Letter to a Young Activist: Don't Drop the Banner!

[yellerpup]

8. You didn't call them traitors, but you characterize them as "fat, dumb, and happy."

Pro-choice activists and volunteers have saved more than a million lives since 1974 by working to keep abortion safe and legal, and they have endured many hardships for more than 40 years to achieve that goal. Their message is framed now as it always has been: with a focus on women's health and reproductive rights. None of these women are/were fooled by the aims of the religious right, but if you believe that anyone has the power to frame their opponent's argument, turn it off, or make it stop, then you are simply naive.

Blaming those who laid the groundwork to insure women's health care and autonomy while enduring death threats, assault, harassment, and economic discrimination is hateful and untrue. You may think you are offering up something useable here, but you haven't suggested anything that hasn't been said or done already. If you ever joined the fight yourself, or survived an illegal abortion, you would have a different take. It's easy to be a keyboard critic; it's hard to support women in need.

Describing our sisters who have sacrificed so much as "Playing fat, dumb, and happy" is provocative and insulting. But, at least you had your say in a public forum, and we know where you stand on the issue.