It seems like I write a lot of articles with tears running down my face these days. This comes, I suppose from the inevitable combination of my emotions being “go big or go home” in all things and the fact that we live in a world that enjoys making evil look like goodwill.
‘No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.’ 2 Corinthians 11:14
There are times when I think I just cannot take it any more, and this morning was one of those times. A friend sent me this article from TEEN Vogue, entitled 11 Thoughtful Gifts Your Friend Who Just Had an Abortion Would Appreciate—
—AND THEN MY HEAD EXPLODED.
Ok, obviously, it didn’t explode. I’m still here. But I did start shaking and crying—a combination of rage and grief that my body could not keep inside itself.
If this piece was in Vogue, I might roll my eyes, but I wouldn’t be enraged. But it’s not in Vogue, friends, it’s in TEEN Vogue, and it’s aimed at our daughters ages 13-19. And it is clearly designed to make abortion seem like no big deal.
Abortion is the ending of a human life, and it is ALWAYS a big deal. But the language TEEN Vogue is using here belittles the gravity of abortion. It is a beating heart that STOPS, a living being torn apart, and something the girl or woman who chooses it will have to live with forever. Yet TEEN Vogue breaks it down like this:
“The worst part of all this isn’t the procedure itself (which by the way is completely safe as long as you have access to a good clinic). The worst part is how you’re treated afterwards…She will need a ride, she will need a hug, and she will need you — not because the act itself is so terrible, but because sometimes the world can be.”
Translation: Abortion ain’t no big THANG, GIRL! It’s just that people THINK it is.
Oh, ok. My mistake.
I absolutely think that every woman who chooses to have an abortion should be treated with care and dignity. She should be loved and cared for by her friends and family no matter what. But I absolutely and unapologetically do not think she should be given a care package full of flippant gifts that belittle the value of the life she’s ended with her decision and the life-long emotional consequences it will have on her.
(And if YOU have had an abortion and want to heal, there ARE resources for you. You are LOVED you are NOT alone. Check out Hope After Abortion for starters.)
Yet, here is what TEEN Vogue is suggesting that YOUR DAUGHTERS give to their friends (who could also be YOUR or MY daughters) after they have an abortion. I’ll just highlight a few.
THINX period panties
These are panties you can wear during your period. I have nothing against these panties. What I DO protest is the flippant way TEEN Vogue discusses them related to abortion, with light-hearted language aimed at our daughters, saying, “If you haven’t already heard about THINX undies then I am about to rock yo’ world,” and “Technically they are made for your period, but that’s no reason not to rock em for post-abortion woes, especially because there will be blood.”
This Christian girl may have uttered an expletive after reading that line. “Rock em”?? REALLY?
An “Angry Uterus” Heating Pad
Again, it’s not the product I’ve got an objection to. It’s the language TEEN Vogue uses to describe the symptoms this heading pad will help with. The author describes the post-abortion pain using light-hearted sarcasm: “You’ll love it! It’s like 2 throbbing hot balls of lead are trying to escape your body, all while your stomach contracts over and over again. Huzzahhhhh!” I guess adding “because a living human being was just surgically removed from your uterus” in there might make abortion seem like too much of a downer.
