Radical Doula: birth or abortion the outcome does not matter

Doula (ancient Greek for female slave)is a word that has most closely become associated with a woman who provides non-medical support during labor and birth, and also the postpartum period. Now this has been extended to the abortion arena. This article about Radical Doulas reminded me of a former well thought of OB GYN in middle TN who gave up her practice to perform abortions at one of the most notorious unlicensed abortion mills in Nashville. When some of her patients found out about it they were appalled and appealed to her not to do this. She told them that she could make more money working part time doing abortions than full time delivering babies and this would allow her to spend more time at home with her children!!    Some excerpts from this article reminded me of this woman who was able to compartmentalize her thinking. At one point, she briefly comments on examining the contents of the abortion in the clean up phase and I wonder of the difference in the procedures. One produces a child and other a butchered  child...it does not bother her....whatever the outcome.

"There are those who believe the two roles are contradictory. To those people I say: my goal during each is the same. I’m there to support the person giving birth/having an abortion/miscarriage. I’m not focused on the outcome, or the reason they are there. I’m focused on providing the best support possible. There is no contradiction there."

We currently work in one hospital and one clinic. I think the main difference between being an abortion doula and a birth doula is time...."

"That’s one of the things I like about abortion doula work–I can make time for it in my schedule, in my life, without having to be ready to drop everything for 24 hours for a long birth. It’s selfish, I know, but it’s been part of what’s allowed me to get back into it."

HT: Jill Stanek

Abortion doulas help women through pain and emotions of abortions

  I  kid you not on this photo from the actual article....look it up yourself. How very strange for such a picture to accompany an article about doulas helping women in an abortion procedure. Does this look like a waiting room at the typical abortion facility? Maybe for late term abortionist Dr Carhart in NE?  Baby pictures on the wall?? I don't' think so ...but on with the article..

For those who have never heard of a doula.....A doula is an assistant who provides various forms of non-medical and non-midwifery support (physical and emotional) in the childbirth process.

From: The Interim.com/Soconvivium

Published: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 10:16 am |   Author: Paul Tuns

Marisa Meltzer writes about doulas who assist in abortions:

Abortion doula services were unheard of until three years ago, when pro-choice activists within the birth community decided that they should serve the full spectrum of pregnancy choices, whether it’s birth, adoption, or abortion. Mary Mahoney and Lauren Mitchell created New York City’s Doula Project, a volunteer-based service that provides free doula services to women in New York City. They work with pregnant women who can’t afford doulas, expectant birth-mothers at a pro-choice???( maybe they mistyped this one....  SA) adoption agency, and provide abortion doula services in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Though the public perception of doulas is that they are liberal crunchy types, the community has a strong pro-life contingent. These anti-abortion doulas are less-than-thrilled with the Doula Project. And they’re not the only ones who are skeptical. Even as a pro-choice feminist, when I heard about abortion doulas my first thought was: Are women really so fragile that they need to hire a complete stranger to hold their hand at the doctor’s?

Meltzer is writing about this new phenomenon because of an article about the Doula Project in the February/March issue of Bust where Lisa Hix reports:

Currently working out of a public hospital in New York City, the diverse group of 20 volunteers keeps women company and provides relaxation techniques during abortion procedures for no cost. “To me, it seemed like a very intuitive idea,” says Lauren Mitchell, who co-founded the Project. “Why aren’t there doulas for abortions? It’s usually an un- comfortable procedure, it can be emotional, it encompasses a huge range—life, sex, death. It’s intense.”

Three things struck me. The first is that there is no getting away from the truth about abortion: notice that Mitchell acknowledges that there is death in abortion. I assume she is (inadvertently?) referring to the unborn child who is killed. Second, don’t most abortion facilities frown on anyone joining the abortion-minded patient during the procedure for good reasons (it is surgery and there are safety and privacy concerns) and bad reasons (lest anyone talk the client out of the abortion). Which leads me to my last thought: perhaps abortion doulas are exerting an influence on women to stick by an initial decision to have an abortion, thereby preventing them from changing their minds.