is still very, very sore. Still, it was wonderful. I’d be happy to post a full account of my experiences in the march, but I don’t have the energy to do it right now.
I was there with my SO and a bunch of friends. It was incredibly moving and there really must have been a million people there.
Not to reengage the pro/con debate by any means, but an anti protester had a sing which read “National Organization of Witches”. We naturally had to pose in front of it for pictures, which I don’t think was the young man’s intention, judging by his steely glare.
I’m awfully glad I went.
It was amazing. So many people, such a wide range of people, passionate and yet so orderly. Even when passing the counter-protesters, people just chanted louder as they passed (my fave: “This is what a feminist looks like. This is what democracy looks like.”) or stood and held their march signs in front of the the fetus photos. I saw very little confrontation and no “in your face” stuff from the marchers. (And, truthfully, little of it from the counter-protesters as well.) The police presence seemed very light - mostly guys on bicycles.
The home-made signs were great. Some of my favorites:
“U.S. out of my uterus.”
“Blondes for choice. It’s a no brainer.” (apologies to blonde dopers)
I wish I’d written them down, so many were so clever.
What impressed me most was the normalcy of it. Mothers, children, young women, grandmothers, fathers, boyfriends,… Yes there were “fringe” types, but it was the waves and waves of just plain people like you’d see at the office or the supermarket or on TV that really impressed me. People who rode 8 hours on a bus from Cleveland or Georgia or flew in from Hawaii, not just from DC or NYC (“east coast liberals”). The message seemed clear - there’s a significant centrist/liberal segment that is really concerned about the (recent and possible future) infringements on women’s status and rights as well as a host of other issues.
And, though I’d prefer we didn’t feel it necessary to assemble like this, mostly I came away thankful to live in a place where this kind of thing can (still) happen.
(Cue corny music here…)
All in all, an awesome day.
*Who last marched on DC 40 years ago to hear MLK’s “I have a dream” at the Lincoln Memorial. Yes, she rocks.
I could not attend due to the rules of my profession, but I had an old friend in town who did attend, so it was great to catch up with her. However, I was walking through DuPont Circle the day before the protest, and it was serving as sort of a ground zero for people coming through… information booths and whatnot all over the place. The energy was palpable, and it gave me one of those emotional “I love the first amendment” moments.
Also, to all of you who aren’t from DC… I have to say that of all the protesters I’ve seen come through this town, all of your conducted yourself better than I’ve ever seen. All the protesters I ran into were cheerful and seemed to respect the fact that this is a city that people live and work in, not just a collection of monuments. Just a damn friendly group of people, all of you were.
You even got the escalator rules right some of the time. Nice job!
Wow, I guess I am glad I did not go. It would hav been confusing to be counter-protesting, then arguing with my own side about their often jerkish methods, and peridoically switching to the other side when the anti-war anti-Bushies passed by. Not everyone who is on one side of abortion is on one side of Bush.
