For over 2 years Bastardette, in real life, has documented and written about Biblical American activities in Central Ohio. Some articles have been published in the Columbus Free Press, and everything has been posted on my blog, Theoconia: A Central Ohio Theocon Report.
BA’s focus, and consequently mine, has been on abortion, but other “interests” are queers, Terry Schiavo, John Kerry, the Ten Commandments, Ohio State Universitiy, and of course Ken I-stole-the-2004-election-for-Bush Blackwell with his gang of
“values voters” and Patriot Pastors led by Rod Parsley and Russell Johnson.
I try to remain neutral when I’m “working,” but early in my documentarian career I got into a scream fest with one of the local anti-aborts who takes the smallest questioning of his belief system as a Satanic attack on his personal person. One Saturday morning, standing across the street from a clinic, this person, who, I’ll call Bob, called me a liar when I told him there are women who consider adoption worse than abortion, did not feel duty-bound to breed for the desperate and infertile (no matter how “Christian” nice, and “needy” they are), regretted their children’s surrenders, and were, in fact, (gasp!) were opposed to adoption. Bob’s irritation with this unpleasant conversation escalated quickly into a red-faced diatribe where he proclaimed that not only was I a liar but women who “claimed” to oppose adoption were liars, too. Women, according to Bob’s POV, are born to breed–and love to do it–if not for themselves for somebody else. Anyone who turns down a rent-a-womb temp job is way out of synch with Jesus.
Bob is a loud exception. The less angry clinic habitués simply want to adopt your baby. And YOU, too, if that’s what it takes to keep you out of the “aboritorium.” So rest assured, moms. If you get yourself in trouble again, you can easily find a new set of parents in Licking or Coshocton Counties thrilled to take you in, erase your embarassment and identity, and give you and your baby a new name and a…well clean slate. If life at Turkey Foot Rock and Pin Feather Ridge doesn’t sound real engaging…well get used to it. They’got cable–and it’s for your own good.
Since hanging out with “my guys” (and the majority of them are men) I’ve taken 1000-1500 pictures at events. My guys favor marching on the sidewalk with bloody dismembered fetus–baybee blender bits– posters but for variety’sake, usually one or two “adoption option” signs show up in the mix accompanied with the soulful plea ‘I’ll adopt your baby” I’m the anti-abort’s adoption poster girl,and they are grateful that I wasn’t dumpsterized, so I always take a couple shots of the adoption guys to thank them for retroactively saving me. What else are adoptees good for? Most of my pictures are hard copy and not readily transferable to my comptuer at this time. But…
since Bastardette’s first and foremost duty is to irritate and annoy, I’m posting a few of the latest shots. I’m ID’ing them, but you may want to make your own captions.
You can read Life Chain: The Kool-Aid Test about the Life Chain event where the first 3 pictures were taken, here.
Life Chain, Columbus, October 6, 2006
Life Chain, October 6, 2006, Columbus
Capital Care, August 5, 2006, Columbus
Capital Care, March 4, 2006, Columbus
Capital Care, March 4, 2006, Columbus
The lifechain was here too, with the Loving Option signs…and I sent a letter to the editor, who promised to print it, but opted instead for a prolife letter. This is smalltown, TX, I guess. Here is my offensive letter to the editor….
I was somewhat taken aback when reading the October 5 edition of the paper and saw the article about the Life Chain of October 1. What caught my eye about this Anti-Choice Event was the picture of the woman holding the sign with the most current marketing jingle of the $1.6 billion a year adoption industry, “Adoption: Loving Option”. There was a strong Christian message they were trying to convey, but the message was lost on me when they attempted to combine stopping abortions by increasing adoptions. Christianity does not justify child-stealing. The Ten Commandments forbids it.
Adoption and abortion are two entirely different things. Abortion is a medical procedure that terminates an unwanted pregnancy. Adoption is the legal termination of parental rights to the already born and living child. Abortion is a medical procedure; adoption is an act of desperation.
Many mothers and fathers are shamed into adoption plans, with threats of “children growing up in poverty” or with glowing descrtipions of families that are “better for the child”. Some parents are misled by talk of the “wonderful gift” they are giving the adoptive family…the gift of a child. Children are not gifts for giving away. God gives children to their biological parents. God designed the biological family…the Church has no right to encourage its destruciton. Adoption is not something to celebrate…especially not in churches.
