From time to time we have all seen offensive bumper stickers. During our recent gubernatorial election I managed to see some that displayed an almost unbelievable level of willful ignorance. That species of shameful delusional rhetoric you would think people would want to keep to themselves rather than plaster on their vehicle. The sort of bumper sticker that puts a person’s fears and weakness out there for all to see.
Yesterday I saw something that for so many reasons shouldn’t have bothered me but still managed to. The slogan was simple. “YOU CANNOT BE CATHOLIC AND PRO ABORTION!“ Nothing so demanding that it couldn’t be easily dismissed as just another tactless missive.
What really began to bother me about it was the person behind the bumper sticker. Who was this person? Why did they feel the need to put this slogan on there SUV? It seemed to me that they were trapped by it, this fearful, unreasoning, brutal command. It is a truth that the violence of such slogans is directed inward, perhaps even more than outward.
As such it seems so unnecessary, so regrettable that any one would willingly make such a small and self-destructive world to inhabit. We most certainly do create our own realities, for what we are willing to believe about the world around us and what we put out in to the world will, by and large, be the measure with which the world repays us. In short the world and people will, for the most part, rise to our expectations.
As a Roman Catholic and father of two toddlers I represent living proof of at least the inaccuracy of the statement. I would argue that no one is Pro Abortion. The demands of humanity require our understanding, compassion, and fairness of thought and action. Neither legislation nor religious dogma can end abortion, but legislation can make abortion a safe option for those in need. It is a human imperative that if a woman is to be charged with bringing new life to this world then she must have that measure of fullest autonomy over her own body and its process. By her choice alone.
So why are so many people willing to live in that fearful, small place behind the bumper sticker? Choice is an integral component of women’s health, an acknowledgment of autonomy, and a measure of respect. I have two children to raise, children that were brought into this world in perfection. It shall be my care to insure they know the world for what it is, a place of immense beauty and complexity. No one can afford to waste their gifts or their time in this world behind the bumper sticker.
Dr. David Bowman
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