May 19, 2014

Coming Out of The Abortion Closet

Originally Posted at PopularResistance.org


Kelly Carlin, in this clip from the full Acronym TV episode (The Catholic War On Women, watch the full episode here) decides to come out of the abortion closet:

“I’m outing myself here, I’m outing myself in my (forthcoming) book.  I had two abortions when I was a teenager. I was a reckless crazy girl… I was really privileged (and) I was lucky. I had parents who had money. I had access to access to a clinic, it was private and it was the way it has been done for rich people forever.”

Carlin describes the personal guilt and shame she has surrounding that period in her life. When asked if the guilt and shame is related to related to the abortions or the wild behavior that lead to them, Carlin was emphatic. “Absolutely the wild behavior that lead to it… it was general ‘out of control’ human being shame…. One thing I always think about that makes me feel better about this is that women, since the beginning of time, have been aiding other women and helping them deal with unwanted pregnancies.”

Katie Klabusich, a female reproductive rights advocate and clinic escort who also shares her abortion story in this segment said: “There are instructions in Deuteronomy * on how to induce an abortion.”

Episode breakdown |
In the United Sates, one out of every three women has had an abortion. If you are a women living in Texas, and a growing number of states, access to this basis, simple and safe procedure has been severely restricted with the passage of Hundreds of new laws in the last several years that strip a women's right to privacy, limit access to abortion and shame women into thinking that their choice about what to do with their bodies is wrong.

It’s been over 40 years since the Supreme Court decided, in Roe v. Wade, that women had a constitutional right to abortion. The legal argument was based around the concept that women had a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment, and that right extended to their right to have an abortion. Perhaps no time in the 40 years since Roe v Wade have female reproductive rights been so under attack. From Texas to Alabama to Congressmen saying that women can’t get pregnant when raped because their bodies have a way of shutting that down, men, usually white conservative men with ties to patriarchal religious institutions are working their balls off trying to control women; specifically a woman access to birth control and abortion

*For more on a Christian viewpoint that the Bible is pro-choice, I recommend reading Nynia Chance, Biblical Abortion: A Christian’s View, who after detailing numerous bible passages that deal with abortion, unwanted pregnancy, and crazy jealous men, concludes:
“My conclusion as a Christian is that the Bible is not anti-abortion. Rather, there is a non-Biblically-based movement that pretends to use the Bible as its justification for attacking women who do not carry a pregnancy to term (even if it was an unintended loss).”

About the Guests |
Kelly Carlin hosts a weekly podcast entitled Waking from the American Dream and her recent one woman show, A Carlin Home Companion, sold out around the country while generating rave reviews. She holds a master’s degree in Jungian Depth Psychology, but, according to her bio, her desire to be on a stage and yell the word “fuck” kept gnawing at her, and so she decided to follow the call of the stage once again. You can find out more at TheKellyCarlinSite.com

Katie Klabusich contributes regularly to a number of radio programs, podcasts and TV/internet video broadcasts. She is an award-winning social media director, fundraiser and community-builder as well as the Activism Director/Segment Writer at The Best of the Left Podcast. She is also a dedicated activist who helps establish clinic defense escort programs, providing logistical and moral support to reproductive access groups. Her website is KatieSpeak.com.

ABOUT ACRONYM TV with Dennis Trainor, Jr. 
Dennis Trainor, Jr. hosts Acronym TV, a weekly series of dialogue, conversation and debate with the goal of helping viewers sort through these transformative times through the insight of leading activists, artists, journalists, philosophers, scholars, and thinkers.

Acronym TV is available at AcronymTV.com and on Free Speech TV

Dennis Trainor, Jr. is a writer, host and producer. His documentary on the Occupy movement, American Autumn: an Occudoc, garnered critical praise from The New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and more.  He also wrote and directed Legalize Democracy, a documentary short about the Movement To Amend the Constitution.

atv coat-hangers

No comments:

Post a Comment