A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall

By the time it arrives, the freight train coming down the tracks to our towns and cities will be overstuffed and shrieking with two issues dear to conservatives: gay rights and abortion rights. The environment may be on the verge of dissolution, but these are the two matters that apparently really count!

For me, gay rights are civil rights, human rights, and the details can be worked out culturally, socially and in the courts. As far as I'm concerned, teaching about the NYC Stonewall Riots of 1969 is at least as important as teaching about Stonewall Jackson, and this coming from someone who recognizes the importance of the 1861-1865 American Civil War in shaping our current socio-cultural landscape. It's tricky, involving a separation of church and state, but including pragmatic matters like health insurance, estate planning, sometimes adoption of children, and all those other fine but critical details of surviving in the modern USA. One answer seems clear to me: civil marriage as distinct from religious ceremony. Same-sex civil marriage -- why not? As for religious sanctioning of this type of union, that will vary from sect to sect. Between state and federal laws, none of the details are easy to work out. It's such an emotionally charged social issue -- like slavery was -- that the one thing we can all agree on is that the future will be rocky and many will be unhappy with how things go, regardless. Households today are of all types and perhaps some things, like health and death insurance, can be sorted out independently. Cultural acceptance is another aspect that will vary widely, and takes time. We cannot stamp out prejudice or cultural differences, but we can protect the shared public sphere better than we do now.

Abortion rights -- "Choice" vs. "Life." There may be some common ground in this explosive arena as well. Starting with the extremes -- can most adults agree on abortion in case the prospective mother's life is at stake? Can most agree that a late abortion should be avoided except in cases of extreme emergency? If we can start with that thin bit of common ground, we will have something to build on. I go back to my woman friend who said: "If we lose the rights to our bodies, we might as well be living under the Taliban," to which I counter-quipped "Yeah, the Christian Taliban." Roe v. Wade may very well be overturned in the near future; as is, we're seeing a state-by-state rollback of abortion rights, taking us back to the time when women had to resort to secret and often dangerous abortions in other places and were criminals in the eyes of the law.

Personally, abortion is not something I'd prefer to have to deal with; still, there but for the Grace of God go I. No judgment on my part. Is there really such a thing as a casual abortion? Maybe, but ultimately, it seems to me that it's up to the women who must choose, especially in cases of delicate health and rape.

The first time I was emotionally stirred by the whole idea of abortion was as a kid, watching the most excellent film Alfie (1966), when the married Vivien Merchant character undergoes one at Alfie's insistence (Michael Caine as Alfie, perfectly played). It's a really sad, gut-wrenching scene, underscored by the grubbiness of the back alley Abortionist (played to the T by Denholm Elliott). It's this scene that finally forces Alfie to confront the consequences of his wreckless activities, perhaps even take some spiritual responsibility for his actions. With Sonny Rollins in the background, it's a very effective movie if a bit long and patchy by today's standards.




When I was in grad. school in the City of Brotherly Love, I witnessed first hand quite a number of clashes and protests involving gay rights and abortion rights, sometimes overlapping, sometimes in front of a clinic near where I lived on Spruce Street in Center City. I also got to see Al Gore on three occasions (once at a book-signing for Earth in the Balance) and just wish he had the charisma of Bill Clinton. In any case, nothing quite like mass urban protests and counter-protests: a truly global feel to them with a long, mixed history. The pro-gay group Act Up was quite innovative with lots of guerilla theatre and impressively dramatic antics. They actually made protest fun. The pro-life groups in front of the abortion clinics, though, seemed hellishly deranged by comparison. Spitting, screaming, shaking fists, threatening the poor women who had to run the gauntlet, they exhibited all-around nasty loserly behavior. It was so sickening that I joined the Pro-Choice people every time I walked by. But even so, I recognize the legal and moral complexities, and try to keep them in mind.

In any and all cases, I hear that train a-coming, and when that train arrives, folks, we're gonna have to know exactly where we stand. And either way, Bob Dylan's right: a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Note: Top photo is of Gloria Steinem at a womens' rights rally in 1972; source: Center for American History, Austin, TX.

Ciao!