First Person: Your Voices, Your Stories
“I wish we could offer each other the kindness of respectful listening.”
In 2008 the radio program "On Being" (formerly "Speaking of Faith") asked listeners to write to them about the topic of abortion. I was moved to respond and now they are updating and re-airing the program they have selected among the comments offered, and mine was posted on their main page. Check it out.
Our voices: About abortion and how we talk to each other
Our voices: About abortion and how we talk to each other
Moreover, not long ago, Jane Flink sent me this story as part of a conversation we had on the topic of abortion. One of the wonderful things about it was that I had no idea what her opinion was and so I had to listen carefully and open my mind. Another wonderful thing is that the story is full of forgiveness. That is always a good thing when important issues are being discussed. So, I include a link to her short story. It is excellent and its is called "God has a good idea"
God has a good idea: Many voices of women
I believe that we must move the topic of abortion back into dialogue, particularly among women of all ages and tell each other our stories and what is in our hearts. It is a topic so laden with emotional meaning and political significance that it has become unspeakable. This sense of danger is often a sign that an issue has become wholly symbolic and is no longer connected to real peoples' lives. Reductionism has occurred and this is a great pity because polling from many sources show that almost 80% of people agree while only 20% of people are in conflict. This is where the media and our fear of conflict collide to make a difficult situation worse. I think there is more agreement and forgiveness than we know.
Sharon
