Now I must confess that I’ve been known to protest a few things in my day, but something really bothered me about that little kid being a part of it. I believe in the people’s right to peacefully assemble and protest. However, I also remember being in college, having no health insurance, and going to Planned Parenthood for all my female health needs. They offer so many other services besides abortions, but nevertheless, I still had to walk through a horde of protesters, screaming insults at me and putting graphic photos of aborted babies in my face. It was very traumatic and I can only imagine how young women who are actually getting abortions feel. It seems that they’re making what is already a traumatic situation, much, much worse. So when I saw this little boy actively participating, it made me wonder what he was actually learning from the process.
All
of that being said, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that in
America everyone has the right to speak their mind. The rights of free speech and freedom to
assemble are some of our greatest liberties.
To suppress someone’s free speech is to suppress all of our voices. I don’t have to agree with what is being
said, to agree with their right to say it, distasteful as it may seem.
So
my question to you this week is, “What do you think of the “Right to Life”
protesters? Do agree with protesting in
this way?” Answers are due no later than
Wednesday, November 7th, 2012. To find your polling place for
Tuesday’s election, please go here: http://maps.indy.gov/VIP/ To those of you with family & friends
affected by Hurricane Sandy, my thoughts and prayers go out to you. To donate to the disaster relief efforts,
please go here: http://www.redcross.org/
I agree with the freedom to protest and assemble, but keep it tasteful. Pictures of aborted babies is inappropriate to have displayed in public. Also, like you said, Planned Parenthood provides a variety of services. It is ridiculous to think that they are the devil because people can go there to get an abortion. However, if people want to protest that one specific service that they offer, they should be able to.
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ReplyDeleteI agree that everyone should have the right to speak their mind and protest but the protesting should be respectful. When the protesters are harrassing people using the Planned Partenthood Clinic, they are very disrespectful. Each side of the "Fight for Life" protest need to respect each other. Just as partrons of the clinic don't throw things and fight back to the protesters, the proesters shouldn't harrass the patrons. I think a simple booth with information about their side of the story would be more effective than abusing partrons of the clinic.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everyone having the right to their own opinions, but i desagree with protesting in this way. I am pro life and am not ashamed to say it, but I also belive that it solves nothing to make women feel terrible for a choice they are making because I don't know what all is going on in their lives. Nor do I feel that I have the right to assume what is going on in their lives. I feel like all of the people who stand out there and protest actually have more of a lack of love and compassion for people even though they claim to being doing it because they love life, but really it makes more of an impact on someone's life to love them through whatever choice they are making and hopefully through that they will chose life. None the less, I feel that there are more effective ways to express that you are pro life.
ReplyDeleteFirst Planned Parenthood main goal is to prevent the unwanted pregnancies, which prevent abortion so actually they are helping the cause of the protestors. Protestors have the right to speak and express their feelings because we are a free nation, but aggressive protests harm the purpose of the protest and divert people from it. The protestors may have a good cause but insulting and yelling at the women visiting the Planned Parenthood clinics is not protesting, I call it harassing. No one of the protestors knows what is going on in the life of a woman who is seeking abortion. It is a very private matter and only the pregnant woman knows if she can mentally, physically, and financially afford to keep the child. If it is a sin, she has the right to choose to commit it or to avoid it. Life is about choices and we are what we choose. I believe that abortion is better than raising a child as unwanted person because the amount of pain and harm that is caused to a child when his mother rejects him/her. Growing up feeling rejected is a trauma that effects and devastates the child for the rest of his life. Why give birth to children then not give them the love and care they need to grow up healthy and normal? For me, this is a bigger sin than abortion.
DeleteAs far as the "Right To Life" protesters, and any protesters at that, I think what they are doing to this little boy might either be manipulating him, or maybe he is around it so much that he happens to be against abortion. It could mean anything, and only asking him what he things about what he is doing is the truth.
ReplyDeleteHowever, protesters period are fine with me. I have never done it. I’d like to do it but when said protests are in effect I am in class so I have never been one. What they do and say are legitimate. I don’t think it’s cool thought that waving pictures in peoples faces and getting in someones face and saying what they are doing is wrong, is in fact wrong to me seeing the overall picture. It’s kind of twisted. You being so strong in your opinion is unnecessary. The young woman deciding to have an abortion or a lesbian couple deciding to get married is their own business, and I think some protesters take it too far.
So I’m on both sides of the story. Protesters are fan, just not when they are rude. And someone having an abortion or not is their business, and it’s not mine. Someone should not have to feel wrong or put down by what they decide to do.
I agree with the right to protest. But I feel like the way they are going about it is kind of disrespectful. I think women that are going to get an abortion are already going through enough problems and they don't need to see all of that. It could also be done in a quieter and not such a gory way. It also sucks for the women that are trying to go there that aren't getting abortions. It may actually turn some women away from getting birth control because they don't want to have to deal with the pressure and embarrassment which in result may lead to an abortion.
