Hey. Thanks so much for this post. I was taken with your transparency and openness in the comments of the Bad Cattitude Substack today (14 April) I will add to that discussion but wanted to affirm you as you travel in search of reality, and felt like I needed to come read the source material.
Jun 29, 2022·edited Jun 29, 2022Liked by Rebekah Barnett
Wish I had your ability to express myself so clearly. Really great points you put forward here! Not an easy topic to address. I have been in the camps of anti-mandate, anti-abortion (with some medical exceptions), pro-life and the cognitive dissonance is real as you say. The idea of conscription of body makes me deeply uncomfortable. The truth is, that is the nature of pregnancy... It is a type of conscription. It's burdensome, it's not always convenient, it can be traumatic and life threatening... And when you stop observing and valuing the miracle that life is, it can fast become ugly. In war, soldiers are painted in shades of glory and society is encouraged to revere their bravery. For some, this makes the daunting task more bearable. It can help with loss and grief among soldiers and family. I think that's what bothers me about the pro-abortion argument and what has pushed me further into other camps. We have lost sight of the wonder that is new life - in any form - and the deep profound admiration of women for bearing the weight of it all. Society is failing women if they feel they need to have an abortion, and women are failing women for pushing such a pessimistic outlook instead of building each other up and offering ongoing practical community support. And I mean real hands-on community, not State Daddy bullshit.
Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. I can feel everything you are saying. I have never experienced pregnancy, but a theme that I notice in the testimony of some women who have been pregnant is the idea that experiencing that wonder gave them a profound sense of awe and respect for the life, and for the role of carrying and nurturing. I wonder how the conversation would play out if we considered responsibility and rights, and how they conflict and converge, equally across multiple different conscription scenarios. I find that the discourse is generally weighted heavily towards rights on the one hand (pro-choicers and woke-choicers on abortion, pro-choicers on vaccination) and responsibility on the other (pro-lifers on abortion, woke-choicers on vaccination), but there is rarely a balance of the both. It would be interesting to apply a more even lens by considering the balance of rights and responsibility in the context of abortion and vaccination.
Well said. I have no regrets for not getting the vaccine even though my husband caught Delta and was in the ICU on the highest level of respiratory assistance before he would have been intubated. Thankfully they didn't kill him with two rounds of Remdesivir, though they tried. There are just too many reasons to distrust the vaccine and not enough to get it.
Hey. Thanks so much for this post. I was taken with your transparency and openness in the comments of the Bad Cattitude Substack today (14 April) I will add to that discussion but wanted to affirm you as you travel in search of reality, and felt like I needed to come read the source material.
Wish I had your ability to express myself so clearly. Really great points you put forward here! Not an easy topic to address. I have been in the camps of anti-mandate, anti-abortion (with some medical exceptions), pro-life and the cognitive dissonance is real as you say. The idea of conscription of body makes me deeply uncomfortable. The truth is, that is the nature of pregnancy... It is a type of conscription. It's burdensome, it's not always convenient, it can be traumatic and life threatening... And when you stop observing and valuing the miracle that life is, it can fast become ugly. In war, soldiers are painted in shades of glory and society is encouraged to revere their bravery. For some, this makes the daunting task more bearable. It can help with loss and grief among soldiers and family. I think that's what bothers me about the pro-abortion argument and what has pushed me further into other camps. We have lost sight of the wonder that is new life - in any form - and the deep profound admiration of women for bearing the weight of it all. Society is failing women if they feel they need to have an abortion, and women are failing women for pushing such a pessimistic outlook instead of building each other up and offering ongoing practical community support. And I mean real hands-on community, not State Daddy bullshit.
Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. I can feel everything you are saying. I have never experienced pregnancy, but a theme that I notice in the testimony of some women who have been pregnant is the idea that experiencing that wonder gave them a profound sense of awe and respect for the life, and for the role of carrying and nurturing. I wonder how the conversation would play out if we considered responsibility and rights, and how they conflict and converge, equally across multiple different conscription scenarios. I find that the discourse is generally weighted heavily towards rights on the one hand (pro-choicers and woke-choicers on abortion, pro-choicers on vaccination) and responsibility on the other (pro-lifers on abortion, woke-choicers on vaccination), but there is rarely a balance of the both. It would be interesting to apply a more even lens by considering the balance of rights and responsibility in the context of abortion and vaccination.
Good Write-up.
Society is Balanced when the Rights go to the Individual and not any Group.
Well said. I have no regrets for not getting the vaccine even though my husband caught Delta and was in the ICU on the highest level of respiratory assistance before he would have been intubated. Thankfully they didn't kill him with two rounds of Remdesivir, though they tried. There are just too many reasons to distrust the vaccine and not enough to get it.
Great rebuttal! Definitely worth the read.