February 7, 2009
Christina Dunigan: Selling abortions and the Psychology of Pregnancy
Some of the most articulate, incisive and piercing comments on my blog come from fellow pro-life blogger Christina Dunigan. One only need to spend fifteen minutes perusing her blog, RealChoice, and you'll be hit in the face with the death toll that is abortion and the deception that it's "safe" even though it's legal. Each week, Christina digs into the buried and forgotten archives of state medical records/news reports and exhumes life stories of those killed by abortion - the women and the children.
This morning another blogger drew my attention to a few paragraphs Christina wrote in the comment section of her blog the other day. I don't always read blog comments other than my own but this is certainly worth reading and re-posting. Especially the last paragraph which refers to the Embryo Obama ad that NBC nixed for the Superbowl.
Too many people don't understand the normal psychology of pregnancy, and how abortion mills use it as a sales tool.
The first normal psychological task of pregnancy is to accept the reality of the pregnancy. That this — a new human being is growing inside me and will be born in a few months — is really happening to me. Abortion sales people can cash in on this by reinforcing the popular "prochoice" idea that it's your CONSENT to the pregnancy that makes it real, and that all abortion does is restore you to your previous, unpregnant state. The sense that this isn't really happening clouds the woman's judgment about what she's really doing — ending the life of her newly conceived child.
Once the reality of the pregnancy sinks in, the next task is to bond with the unborn child. This typically happens when something — feeling the baby move, seeing him on an ultrasound, hearing her heartbeat on the Doppler — breaks through the sense of unreality. Abortion facilities will try to reinforce the popular "prochoice" mantra that there is no baby to bond with, that there is just the potential for a baby to form, etc. If the woman hasn't yet internalized that the baby is there and real, she can easily internalize the idea that abortion is just preventing a baby from becoming real. Then when she expels a mangled, dead, or living baby, she's suddenly confronted with the reality. What she'd been able to convince herself wasn't real, because she didn't want it to be real (due to fears, whatever), that the "experts" were reassuring her wasn't real — suddenly she can't deny that it's real.
The next task is developing a reality based perception of what the baby is going to be like, and of the mothering role. Here, again, abortion salespeople are good at picking up on normal and natural fears and getting the woman to believe that the fears themselves are evidence — nay, proof — that she is totally incapable of properly mothering the child. Play this card when she is on the cusp — nearly bonded with the baby, but not quite, and trying to imagine motherhood — they can convince her that she loves her baby so much that the only merciful thing to do is spare it (for it's not real yet to her, only hypothetical!) a wretched life with an unfit mother.
ANY salesperson knows how to play on human hopes and fears, on the normal psychology of stress or of life transitions. That's why insurance salesmen swoop in on newlyweds and new parents. And nobody — not the truly proCHOICE, not the prolifers — teaches about how to spot and resist these sales techniques.
Once the baby is dead, the illogical "logic" used to sell her the abortion makes as much real sense as it does to you in your calm, untroubled current state. She then has two choices: Admit that she's been had, sold a bill of goods that cost her child's life (with the attendant guilt and pain), or go into overdrive convincing herself that she did the right thing, that the nonsensical idea that there was no baby, or that her fears were an accurate measure of the child's prospects, whatever, so she can cope.
This is why the new Barack Obama ad drives the abortion lobby totally batshit crazy — it calls into question the entire "If the circumstances are less than ideal, best to abort because the baby's life will be wretched." If their hero can have started as a fetus that just about all of them would have consigned to the biohazard waste receptacle, then maybe the fetus they themselves consigned to the biohazard waste receptacle wasn't as doomed as they'd originally believed.
Many pro-abortion people read this blog. You folks need to read that last paragraph again and again until the scales fall off your eyes.