ReplyDeleteOf course we all have the right to protest, but we also have the right to make choices. I think there should be some rules placed on how we protest so that things don't get out of hand. Protesters should have to be off the premises and not be allowed to physically touch any employees and/or customers of the service. The protesters messages can still be heard in a noninvasive way. This may actually be better for both causes as people may want to listen more if they are not so obnoxious.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the Right to life protestors, I believe they have a right to protest whether I agree with them or not, but I disagree with this form of protest, at least in this sense. You're not going to change anything by protesting outside of a Planned Parent, this organization is at the very end of the spectrum when it comes to the decisions that are made to get them there. It would be much smarter to get involved in the government and make their voices heard. Standing out side the road holding signs is just silly, and just cause I would draw more against your cause because of the act.
ReplyDeleteI am just really torn when it comes to this topic. I really do wish that they didn't feel the need to hold up their signs, fore shaming your actions, but the Right to Life protesters have to right and freedom to protest against their cause. If they have to right to protest against Planned Parenthood, then I do not see why I wouldn't have to right to protest against them.
ReplyDeleteI think women that think about getting abortions are just out right awful. I am certainly pro life, and if put in the situation of unplanned pregnancy or even a rape. I would keep the baby and give it up for adoption. Me personally i do not want kids now or in the future but, I was adopted as a child and if my mother would have decided toward abortion i would not be here. This is certainly a subject that I feel very very strong about and am not afraid to voice my opinion about it. They can protest in anyway. If you are going in planned parenthood for birth control okay good for you many girls do but i do not think it is wrong if they are protesting and i do not think it is even right to have abortion clinics or the plan b pill. You are taking the risk of having a child at the point of deciding to have sex. They can protest however they would like if you felt that strongly about a subject wouldnt you want to protest too?
ReplyDeleteI think everyone has a right to their opinion, but I think people should be careful about how they go about doing it. I think some protesters need to consider how their actions may effect the ones they are considering the opposition. Not only that, but I don't think using children like that is morally sound. I think if a parent is going to teach their kid about things like abortion, they should do it in a stable environment as well as arm their child with the proper knowledge to make their own decision. I think the topic of abortion shouldn't be addressed at such a young age either.
ReplyDeleteYes I believe its ok to protest in that manner. while I was in the military i witnessed plenty of organized protests. although they caused us a big hassle, its still their right to do so.
ReplyDeleteI am a result of a teenage drunken mistake. My birth mother was 15 years old went to a college party and got knocked up. If it wasnt for my birth mothers choice to put me up for adoption I wouldnt be writting this today. I disagree with abortions and I would never make the choice to abort a child. However you are 100% correct these protesters have the right to stand there and throw things in your face and scream all they want. I DO NOT support their cause but thats not what this blog is about. If you want to protest, protest respectfully. Whenever you see someone acting like an idiot you automatically no longer care for the cause, you just want them to get the hell out of your way. There are ways to get you point across without being an ass. Also, Planned Parenthood is not just a place to abort babies. It for women who want to take care of themselves, and protect themselves. Planned Parenthood gives them the option to protect themselves so they dont have to make the decision to abort, adopt or be a mother. There are so many good things that can come from Planned Parenthood but these protestor just want to see the negative. I think these people are hurting their cause rather than helping.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the right to protest. As long as you do it peaceably. That's not me saying that all protestors are right in their protests, but who's to say what's right? There are the extremists of the world who will protest because they feel all other options have been exhausted. The kid being young, probably has an idea what he's protesting, but really no idea the complexities that come from such an issue. For him it's most likely, "BABY DEATH = WRONG" and doesn't understand other aspects of it.
ReplyDelete-Ethan James Williams
I don't have a problem with people protesting, and I like to see people standing up for what they believe in. But there is a line that they cross at times. As long as they don't cross that line, protest all you like!! But being 10.....protesting about abortion is a little extreme. Would that 10 year old really know what hes protesting for?.... I could see him protesting for more ice creams or more video game time, or maybe less homework, but not abortion. So that to me would be crossing the line. Photos or statistic or what not don't bother me, so the more photos the better, I am a visuale person anyway!
ReplyDeleteI dont usually have a problem with protesters, protesting against stuff, because it is what they believe in...BUT bringing a little boy in the midst, who has no idea on what he believes in, in that sense, is a little ridiculous. The boy only believes that way, because his parents do.. Im not saying abortion is a good thing, or that i agree with it, because i dont. But im not one to go protest. If i were that kind of person, i most certainly would not bring my child.
ReplyDeleteI have never thought very highly of abortion and I have always felt that there could be an alternative way of dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. For example giving the child up for adoption. Although my thoughts are negative toward abortion I don't think it is right for people to judge others that make the decision to to get one. I used to be very outspoken about abortions and was not afraid to tell people that I thought it was completely wrong. Until one day I was talking about my opinion on the subject when a girl that I didn't know very well became very offended and started telling me about girls that are raped get abortions and I immediately felt horrible about my outspoken opinion. You never know what a person is going through or what their reasons are behind a huge decision like that and for women in that kind of situation I don't think they should have to deal with screaming protesters while they are already making a very hard and sometimes traumatizing decision.
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