My Encounter with Planned Parenthood Supporters

Planned Parenthood of AZ held a "Stop the War Against Women" rally (*groan*) at the State Capitol today, so Arizona Right to Life asked for people to come and stage a counter-protest. I went, as did Kara, and here are my reflections on the event.

There were a lot more abortion supporters than pro-lifers there, but I think that's because PP had a lot more planning time (and they're also better funded -- I'm willing to be that a lot of the people there were employees). The vast majority of PP supporters seemed to be elderly women. There were some younger women, a few men, and a group of teens, but I'd estimate that 70-80% were retirees. Check out this article about the event, for example:

"Women's rights have been part of my life forever," said Donna Ellis, 69....

Malinda Briggs, 63, of Tucson, said...

Here are some pictures of the PP crowd:

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App
(the signs read "No Laws on Our Bodies" and "Hands off My Womb"

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

In contrast, here's a group picture of some of the Arizona Right to Life crowed (this was at the very end of the rally so many people had already left):

Gabe and I are in the front row, next to Kara and her girls!

Pro-abortion supporters in person seem to be just as ignorant as pro-abortion supporters online. They kept chanting "Our bodies, our choice." When I would challenge this assumption with "It's a CHILD, not a choice," one response was, "No, it's an EMBRYO."

Last time I checked, an embryo was just the scientific term for a child in a certain stage of development, just like zygote, blastocyst, fetus, neonate, adolescent, etc.

I kept asking one lady why she thought that anyone had the right to kill an innocent human being, and all she would (could?) say in reply was, "It's a CHOICE. It's a CHOICE." She had the gall to say that we need "choice" in this country so we don't become like China and have forced abortions. When I told her that 60% of all abortions in this country were forced or coerced, she didn't believe me and demanded to know where my data was from. I told her to visit http://theunchoice.com, but I doubt she'll stop drinking the PP Kool-Aid long enough to do so.

When I asked why one human being has the right to kill another, or why human rights were bestowed based on location or stage of development, she refused to answer me. She just kept repeating, "It's a choice."

Of course, I also got the typical, "Abortion is a religious issue. There's separation of church and state" comment from one bitter old lady. (That was my impression of her - she was old, and her facial expression was very bitter.) This comment came despite the fact that I had not once brought up any argument pertaining to religion. I told her that abortion was a human rights issue, not a religious issue. I also told her about SecularProLife.org, the Atheist and Agnostic Pro-Life League, and Pro-Life Pagans. Her response? "Abortion is a religious issue. There's separation of church and state."

*sigh*

Another PP supporter had the gall to lecture me about bringing my infant son with me; she said all the shouting (by their side!) and the sun were bad for him. Seriously, lady? You're standing there advocating for the murder of unborn children and you're telling me how to parent? If I'd chosen to have an abortionist dismember him in the womb you wouldn't bat an eye, but now you think it's bad that I have him out in the sun, and around loud people?!

I guess they only care about children after they're born. (Hmmm, where have I heard that before...?)

I also had several of the PP supporters say things like, "I hope you support education reform and funding for women in crisis." Um, yeah, of course I do. Like I wrote yesterday, the myth that pro-lifers only care about unborn children can be easily refuted.

One guy kept repeating The Lord's Prayer over and over. I was tempted to ask him if he'd ever read the part of the Bible that said, "Thou shalt not murder."

Another PP supporter asked me if I was against death penalty. I said, "I am, but surely you can see the difference between a convicted felon and an innocent unborn child." Her response was, "They're not innocent."

Yes. That's what she said. They're not innocent. Apparently unborn children maliciously hijack a woman's uterus and there's nothing she can do about it. *facepalm* What, does she think they wear little T-shirts that say "Occupy Womb Street" while they're in there?

It was rather depressing to see so many misguided, deluded people, but it was encouraging to see that most of them were elderly women, as mentioned above. I'm sure AZRTL could have put together a larger protest if they'd had more time, but it was organized via Facebook with only a day or two of notice. I should've invited the PPers out to the Phoenix March for Life in two weeks!

