For a number of years I looked at the floor and avoided the well meaning people with hugely unpleasant big photographs in Belfast City Centre - All I wanted was to go from the theatre to Tesco across the road and twice a day I had to run the gauntlet. They didn't do anything, apart from get in the way, and point at their pictures, but the pictures often put me off my food (well, they tried and it didn't work).
It took years for me to realise that the reason they were there was because the building was where terminations were done.
I cannot imagine the mental anguish people needing abortions go through - making the decision is hard enough without other people trying to convince you it is you that is wrong.
No matter what my personal beliefs are, the person carrying the child should be free in any civilised society to decide for themselves. If it is against the law, then that decision must be even harder.
We often hear white folk trying to side with the black community over race, but no matter the intention, it cannot be done, because even empathy is so hard. Somebody who has terminal cancer can speak with authority on cancer issues, but somebody who has not experienced it is simply unable to really understand it. With races and health, we seem to understand it - we can support the basic premise, and it works, but abortion seems to really cross every line. All we have is the law. If people are within the law, then I think their views should be respected. For all sorts of reasons we can disagree but opinion doesn't mean much?
