Marrying George Clooney

the other day i drove by a billboard: a young woman holding a newborn in her arms, the caption read:

THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE: PRO-LIFE.

huh.

there is no other choice…

i beg to differ.

i’m pro-choice.

i’m all for people making choices in their lives.

and, you know, they don’t have to make the same choices as me.

they can have their OPINION.

i love that i have choices.

i get to choose friends, and partners, and clothes, and food, and furniture, and politicians, and hair salons and doctors and restaurants and medication and pets and cars and all sorts of things, i get to choose where i live, and what i say, and who i love.

my choices.

and i just love that.

and sometimes i make choices and wow-oh-fucking-wow are they the wrong choices, so i get to make new choices, and hopefully i get to learn from my mistakes, and if not, well, then i get to make more choices.

and it seems to me that those who are so clearly pro-life get to choose too. boy oh boy do they choose. they get to choose who they love, and who they hate, what they wear and what they say, and who they vote for, and where they eat, and where they picket, and what they burn and who deserves to go to heaven and who deserves to go to hell, what kind of cars and houses they buy and  drive, and the company they keep. and you bet a lot of their choices i don’t agree with.

they’re not my choices.

so, it looks like everyone is choosing.

holy shit … everyone it seems is just like me: pro-choice.

and to clarify, i’m pretty pro-life also, i love – okay, maybe not every single day – waking up in the morning, i love that i get to kiss my husband and friends (yes, on the lips, thank you very much!). i get to watch the sun rise and set, i get to write and speak and share my thoughts, visit my friends, go to the movies, the theater, and laugh and cry and help someone else get through a day. i’m pretty fond of life. i think life is extraordinary, even in the worst of times. so, yeah, i’m all for life.

doesn’t that sound pro-life to you? does to me.

someone said to me a while ago that she was pro-life and, “didn’t think i was,” and so, i challenged her, and i looked at her and asked, “well, why, what makes you think that? what makes you think i’m not pro-life, i love life.” and she said, “well, because you’re clearly pro-choice,” and i said to her, “well yes, I am pro-choice. i’m both. pro-life and pro-choice.” and she asked all flustered, “how can you be “pro-life and pro-choice? how is that possible?”

and i said this:

“well, you know, i’m also all for pro-bowling, and pro-tennis, and pro-golf. pro-skating, pro-bono, pro-duce, and pro-phylactics.” and boy oh boy was she confused, like so ridiculously confused, and she looked at me, interrupted me, and said, “yeah, well, i’m talking about abortion. what about an abortion? you think that’s okay? you think having an abortion is okay? is that what you’re saying?”

boy oh boy oh boy, did she choose the wrong person to say that to. i looked right at her, right in her eyes, and with every bit of might & conviction in me i said: “well, it seems you’re trying to kill my opinion before i even get to finish what i have to say. wouldn’t you call that an abortion?”

she was speechless, and so, i chose to leave it at that.