One of the most common characterizations of pro-lifers by our opponents is that we have no "real-world" experience. We live sheltered lives. We live in the suburbs, far from all the problems of the world, and we do not venture out of this safe haven to see the seemier, grittier part of life.
This is one underlying assumption of alternet's recent op-ed from a former anti-abortionist.
QUOTE:
My certainty and peace of mind were not to last, however. College showed me that life is full of gray.
Yeah, college is the real world. Not. As if pro-lifers never see what she sees!
Serge at LTI Blog blows that myth out of the water:
For the record, here is my "real-world" experience. I was predominately trained in inner city Detroit, where I saw the worst of what humanity can offer. Gunshot wounds to the face were a weekly occurrence, and during my first night of call I saw my first knife sticking out from someone's skull. I have seen horrific child abuse, horribly burned children, evidence of torture, and more abused women than I can count. I also witnessed that many of the stories about injuries of a sexual nature were really true. I have treated children with AIDS, and was the one who diagnosed HIV on a few occasions.
In some ways my wife has seen worse. She is a bone marrow transplant and pediatric oncology nurse. It was very common for her to treat a young child suffering from the equivalent of third degree burns from GVH disease. I saw the look of the kids when I used to visit her in the hospital (it is where we met). I began to stop asking her about the ones that I met - knowing that the news was often not good.
Considering everything that we have witnessed, I hope I can be forgiven for my offence. My experience has not taught me that life is simple, but has shown me that human beings have tremendous capacity for evil. My experience has not taught me that "being realistic" means we jettison the notion that human beings are intrinsically valuable, but has taught me the consequences when we deny our intrinsic value.
