Georgetown Right to Life’s Response to H*yas For Choice’s E-mail Statement
As we have in the past, this year presidents of Georgetown Right to Life reached out via email to the leadership of H*yas For Choice in hopes of beginning to mend the rift of animosity between our two groups. Recalling the multitude of shared values between our two organizations, we inquired if HFC might have any interest in co-hosting an event on which we both agree. Imagine, two ostensibly opposed clubs celebrating their common ground and subverting the polarized politics of our era with a shared event on the death penalty or the feminization of poverty.
In response to our olive branch, on September 20, 2017, H*yas For Choice publicly released an email expressing their “commitment to resisting the racist, sexist, classist, homophobic and transphobic actions of the anti-choice movement.” To clarify, the position of Georgetown Right to Life (as we prefer to be called) is that of fundamental respect for the life and dignity of each human being. Asserting that life begins at conception, we stand against abortion, believing in the sanctity of each human person, we deplore sexual assault and violence, and affirming the right of every human being to live, we reject the death penalty.
The Right to Life Constitution reiterates: “We strongly believe in equal rights for men and women, no matter who they are, no matter where they live… We respect and value life in and of itself, and we work to promote the dignity of each individual.” This fundamental right, the right to your own life, is extended to everyone — regardless of religion, race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, etc., and we believe it a gross, and frankly untrue, simplification to claim otherwise. We consider it a moral obligation to speak for those who do not have a voice and to remind society of the rights of those who are most vulnerable, whether it be an inmate standing on death row or an unborn child.
It is unfortunate that because we differ in our beliefs, we are accused of holding ours in bad faith. Both organizations acknowledge similar societal problems and ultimately have similar desires. Yet, in today’s university environment, dissent is perceived to be ill-willed, and any diversity in opinion is tantamount to siding with some sort of junta of oppression. Standing against abortion does not equate to standing with Nazis or perpetuating societal inequality. We at Georgetown Right to Life, like you, want what is best for women, best for our society, and best for children. We, like you, seek to bridge the gap of inequality between different cross-sections of our country. We, like you, want a more just and fair society.
In your email, you write of oppression, a force which both our groups clearly oppose. Consider, however, our view that economically-driven abortion is likewise a system of oppression. We do not treat abortion as a “solution to” but rather consider it a “symptom of” a broken system. In place of crafting legislation to address inequality and provide greater aid to women in need, women, primarily poor women of color, are pushed toward ending the lives of their own children. We both rightly hold that the solution to poverty is not the utter elimination of the poor.
Moreover, you write how you consider anything less than bodily autonomy, than ‘choice’, as sexist and oppressive. In terms of abortion, what choice is there? Placed between a rock and a hard place, our society forces women to make an impossible decision. The most cited reasons for abortion are a fear of personal or financial ruin. Abortion is not liberation, it is submission to a system that does not care nor provide for the most vulnerable in society. Certainly you would agree that no woman should fear that her own child could be an unbearable burden, and that it is a fundamental moral failing of any society that permits it.
We implore you to consider that we, too, are thoughtful and caring members of the Georgetown community deserving of respect and genuine engagement. We, too, serve as a “space for refuge, empowerment, healing and action” for a diverse and varied membership. We ask that you seriously take into account the ethical concerns that arise with regards to abortion and empathize with why we might sincerely oppose it. And we wish that you would reflect on the inherent suffering of abortion and the solutions we propose to heal a fractured society.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to our email, but we sincerely hope you will reconsider and join with us to combat issues that we both hold dear in our hearts. Separately, we can do a lot, but together, we can do so much more.
Flo
RTL Events Chair 2017-2018
