tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395646.post8037942505489135731..comments2024-03-06T19:21:15.708-05:00Comments on RealChoice: The World of the "Abortion Doula"Christina Duniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785550737493692252noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395646.post-91779986389283516262014-09-15T15:55:25.703-04:002014-09-15T15:55:25.703-04:00Okay, just read this story, and another that was p...Okay, just read this story, and another that was posted as a headline on yahoo today (I had no clue there WERE "Abortion Doulas" before today.) But my humble opinion? The folks volunteering their time in this capacity are no different than those attending births, or even working in hospice situations. These doulas are not medical professionals...they're folks simply trying to provide some small measure of comfort to those suffering. While I can understand why staunch Pro-Life folks would find this work objectionable, I think it's extraordinarily wonderful when anyone spends their time trying to comfort others...for any reason. As the mother of four daughters (luckily, none of whom has ever faced an unplanned pregnancy), I can tell you that had that situation arisen, and had they made such a choice, I would be eternally grateful for anyone offering to hold their hand and whisper words of comfort and reassurance. Would the folks critical of these doulas prefer these patients be denied even a modicum of emotional support...as if the simple act of making a decision for abortion warrants the harshest possible physical and psychological discomfort? Where is the compassion? The role of these doulas is NOT to advise these patients, nor to judge their decisions, but simply to provide comfort to women in likely desperate situations. I don't see how that act of selflessness and compassion warrants criticism, regardless of one's opinion of abortion. Just can't see it.Deb Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999750777191875986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395646.post-60681338761798059122013-01-26T08:02:47.601-05:002013-01-26T08:02:47.601-05:00Christina and Not Another Mom, I just read the art...Christina and Not Another Mom, I just read the article this post is based on and I agree with Christina. The woman who felt guilty about having such a roomy apartment in Harlem who decided to use her spare bedroom to house women coming to NYC for abortions might also have provided a place for an unwed mother to stay once kicked out of her house or on the street for whatever reason. The real bias is present in the original article, not Christina's. The New Radicals are biased toward abortion rights. One reason for this is their staunch belief in population control. These sociologists (my sister one of the most prominent among them) are concerned about overpopulation and this general idea that every child should be conceived when the timing is perfect. There are millions of women getting pregnant every day who find it an unexpected blessing and adjust their lives accordingly -- not just upper and middle class women but poor women and teen moms as well. So really, we could ALL stand to back up and view the situation from a more big picture view. It really comes down to valuing life or not valuing it. Considering pregnancy just a scientific process within the human body or the amazing transmission of life to life. Ignoring the truth as spoken by scientists, geneticists, doctors, etc doesn't make it less true. And I also disagree that abortion is EVER the only solution. The cases in which it may be medically necessary to save a woman's life are ectopic pregnancy and a couple of other rare situations, all of which constitute a very small number of abortions each year. These aren't the women being sheltered in the woman in Harlem's spare bedroom. The Winding Ascenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18436432834251794409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395646.post-63646605749459085722013-01-26T07:28:29.761-05:002013-01-26T07:28:29.761-05:00NotAnotherMom, I'm actually wondering if you r...NotAnotherMom, I'm actually wondering if you really read the article. My complaint was that the "doulas" don't seem to be there to actually help the mother; they're just there to facilitate an abortion, to wallow in it, to immerse themselves in the drama of it all. The women's actual situations are just part of the atmosphere rather than something to try to help her to resolve.<br /><br />Wouldn't it be better to provide the woman with a safe place to go? To help her escape the abusive situation? To help her to figure out her finances so that she isn't driven to lie there sobbing that she killed her baby, while the "doula" exhauts in having "helped" her by holding her hand and telling her a horoscope?Christina Duniganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04785550737493692252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395646.post-59595912301291895382013-01-25T20:37:03.652-05:002013-01-25T20:37:03.652-05:00I find this article to be extremely biased towards... I find this article to be extremely biased towards pro-life. You make some valid points, however it is apparent that the author is entirely against abortion.<br /> I'm not saying I am pro-choice or pro-life, however I will note that there is more to this story than what is being told.<br /> A so called "abortion doula" isn't there because they enjoy abortions. A doula is about helping to mother the mother - in any way possible. They're there to make sure that the woman is making informed choices, with informed consent - that means that she knows the benefits, risks and alternatives to what she is about to do. They're helping a woman cope emotionally with something that is very traumatic.<br /> In a society that is very focused on the infants well being during pregnancy, birth and postbirth, there needs to be someone who is focused on the woman carrying the child - that is the role of a Doula. <br /> While it's equally important to consider the child, it's also fair to say that unless you are in the situation, you don't KNOW the options. For some women, abortion is the only option - if they don't have a safe home to go to, if they are in an abusive situation, if it is a child from a rape or abuse.. the decision to terminate is very tough, but ultimately sometimes it is the only answer for some women. Adoption is great - but only if you are physically able to carry a child to term which some women are not for various reasons. NotAnotherMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10411867136516373586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395646.post-12719174680572941292012-02-17T15:55:38.988-05:002012-02-17T15:55:38.988-05:00How can someone do that all the time. Watching mur...How can someone do that all the time. Watching murder occur on a regular basis ... sick! I am a nurse and the thought of that makes me sick.<br /><br />www.againstabortion.netJack Oblonskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09327651897026573480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395646.post-51297488012848771792012-02-16T17:50:22.292-05:002012-02-16T17:50:22.292-05:00Prayers are always appreciate, Emily. Pray that Go...Prayers are always appreciate, Emily. Pray that God bring these words before the right people and open their heats to His message of hope and life and love.Christina Duniganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04785550737493692252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395646.post-56491978695724204212012-02-16T17:47:21.723-05:002012-02-16T17:47:21.723-05:00Oh Christina.. this is so disturbing and sad.
How...Oh Christina.. this is so disturbing and sad.<br /><br />How do you stand it, to immerse yourself in this world all the time?<br /><br />But I am glad you are. Praying for you today...Emily Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12014196267197823268noreply@blogger.com