Monday, June 1, 2009

What You Can Do

Hi friends - thanks for your support. It's good to see the pro-choice community coming together to mobilize and push forward, even though it takes a terrible tragedy to make it happen.

As mentioned before, Feministing has a great post up about what you can do in the aftermath of Dr. Tiller's death to honour his contribution to women's rights. I thought you also might like to know where you can donate in Dr. Tiller's name. In no particular order...(note: most of these are American organizations):

Medical Students for Choice
National Network of Abortion Funds
Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada
National Abortion Federation
Planned Parenthood
Canadian Federation for Sexual Health
Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health
The George Tiller Memorial Abortion Fund
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Abortion Care Network
Exhale
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals
The Morgentaler Defense Fund

Let me know if you know of any others.

Also, there is a vigil being held in Ottawa tomorrow night. Here are the details:

Date: Tuesday, June 2.
Time: 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Human Rights Monument, Elgin & Lisgar

If anyone knows of any other Canadian vigils being planned, please let me know in comments and I will update. I'm hoping to put one together for Fredericton and I will let you know the details as soon as possible.

Solidarity.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

George Tiller has butchered his last baby

Anonymous said...

Someone murdered Mr Tiller,that person is guilty of murder he took someone's life he broke the law.Mr Tiller directly had a hand in killing thousand's of Babies.What's the difference both victims are dead.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...George Tiller has butchered his last babyHere, now, is the true face of the anti-choice movement.

Janet said...

Any way to pull that "anonymous" comment?

Anonymous said...

Pedge,

I'm pretty sure this anon guy who posts comments first on each thread is a troll, trying to get a rise out of you and your readers. Please ignore him or (if you are the type) delete such inane and inflammatory posts.

I just wanted to comment on your previous post. I understand that you are typing it soon after learning the news that a respected colleague of yours was gunned down, which may explain some of your emotions. However, I've found in many of your posts an underlay of anger and rage at the pro-life movement.

"I’m so f**king mad I can’t even see straight.", "What kind of sick piece of crap thinks it’s justified to take his life?", "YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN, and you can go f**k yourselves." You also use words such as, "we can’t let them win", and "fight back", implying a combative mentality.

Do you realize that Scott Roeder was probably motivated by much the same types of emotions?

Anonymous said...

Janet:

Any way to pull all three "anonymous" comments? They're all offensive, including the third.

I'm thinking that the purpose of the first and second is only to generate the third...

The Pedgehog said...

For those of you wondering about the hateful comments, I do have comment moderation which means I see them before they get published. I put up every single comment, unless it's so offensive I can't (that hasn't happened yet). I have my reasons; mainly that I think it's important to see the ideas and feelings that are out there, on all sides of the issue.

Scary Fundamentalist, thanks for your concern, but I know a troll when I see one and I don't need your help deciding how to deal with them.

As to the rest of your comment, SF, I'm sorry if you're bothered by my anger, but honestly, I don't give a shit. I'm entitled to be angry. Hell, if you're not angry about the state of women's rights in North America, you're not awake.

A brave, intelligent, gentle and compassionate man was gunned down in a church on Sunday. You're damn right I'm angry.

I don't care what kind of emotions motivated the murderer. The point is, he murdered someone. I don't like your implication and I think you're baiting me. Which is super uncool.

Just sayin'.

Anonymous said...

Pedge:

My apologies for the perceived baiting. I was doing nothing of the sort. Like I said, if I had a close colleague gunned down for something I believed strongly in, I would be upset as you are.

I'm only trying to point out that intentional polarization of the two sides is what usually gets us into this type of mess. I've come to believe that a demonization of one's ideological opponent will never, ever, help the issue. While the extremist fringe of each side (I'll put Scott Roeder in that category) is to be deplored and denounced, we aren't going to solve any problems by continually being angry at each other.

For example, I recognize that you believe wholeheartedly that you are doing everything you can to help women in trouble, and I respect you for that.

I ask that you would recognize that most pro-lifers are not the type that you run into in front of Morgentaler. Most of us have jobs, and families, and are pretty normal people. We don't have time to post "butchering" comments on your website, nor can we stand in front of abortion clinics all day to harass those going there.

