Sarah Palin Calls Woman's Filming of Her Own Abortion 'Gut Wrenching, Barbaric'
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has responded to an abortion activist's recent filming of her own abortion and portrayal of it as "a positive abortion story," saying she could only think of the words "I Aborted My Baby, So Hear Me Roar" to describe her act.
"Sad, gut wrenching, barbaric, hopeless, too far-gone a society that celebrates filming this?" the Republican wrote on her Facebook, referring to the filming of abortion by Emily Letts, a 25-year-old counselor at the Cherry Hill Women's Center in New Jersey.
"This is so horrifying that when I first heard the report I couldn't bring myself to speak or write about it," Palin wrote.
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The abortion activist uploaded the video of her abortion procedure to YouTube in March, and the Cosmopolitan magazine published an article by her, retelling her experience, on May 5. The woman said she wanted to show other women that "there is such thing as a positive abortion story," as the procedure felt to her "as birth-like as it could be."
Like other average American families, "my family knows 'life happens!'" Palin added. "Mistakes are made by all because we're fallible. Thank God, though, no matter past actions we can find peace and courage as over-comers thanks to forgiveness and grace. That needs to be offered to those who've made a regretful choice in the past."
In the Cosmopolitan article, Letts explained that she unexpectedly became pregnant last November, and had no long-time partner. She wrote that after recovering from the shock of realizing she was pregnant, "I knew immediately I was going to have an abortion. I knew I wasn't ready to take care of a child. The guy wasn't involved in my decision."
Palin thanked those women who know they are strong enough and "capable of protecting the precious life of your baby, even in less than ideal circumstances." She said even in the most difficult situations, "it is the strong and selfless woman who faces life head-on and seeks the help she needs, all while acknowledging the life within her is purposeful and precious – the life of a baby, the precious life of a child."
Palin reminded women that help and resources to protect an unplanned, "unwanted" baby are available. "There are people who will help them find their babies loving homes with adoptive families who will cherish these children and relieve the birth mothers of any understandable fear that the babies they honorably, sacrificially nurtured for nine months would grow up lacking love and care."
She added that while society has hardened its heart by "celebrating the extinguishing of innocent life," there was a need for women to be "stronger in helping the unaware become aware of the beauty of adoption."
And strength is what it takes to come out as "pro-life" nowadays, Palin said. "Vocal majorities in the media scream condemnation and intolerance towards those who would choose life."
Michael Brown, who has served as a professor at a number of seminaries, wrote an op-ed for The Christian Post on the filming incident.
Quoting Letts as writing, "I know there are women who feel great remorse. I have seen the tears. Grieving is an important part of a woman's process, but what I really wanted to address in my video is guilt," Brown wrote, "Of course, they should feel remorse and shed tears."
They are mothers who have experienced the "miracle of conception" and who now "carry a tiny little, defenseless baby in their womb," Brown said. "And of course they should grieve."
Letts added in her article that although she did receive negative feedback for the video, "every time I watch the video, I love it. I love how positive it is. I think that there are just no positive abortion stories on video for everyone to see. But mine is."
Letts was not motivated by love, Brown suggested. Otherwise, "should have taken videos of the crying, grieving, remorseful, post-abortive mothers. How sobering this would be for others to watch who are wrestling with having an abortion because of extreme circumstances and pressures."
In the video, Letts says, "I don't feel like a bad person. I don't feel sad [...] I knew that what I was going to do was right – it was right for me and for no one else."
Anne Scheidler, vice president of the Pro Life Action League, told the New York Daily News that she found her decision and film to be very sad. "She's certainly ignoring the life she just destroyed in an effort to have an experience and show how positive a thing it is. You can't end someone's life like that."