Many women who choose abortion do so to avoid the pain and lifelong uncertainty over their child’s fate when relinquished to adoption. Open adoption was created by the adoption industry to counter that, but fully 80% of open adoptions close within a year of finalization, and in all but 4 states (Texas is not one), the natural mother has no legal recourse. Adoption is the legal death of the mother to her child. Legally, adoption aborts mothers.
Perhaps a more truthful slogan would be “Age-appropriate Sex Education and Birth Control: The Loving Option”, maybe not quite as alliterative, but certainly more honest.
Sandy Young
Sandy, this is a terrific thoughtful and truth-filled letter. Please keep it and send it somewhere else that is appropriate. The fact it was not printed proves even more strongly the truth in what you wrote. Tyrants are afraid of the truth.
Have you ever asked that editor why your letter was not printed?
This is a great letter, Sandy Thanks for posting it. I agree with Mother. Hold on to this. It can be used again. Your’e not near Waco are you? If so, have I got a local wingnut for you!
Marley
No, Marley, I am near San Antonio, and work in the city. Waco is sort of a strange mix of folks, and the idea that there is a whacko there is not totally surprising. All kinds of weird things seem to happen there, as evidenced by the Branch Davidians. My son attended college there and came home at Thanksgiving break and never went back to school because his roommate was murdered at a party.
I heard Waco is one of the places they’re think of building w’s library.
“SIGNS OF THE TIMES: I’LL ADOPT YOUR BABY!”
Should say,
“SIGNS OF THE TIMES: GIVE ME THAT BABY!”
These kinds of events serve to remind me part of why I live in California. I am not certain that I could tolerate living in Ohio or Texas.
All this talk of God and the Ten Commandments makes me think there should be an 11th. “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s child.”
I think covetousness is already covered in the Ten Commandments..now if people would just stop thinking they are entitled to other people’s children,or that it is okay to create a business around that…
As an AParent to a child “adopted” in Bulgaria, I am in agreement with Kitta3’s comments.
International Adoption is the last frontier and the adoption industry is trying like hell to keep those souls rolling in. Russian, Chinese, Indian, Guatemalan, Vietnamese, Cambodian Birth parents? What are those?
[let’s not forget Malawian birth fathers in that]
Brenda Romanchik said…
“All this talk of God and the Ten Commandments makes me think there should be an 11th. “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s child.” “
What bible are you familiar with that excludes the 10th commandment in every other version of the bible.
Exodus 20:17 “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”
I was trying to be more specific.
I think that the anti-aborts, in general, just don’t think about what they are implying when they pull out the “adoption not abortion” line. Their leaders do…they want a baby in every married woman’s cradle, but the rank and file don’t really think about what they are saying. The typical anti-abort is constantly raving about how abortion is bad for women as it breaks the mother/child bond. Yet they don’t bother to consider that adoptive relinquishment does just that. If women who abort are “unnatural” because they reject motherhood, what does that make women who relinquish?
Adoption vs. abortion is a propaganda tool that is used by anti-aborts to sidestep the issues created by their own ideology.
I was on my way home from work tonight and stopped to pick up a pack of cigarettes at the little corner store. The lady who owns it asked me if I had written an article for the paper. I said yes, that I had, and why? She said she read it. It is in the paper, in its entirety. Since it is a smalltown weekly paper, I will have to wait until next week for fallout, which I am sure will come. She loved it, and interestingly, I have spoken to her a couple times a week for the past 3 1/2 years, and tonight I found out that she is adopted.
ecase says,
International adoption is the last frontier…and something about barfparents …and then a fewer reference to Yolande ,the Malawian barf parent.
STOP referring to the real parents as birth parents .Its highly offensive and grammatically incorrect terminology.
Forewith you are an adoptress .
Brenda Romanchik said…
I was trying to be more specific.
Oh good grief, like the great all powerful Brenda Romanchik needs to be “more specific” than 10th commandment.
An adopter says:
As an AParent to a child “adopted” in Bulgaria,….. International Adoption is the last frontier and the adoption industry is trying like hell to keep those souls rolling in.
What a joke coming from an adopter ! wanna tell us how much money is exchanged for a Bulgarian child? Oh wait, it’s not paying for a child, it’s “love” that pays money in increments.