Vengence is mine?

I know I wasn't the only one watching the Gosnell trial fairly closely.  I wanted as much as anyone to see this butcher found guilty.

Today, he was.

A great relief washed over me.  Not that I truly expected he would be found not guilty--the evidence against him was just too much.  And then I read further...Gosnell could face the death penalty for what he did.

I'm torn.

I want him to pay for what he did.  For all those butchered infants, for all the women he hurt through his neglect...justice must be served.  I just don't know if justice is truly served by taking yet another life. 

I keep trying to justify it in my head.  Oh, he's old.  He'll never survive all the appeals.  It's a controversial topic and no one wants to make a martyr for the cause.  All sorts of reasons come up that make me feel less troubled about what an actual death sentence could mean.

Yes, Virginia, there are such things as pro-life atheists.

There are few things more frustrating sometimes than to be non-religious and pro-life. 

Yes, I realize the religion thing is a choice, but if I don't feel the faith in my heart then it's just going through the motions.  I'm not closing myself completely off from the idea of religion--I'm still something of a 'seeker', seeing what's out there and what I feel called to.  For now, it's just not there.  And I'm not going to be like one of the many Catholics in my state whose beliefs directly contradict those of the Church in terms of things like contraception and marriage equality.  Whatever I decide on (if anything), I don't intend to half-ass it.

But I digress.

In the meantime, being agnostic and liberal means that the assumption is typically made that I am also pro-abortion.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I'm anti-war and anti-capital punishment (though I wasn't always), and being pro-life just seems to be the most natural extension of that.  I'm also in favor of universal health care, marriage equality, comprehensive sex-ed, and I don't have a moral opposition to contraception.  So, yes, I tend to vote Democrat.

I'm going extinct.

"If human beings don’t respect human life, we descend rather quickly to a world where the biggest and meanest get to make all the rules."

 I don't want to live in that kind of world.  Do you?

40 years of death

Forty years ago today was the infamous Roe v. Wade decision.

Here are four women who decided that the children were more than just "products of conception": http://www.feministsforlife.org/news/four-women.htm.  And I'm hoping those numbers grow!


In other news, Planned Parenthood is no longer calling themselves 'pro-choice'.  They appear to be claiming some kind of moral gray area exists.  I don't even have words for this.

Sometimes the man surprises

Hubby and I made tonight our date night, which these days means picking up a movie from Redbox and making dinner.  He likes various types of movies but I never saw him take interest in anything that could even remotely be considered a "chick flick".  Plus, he doesn't exactly share all of my views, particularly with regards to abortion.

So I was a bit surprised when he texted me with "So, I saw they had the movie October Baby, are you interested?"

I responded: "Yes.  You do know what it's about, right?"

"Yes, I read the synopsis.  Looked interesting!"

Could my husband be switching sides?  I'm crossing my fingers!

As of this posting, Maine, Maryland, and Washington have passed (by popular vote, a first!), the right of gays and lesbians to marry.

Congratulations to you all!

Upcoming elections

I have gone back and forth on the presidental race, not sure who to vote for.

My conscience will not allow me to support a candidate that does not support LGBT rights, nor can I in good faith vote for someone who does not have a consistent view on the sanctity of life.

Romney does not have a consistent view.  His stance on abortion changes depending on who he's talking to.  The only thing he's consistent about is his inconsistency.  Furthermore, he has given no indication that he will take steps to ensure that the other vulnerable among us (most notably the poor) are also protected.  I was as appalled as many others when he referred to 47% of the country as people little better than freeloaders.  He is out of touch with most of the country, period.

And yet there's Obama.  As a Democrat, he cannot be counted on to be pro-life.  Very few Democrats are openly so, I don't think they can even get party support without openly condoning the murder of the unborn.  And yet...he's made historically significant steps in making sure health care is available to all, and in acknowledging the need for equality for LGBT families. 

I don't believe that abortion will be ended through criminalization, but rather through a strengthening of the social safety net that ensures a safe world for every child to be born into.  I certainly don't trust the Libertarian party to maintain that safety net!  I used to identify as Libertarian, but I found it lacking in compassion.  We all have responsibilities towards each other and it is troubling to me that people would neglect that duty to their fellow man.  I've been accused of being a Socialist, but if that's true then Socialism has I think made me more compassionate.

Why gay rights matter to me

I went back and forth about whether or not I should post this. 

Ultimately, someone being GLBT does not affect me.  It makes no difference in my life if the two old ladies in my complex are life partners or just trying to stretch their Social Security checks by sharing a 1-bedroom unit.  Which restroom my waiter uses doesn't matter, as long as they wash their hands afterwards.

I have the luxury of being part of the status quo.  I am a woman married to a man.  Up until about a decade ago, in all fifty states this was the only legally recognized form of marriage.  There were other restrictions if you go further back--when President Obama was born, there were still states that didn't recognize his parents' marriage as being valid.  Now?  Interracial marriage is legal, and churches are still not required to perform interracial ceremonies (or mixed-faith ceremonies, or any other marriage they disapprove of). 

So people got comfortable.  They grew compliant.  They didn't think about their privilege.

And marriage is still considered the highest standard that all relationships should aspire to.  Just ask anyone who's still single after 30 and has parents pressing for grandchildren :). 

Yes, people who are against homosexual marriage are painted as bigots, intolerant, etc.  And it's hurtful.

But homosexuals face active discrimination, are assaulted for their sexuality, rejected by their families, forced into abusive conversion therapy that has been proven to nothing more than damage people.  Some like to pretend that they don't exist.  Homosexuals are compared to pedophiles and those who would have sex with animals.  Yes, really.

In some countries, homosexuality is punishable by death.  The American Family Association and Exodus International ACTIVELY WORKED TO GET BILLS PASSED IN UGANDA THAT WOULD CALL FOR THE EXECUTION OF HOMOSEXUALS.  Who supports the American Family Association?  Well, Dan Cathy of Chick-Fil-A, for starters.  Which puts the boycott in a whole new perspective.  Congress in 2010 considered a bill that would condemn this action.  The Family Research Council lobbied against it.

I acknowledge that it's frustrating to have your beliefs labeled as narrow-minded, bigoted, etc.  However, please consider the bigger picture.

The Distress of the Privileged.  Fantastic article.