And all of us think the slaying of Tiller was a horrible crime.

The Pedgehog said...

You know, I've been told a lot of times that the vast majority of pro-lifers are peaceful etc. Fine. I don't really care whether you are personally pro-life and pro-choice. My anger is directed at people who deliberately mislead and frighten women, who block their entrance into clinics and try to harrass and threaten them out of accessing LEGAL MEDICAL CARE, and those who bomb and set fire to clinics, and those who kill doctors.

For those of you keeping your nose out of my reproductive health, I have no anger.

As for the polarization, I agree with you. Which is why I wish we could meet in the middle, on things we can agree on: like preventing unwanted pregnancies. That's why most people I know who are pro-choice support (and actively promote) comprehensive sex education, and free and accessible birth control. If any pro-lifers care to meet us there, in the middle, that would be awesome.

The point is, yeah, I'm angry. I'm angry at people who take their anti-abortion stance and use it to do illegal and unethical things. If you're pro-life and keep it to yourself, or even if you are trying to change the law through the legal channels already set up, you're fine by me, and by most pro-choicers, I would assume.

I don't care what personal opinions you hold, as long as you're not trying to take my rights away.

Anonymous said...

Let me get this straight.The pedge works at an abortion clinic and weather she wants to admit it or not Babies are killed there, all in the name of choice.A pro-life person man or women which in most cases stand around silently protesting this crime (without a law) are considered unethical.How does a civilized society get to such a place.

E said...

Hey, Peggy, concern troll is concerned!

You're drawing an equivalence where none exists. Pro-choice people do not try to force anti-choice people to get abortions. We don't stand outside OB/GYN clinics holding grotesque images of botched C-sections. You talk as if there's an extremist pro-choice movement -- where is it? Has anyone shot Randall Terry? Is Peter Ryan's life being threatened? What's an extremist pro-choicer to you -- someone who actually gets angry in the face of constant verbal (and occasional physical) attacks from your side?

There is no such thing as being "personally pro-life"; if you think abortion is wrong but don't want to take abortion rights away, you're pro-choice. Period. As for common ground, the anti-choice movement has repeatedly rejected requests to come together on issues like birth control and sex education.

Of course we're angry. The pro-life movement is the reason people harass the patients at the Morgentaler Clinic. It's the reason money and time have to be poured into the same legal battles over and over again. And it's the reason George Tiller is dead.

Anonymous said...

Pedge:

Thanks for the reply. I hope I can tag along with your blog for a while and give you a perspective of a more intelligent and less reactionary pro-lifer, one that cares for the rights of both women and the unborn, and the agonizing conundrum that results when these conflict.

Feel free to read my reaction to Tiller's murder:

http://scaryfundamentalist.blogspot.com/2009/06/george-tiller-everyone-loses.html

Cheers,

Scary

Anonymous said...

Scary.If you were half as intelligent as you think you are, you would realize there ain't no sitting on the fence on this one.The battle here is between Life and Death, Truth and Lie.If you side with Women's right to choose,a Baby dies.So whose side are you on.
Anonymous Idiot

Anonymous said...

Anonymous(es?), I suggest that you put aside your hateful rhetoric and actually take the time to acquaint yourself with the conditions under which women seek abortion.* The stories of the women who were treated by Dr. Tiller via a completely legal medical procedure are particularly heartbreaking: http://www.aheartbreakingchoice.com/kansasstories.html

Scary Fundamentalist, my problem with less radical anti-choicers such as yourself is neatly summed up by this statement of yours:

"We don't have time to post "butchering" comments on your website, nor can we stand in front of abortion clinics all day to harass those going there."

The wording of this statement suggests that the only thing keeping so-called "normal" anti-choicers from terrorizing women who exercise their legal right to choose is a lack of time. This is either dangerous rhetoric, a terrifying admission, or some combination of the two.

*Any reason for seeking abortion, "heartbreaking" or not, is a valid one, but I don't think that anyone could remain anti-choice after reading the stories linked above.

Pedge, my apologies for feeding the trolls. I just had to get that out. Keep fighting the good fight, friend.

A.