And the counter-protester shouts at me,
"What if your mother 
had decided to abort you?"
He's wearing a bright green T-shirt
that says "pro-life,"
no like link, organization, just pro-life,
and in a split second
my brain cycles through
all the possible ways
I could reply to him.
Right. I could say, "Why is it
that the loudest 'pro-life' voices
are always, always also the loudest
anti social safety net,
anti access to childcare,
anti access to contraception,
anti living wage, anti environment,
anti peace, anti democracy,
anti gun control,
anti sex ed, anti education in general,
anti healthcare voices?"
Right, I could mention
that the U.S. is currently
at the lowest rate of abortion 
since Roe v. Wade,
the continuation 
of a 30-year downward trend,
primarily due to increased access
to effective and affordable birth control.
I could say, "If you really 
believe abortion is murder,
you would be on the front line,
supporting comprehensive sex ed,
universal healthcare, and, yeah, 
planned parenthood too,
the program, services and initiatives
that reduce abortion rates
more than outlawing it ever could."
I could also, however, 
talk about how the pro-life movement
has never actually been about life,
it's always been about control.
It's always been about enforcing
this extreme view of family, sexuality,
and authority in punishing women,
and anyone who can get pregnant,
for daring to think differently.
Right. It's always been about cynically
using people's deeply held beliefs
as a way to get out the vote,
to keep the most immoral, manipulative, 
hypocritical politicians we have in power.
I could respond with any variation
on one or more of those points,
and would any of them change his mind?
How loud do you have to be
to put out a house fire
with just your voice?
How well constructed must your argument be
to convince the ocean
not to take your drowning friend?
Do we preach to the choir
because it's easy
or do we preach to the choir
because they're the people
who might actually do something?
The counter-protester asks,
"What if your mother 
had decided to abort you?"
He's not actually concerned 
with my metaphysical well-being, right.
He doesn't care about my young,
scared single mother.
He's trying to tell a story.
So my response is also a story.
It's just not a story for him.
Some day, we are going to live
in a world that truly values life,
where people have not just the choice
to have or not have children,
but the right to raise them
in a community with all the resources
and opportunities and freedom
and justice and joy they could ever need.
Talk about life all you want,
but I know who's fighting for that world,
and I know who isn't.
(cheers and applause)