18 comments:

  1. I always just want to roll my eyes and say, "GOOD ARGUMENT! NOT!" These people have no basis for argument. They're just totally insane.

    Very good post. Fun times ;)

    Oh, and I invited the Tea Party to our rally. That should be fun. lol

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  2. Great post! It's so funny I clicked on your blog the other day and loved it and had no idea you were the same Joanna from our little facebook group. So now I follow!
    Sarah (@mommabehr)

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  3. GOOD FOR YOU! Reading this, and having previously had contact with such people, I just keep getting that they are robots. They say the same thing over and over, whether asked a question or given a statement. Hrm. I found it extremely funny that it would've been ok for you to abort your child but THE SUN that nourishes us (yes, even Norwegians) is bad for him. Hrm. It is positive that the PP side seemed elderly and the... let's say "sane" side (only because the responses aren't robotic and pre-programmed) was of younger people. I sure hope this hippie crap (as my mom, who was there for the start of all of this, refers to it as) dwindles off soon. It might be our bodies, but it's a whole other life inside of it... we're not God, and we can't decide whether that life survives or not. I'm just so glad you went and stood your ground, even if it is like bashing your head against a wall.

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  4. I just end up feeling bad for people like that. They are so misled, and they have no idea. Good for you for going and being an advocate for LIFE!!!

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  5. Let me get this straight. The Planned UnParenthood people say to keep hands of their wombs, but apparently sharp instruments in the womb are okay??

    Well, the PP people will die out because they probably killed the next generation before the young ones got here.

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  6. Wow that is sad and depressing. But good for you for heading out there with your baby :) to fight the battle for the unborn.

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  7. Interesting-I drive by a clinic on my way to work every morning and frequently there are pro-life protestors standing outside with signs. 99% are all older men and a few women (all look to be over 50).

    -gwen

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  8. Gwen,

    That's because they're likely retired and their kids are out of the house, so they have more freedom to do those types of things.

    At the pro life marches held every January across the country, the demographic and overall demeanor of the crowd is completely different from that of these Planned Parenthood rallies.

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  9. Miss G, you should drive to AZ for the Phoenix March for Life rally on January 22! Then you can see for yourself just how many young, beautiful, vibrant families attend. :) Or, you could join your local Catholic Church's pilgrimage to DC to check out the tens of thousands of young people at the National March for Life!

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  10. All of this is typical of the emotion-based arguments I hear when arguing pro-aborts anywhere. And they're just getting crazier. So sad.

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  11. Thanks for the invite JoAnna but I teach M-F so an event Sunday plus a 7+ hour drive back home is pretty much out of the question. Plus, I support Planned Parenthood so no doubt I'd feel pretty out of place. Also, I cannot stand the "tea party" and prefer to be far away from any events they publicly attend as a group.

    -gwen

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  12. Have you ever met any Tea Partiers, Gwen? My MIL is one and she's an incredibly nice person. I wouldn't paint them all with the same broad brush.

    I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of all the young people at the March for Life so you can see how many there are! Once the national Marches take place (in DC and San Francisco), you should hunt up pictures and take a look (the MSM never reports on it, so you'll probably have to check places like LifeSite News...).

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  13. Great, I'll look forward to your pictures. I don't doubt there are plenty of young people involved in the pro-life movement (heck, I know some). There are young people in support of PP too.

    As for your MIL being nice has nothing to do with the tea party really. Plenty of nice people are misled-as you would probably say about those of us who are nice atheists. I know some pro-abortion people who are extremely nice. I don't expect to see you arm in arm with them at the county fair.

    -gwen

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  14. It's pretty common knowledge that the pro-life movement is made up of younger and younger people. Perhaps they are annoyed the their aging moms and grandmas (and the wimpy or abusive "men" who "love" them) aborted a third of their peers?

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  15. Kara's friend here. Well said. I did giggle at hijacking the womb and wearing "Occupy Womb Street" t-shirts, but I totally get what you're saying. I don't understand their logic, it just doesn't hold water.

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