Comments on Christina Dunigan: Selling abortions and the Psychology of Pregnancy »
Christina Dunigan: Selling abortions and the Psychology of Pregnancy | DaNewz @ 10:18 am
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MePregnant @ 10:40 am
Christina Dunigan: Selling abortions and the Psychology of Pregnancy…
The first normal psychological task of pregnancy is to accept the reality of the pregnancy. That this — a new human being is growing inside me and will be born in a few months — is really happening to me. ……
William @ 12:26 am
I impregnated my girlfriend in 1977. We, though mostly I, argued that we weren't prepared to be parents and "I", in particular, wasn't ready to settle down.
The "smart choice" was to get an abortion, after all we we weren't ready to be parents and we'd abort early so it was the best choice. After all, that was the "common knowledge" at that time. The Supreme Court OK'd it and everyone we knew supported it.
When I brought my girlfriend back to the hotel room, we basically collapsed into each other's arms after we realized what we'd done. She described to me how she felt during the "procedure", the other women she met (girls under 18 mostly) and the emptiness she felt when the "procedure" was completed.
We couldn't overcome the shame of what we'd done and soon after lost touch completely. The time we spent together aftward was so awkward and overwhelmed by the shame of what we did, we could no longer be together.
Of all the regrets I could possibly have in my life, this is the one regret I can never forget, nor forgive.
I took an innocent life because it was convenient and was too foolish to realize it until was thrown in my face.
It took a few years to realize what I'd really done, but the realization has only strengthened my opposition to abortion at any stage.
When deciding life or death decisions, let us choose life.
Maggie @ 2:10 pm
I can speak to the horror of abortion in terms of its physical and emotional scars.
At the age of 17, my boyfriend and I engaged in intercourse for the 1st time. One time was all it took to guarantee a pregancy. Coming from a solid Catholic upbringing, I knew the morality of the decision, yet was so overcome with fear, embarrassment & a selfish mindset; I chose this horrific act. At the time, we were friends with two individuals, who convinced me there was no other option. They shared, "Your parents are Catholic, you can't tell them…you can't have a child now, your going to college. Needless to say, I followed through with making an appointment. Upon arrival at the hospital, I was greeted alone by a female secretary. My boyfriend was not allowed to enter beyond the double doors. She was an older women, who looked over-worked and dis-interested in her job. I was randomly asked, has someone counceled you? No-one had, I nodded yes. She led me to a locker where I changed into a hospital gown and was led to a waiting room of 12 girls. One by one, they were called into a room. A nurse proceeded to give an IV, claiming, "This will calm you down." The medication was intended to completely knock you out. As the IV crept into my veins, my phycial presence was unconcious, however; my soul was crying out to those performing the procedure. I sat up and cried out. "NO! - STOP!" The physician performing the procedure, angrily yelled at the nurse, shut her up and give her more medication.
To this day, I will never - forgive myself for the selfish act of abortion. There are no words ANYONE can state that justify this atrocity. There is NEVER justification for the killing of an unborn child! Even in cases of rape of incest, the baby to be is a victim, as is the women who was assaulted. Two wrongs NEVER make a right.
Abortion is not about a women's right to choose. The only person who has the right to give and take life is God!
I would say to those who support Abortion or commonly called "A women's right to choose"…You would have no argument to state today, had your mother chose to abort you! It's not about choosing at all. Abortion is the epitomy of selfishness, lack of responsiblity & accountability for one's actions.
If individuals did not engage in intercourse prior to marriage, there would be no need for abortion. Since there is no respect for abstinence, the next step should be effective contraception. Abortion should NEVER be used as contraception! If one chooses to engage in intercourse, you must accept the phsychological ramifications that go along with that. There is far more involved than the phycial act. Most women are insecure, victims of abuse etc, because of the emotional scars of pre-mature physical relationships and or abortion.
I challenge any young girl or woman for that matter…Save the most precious gift you have for the person you plan to marry. Don't give yourself away like a used sheet. No-one can take away your good name, character or morality, you can however; freely give it away.
I pray to God for anyone considering abortion. Don't be selfish! Learn from my mistake. Please consider giving this unborn child 9 months of your life to thrive and grow to full term, then offer the baby for adoption. There are thousands of women who physically cannot have children.
Nine months of your life to save another.