How far is too far? (Warning: abortion thread)

[the anti-myrmidon]

I can understand that anti-abortionists feel very strongly about their views and will go out of their way to express them, but this is a bit much:

www.rollingstone.com/politics/story?id=6388324&pageid=rs.Politics&pageregion=single6&rnd=1094657368830&has-player=false

In case the URL expires, or (more likely) y'all are too lazy to read it, it is about an anti-abortion group who have taken to harassing clinic employees by following them around all day and telling the employees' neighbors that they work in an abortion clinic and that the neighbors should make them stop. In essence, this group tries to humilate and harass the employees until they quit their jobs.

Any thoughts?

Susan "Finally has decent internet access again" Wise

[Atsuko73]

Read it yesterday, didn't get time to reply until today....
I think it's horrible. I am totally pro-choice, and I just hate people who are hardcore pro-life. Seriously. This guy doesn't care if the mother will die, or if the baby will lead a horrible life because it will be born disfigured. I don't think that he takes into account the damage it will do to a child when its mother freaking DIES giving birth to it. That's serious emotional damage. That kid would have to deal with that its whole life. I know most of you feel the same way...so I'm just kind of venting....but I think taking intolerance to the point of harassing people who do things you don't THINK are right is definately too far. I do like the doctor at the clinic who refuses to be intimidated. He's cool. that's all...

[Prothonotary]

I think it's too far as well. Sometimes you don't really have a choice where you work or who you work for. You just need to have a job. If Troy Newman was offering the people he's harassing a comparable job/salary, then we might have another story. But he's not.

[Seany-D]

I think there comes a point where you cross from having a strong belief -- conviction even -- in an idea, and lapsing into strong-arming otherrs into comforming to your belief system. I used to be very Machiavellian in my solution to problems, but scenes like this remind me that sometimes, the medicine may be as harmful as the (perceived) disease.

Seems to me that this fellow is a spin-master; he may eschew the use of labels and thinks that he's not a loose cannon, but you wouldn't catch me driving a truck around with fetus-puree on it. Smiling while trying to undercut someone's livelihood by selling it as something that it is not seems rather crass to me. If an atheist were to strong-arm like this, we'd be labelled as lunatics and fringe activists, but no one in a highly conservative state like KS will carp over such a thing. Let's see him bring this pog-and-pony-meets-the-mafia show to the East Coast and see how long it lasts. I wonder if he learned this tactic from the current presidential administration?

I think back to one of the points that I brought up last night: what does this country have to do to realize the ideal of a "melting pot" and not faction itself into sides completely incompatible of coexistence with the other?

I think that the protestor's action of comparing the protest to outlaw abortion to the fight for civil rights is nothing short of amazing.

Oh, and I apologize if I seem a bit peeved today; Pimpmobile was vomiting coolant last night, and I'm currently marooned with my internet connection at home.

Sean "<sigh>" Davis

[chapdawg]

I only read half of the article before I had to stop. I simply can not comprehend something like that, it makes me so incredibally angry. How can you say that you are working for what is moral and good but commit acts that are so shamefull and wrong.
Hardcore pro-life fanatics are a contadiction of terms. Sorry for sounding so much like an Ojectivist but it seems to fit in this specefic situation. You should not work on a moral patform and maliciously harrass people it just doesn't work.

-Brian Chapman-

[Valvilis]

Someone following me around all day prattling on and on about something they know nothing about, following in my every footstep, trying to make a fool of me while making an absolute idiot of themselves... two words:

Bear traps.