Escort us into a new era

I started this blog a bit mid-thought. There are all these topics brewing in my head and it's hard to know even where to start. This seems like an abrupt beginning, but I guess the best thing is just to dive right in. So I will start off with this.

I spotted this secret at PostSecret a few weeks back, and kept it as a mental note, because I knew I wanted to comment.

I don't know how some responses to postcards get published on the site below the secrets (I guess you email Frank Warren directly), but if I could reply, I'd say:

The thought of clinic escorts, the fact that we need clinic escorts to keep women safe, makes me want to cry.

I've actually considered working/volunteering as an escort for the local Planned Parenthood, and I still might someday. Although I'd probably have to do some serious attitude-changing or else I'd be personally tackling those protesters to the ground. To me, this is not even about ideology, it's about humanity and compassion for the virtually powerless person in an awful situation. Not everyone who goes into those clinics will necessarily have an abortion. But even if they are, violence, blame, and guilt-trips are not ways to get the point across, believe me. If you feel passionate about your pro-life stance, you need to work with the women, not against them, to help them figure out their options. They, especially, need our care and support. And, of course, on a larger level, we'd need to change our attitudes regarding sex, reproduction, who is and isn't responsible for which parts of the whole messy scenario. Yes, this may seem like a slippery slope, but it just doesn't seem fair that women single-handedly carry the weight, and hence the blame, for whatever action they choose to/are forced to take. Thus, both men and women need to work together to bring care and empowerment to the afflicted. I bet both pro-life and pro-choicers would agree on this goal, but pictures of 7-week shriveled fetuses are not a way to get us there.