Categorical Confusion

When you don't know what box to put someone in because they act different than you expect a person in said box to act.  
What does a pro choice person care about?  Let's say for the sake of my point here that it is simply women.
What does a pro life person care about?  Stereotypically only the baby, not the mommy.

Pro lifers definitely deserve the stereotypes they have earned.  There have been countless so-called pro lifers who have spent their time accusing or uncaringly arguing the facts with an opponent, indicating a lack of love for the woman who ultimately makes the decision to abort or keep her baby.  I have made that mistake.  I have unfeelingly argued without listening to the heart of the person I am talking with.

So, what if a new category of people were to emerge?  A people who expressed care for both the baby and the woman?  Then what box would onlookers put them in?  They wouldn't know whether to call that person pro life or pro choice.  And this would give them a voice among both populations.

Ultrasounds

Sounds like one way to love unborn babies, especially those whose mommy is considering an abortion, is to let her mommy see her on an ultrasound.  The below is from Jill Stanek's Blog where she quotes from Live Action's Sarah Terzo:

"In Planned Parenthood’s world, allowing a woman to see an image of her baby on the ultrasound screen is a “dangerous agenda.” Many women who have abortions do not know the truth about fetal development….
The language of abortion counselors is often crafted carefully to avoid any reference to the baby. Even the term “fetus” is not always used. A 2012 NPR radio program interviewed abortion workers at a facility in England. In the interviews, the clinic workers never mention the word “abortion.” Rather, abortions were referred to as “treatments” – e.g., “the treatment room,” “treatment counseling,” etc.
Ultrasounds cut through all this evasive rhetoric. They show the reality of the unborn baby. As for abortion providers’ statements that ultrasounds are “cruel” and “torture weapons,” anyone who has listened to women who regret their abortions has heard, over and over again, “I wish I’d had more information.” “If I’d known what abortion would really do to my baby, I wouldn’t have had one.”…
So why do abortion providers avoid showing ultrasound images to women? Perhaps this is because up to 78% of women who see an ultrasound of their babies choose not to have abortions.
~ Sarah Terzo, Live Action News, February 6
[Image via Alpha Pregnancy Center]"

So, how often are abortion-seeking women seeing the little babies before they can go through with the abortion?  Guttmacher Institute has a great brief as of Feb. 1 2013.  Ultrasound Requirements across the states.  Basically,

• "12 states require verbal counseling or written materials to provide information on accessing ultrasound services.
• 21 states regulate the provision of ultrasound by abortion providers.
• 2 states mandate that an abortion provider perform an ultrasound on each woman seeking an abortion and requires the provider to show and describe the image.
• 6 states mandate that an abortion provider perform an ultrasound on each woman seeking an abortion, and require the provider the opportunity to view the image.
• 9 states require that a woman be provided with the opportunity to view an ultrasound image if her provider performs the procedure as part of the preparation for an abortion.
• 5 states require that a woman be provided with the opportunity to view an ultrasound image."

Sad thing is when it says that sometimes the women are allowed to look away from the image or not listen to the description of it...poor poor women.  

Letters to Gabriel, a book to read and share

I recommend to you today the book Letters to Gabriel by Karen Santorum.  I heard Rick Santorum say that he has heard from thousands of people that because of this book many people told him they decided not to abort their baby.  Here is a great way that Mrs. Santorum has thus loved unborn babies besides her own unborn Gabriel.  Below is the book description copied from amazon.com.

"Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2012

Foreword by Mother TeresaThis moving collection of intimate, poignant, and heart-warming letters was written by Karen Santorum to her unborn child, Gabriel Michael. During her pregnancy, Karen wrote letters to her son, never expecting that the letters would someday be published. Though her pregnancy began as normal, Karen ended up experiencing serious difficulties with her pregnancy at the same time that her husband Rick Santorum, the Republican Senator for Pennsylvania, was leading the charge against partial birth abortions in the U.S. Senate.
Letters to Gabriel is the story of Gabriel Michael's short, but meaningful life, and a tribute to the sanctity of life, the deep faith of the Santorums, and strong family values. The intimate bond between mother and child is expressed by Karen with great tenderness and love. This is a deeply moving book that will touch the heart of its readers with the beauty of the gift of life, and inspire them to share it with others."

solutions for pregnant working women

So, you're pregnant and considering abortion because you need to keep your job?  The government has some laws in place that are supposed to protect you from being fired. 

There is the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/legalissues/a/pregnancy.htm, Basically if you are discriminated against, file your report, and win, you should be able to recover your job and whatever pay you lost and maybe even your attorney fees. 

There is also the Family and Medical Leave Act, some info at http://careerplanning.about.com/od/federallawsus/a/fmla.htm.  This is supposed to allow you to take up to 12 weeks off in a 12 month period without any negative repercussions to your long term job.

I will be the first to agree that the above laws aren't going to make it an easy road to be pregnant and have a baby and have a simultaneously thriving career.  It is a small gesture from the government.  I hope I can find more practical helps for you, and hope that if you know of any such helps you will add them as comments here.  Thanks! 
Go out and love an unborn baby and her mom!

seeking understanding

Back to thinking about how to love the unborn babies.  Last time I wrote about this I realized that those babies are actually inaccessible to me.  Only can I try to influence their mothers.  I suppose to that we can add their fathers and caregivers, anyone who has influence over their mothers.  But ultimately it is the mothers who have the say in letting love flow to the unborn babies. So, how to love the mothers?  What is something tangible I can do? 
Well, first of all let's say I want to focus on the pregnant moms who might consider aborting their baby.  I want to encourage them to keep it.  Now I have to understand them first.  Why might they be considering aborting the baby?  This is where I need your help, reader.  What do you think?  What have you heard?  And if you are a pregnant mom, why might you consider it?

Here is what I find on the ehealth forum, thanks to those who have shared their thoughts!
- the threat of being pregnant to a woman's financial and educational situation, "darkmoon" on ehealth forum said although it's illegal to treat a woman differently just because she is pregnant she could still be fired if she is somehow unable to fulfill her obligations because of her pregnancy
- you think you won't have the money to care for the baby and you don't believe in making the government pay for the baby's care, said tylanas on ehealth forum
- "sistersister" said having the baby could lead to mom being bitter and unhappy and the child who was not aborted growing up feeling like a punishment and burden
source: http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic129435.html

loving my baby's peers

To love babies unborn.  Reader if you are, help me do it!  I am trying, have been trying for a few months now, to love the little ones who are not yet born.  It is easy to love the little one inside of me :)  okay not super easy, but it is something I can understand how to do and achievable.
My little one is very responsive, kicking a lot.  I can often see a little protruding hand or foot bumping out of my big belly.  I have heard my baby's heartbeat since she or he was only a few months inside of me.  I love this one by eating a lot of protein, drinking a lot of water, being careful with my activity, getting the baby regularly checked by a medical professional, and so on.  This one is mine, this one is mine to love.
But what of the other babies, my baby's peers?  Can I love them too?  I guess it is primarily their own mother's responsibility to do that, in the way that I do it for mine.  So, maybe this is going to lead my quest towards loving the mothers, so that they will love their babies.  Hmm I like that idea.  How to do that?