Give women dignity in difficult choice

There has been a lot of buzz lately regarding the bubble-zone protection rallies outside of Windsor Regional Hospital organized by Feminists for Action. People have stood out front blowing bubbles on two occasions to remind the hospital that we would like them to enforce the bubble zone. It is imperative that the hospital follows its motto of “Compassionate Care.”

Being pro-choice does not mean that you want to have an abortion or that you don’t feel every child is special. In fact, many women and men standing out front blowing bubbles have children. What pro-choice means, for many, is we respect that an adult woman should be able to exercise her legal right to terminate her pregnancy.

Many women who walk through the clinic doors do so with heavy hearts as a doctor has told them that their pregnancy is not viable. The bubble zone is not there to silence opposing opinions. It is about giving a woman, or a family, the opportunity to choose without having to look at signs that remind them they will cry for years to come. Seeing images of a late-term fetus compared to a small dog and saying that terminating one is legal and killing the puppy is cruel is deplorable.

This is why Feminists for Action do not hold up pictures. The message is clear: women have freedom of choice and therefore deserve dignity in that choice. You may not agree with abortions, but you do not know the story of every woman who walks through those doors. Give them space to grieve. Give them space to move forward. We are not saying you cannot protest, we are saying we would like you to move away from grieving would-be parents, from victims of sexual assault and from adults who have spoken with a doctor and have made a legal choice. Sheena Brennan, Windsor