Big--(But Non-Inclusive)--Give?
Do you think Oprah Winfrey would think I'm a good enough "philanthropist ...the type of person who makes things happen and will do what ever it takes...to do good for others?"
Do you think Oprah would think it's "creative and innovative" enough "to help others" by addressing "communities' needs and changing the lives within them" if I chose to "do good" for all the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions* of post-abortive women suffering PTSD over their abortions (some contemplating suicide and even succeeding at it) if I helped them all afford to attend (and be provided safe, weekendlong-care for their existing children while they're gone) confidential abortion recovery counseling meetings or retreats or even regular, ongoing counseling?
Would Oprah's people think that my giving to help young girls (minorities in particular since many more minority young women have more of the abortions in this country) find nonjudgmental, compassionate, freely donated, non-preaching survival help and alternatives to aborting (i.e., places to live, food, health care for them, their existing families, their unborn babies, pre AND post-natal, clothing, job assistance) qualifies as addressing "communities' needs?"
Ahhhh, I didn't think so either.
I guess "it takes a village" only applies when "the village" supports abortion to the exclusion of helping women who don't know that they have any other alternative.
If I even made it on the first episode, that would get me kicked off the island faster than you can say   H Y P O C R I T E.
*
The following is paraphrased from the book link given in that paragraph above: In a study done in 2000, 78% of The National Abortion Rights Action League’s (NARAL) membership was female, while 63% of National Right to Life Committee's was female. 32% of NARAL's women members admitted having had an abortion. Only 3% of the NRL women had had an abortion. NARAL had a total membership then of 156,000, while NRL had 12 million. So 32% of 78% of 156,000 gives 39,000 such pro-choice, post-abortive women, while 3% of 63% of 12 million yields 226,800 women who have had abortions and regretted them enough to go public as pro-life advocates.
("ACHIEVING PEACE IN THE ABORTION WAR: Predictions on Possible Social Impacts of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Cognitive Dissonance as Structural Stressors," by Rachel M. MacNair, Ph.D.)
For every one like me who "went public/active" as these above, there are at least 2 dozen others who regret but can't go public. I personally know hundreds of postabortive (PA) women who regret and are "active" and to a woman, this is our common experience: hearing from or knowing at least two dozen women personally who also regret their abortions and/or suffer because of them, but can't "go public" about it for various understandable reasons (e.g., boss, spouse, family, friends don't know and would shame and/or shun them for their regret if they did know)
If all 227,000 of us PA women who came to regret it enough to become publicly, actively against abortion, each personally know at least 2 dozen who regret but must maintain their painful secret, then that is about 5.4 million women anonymously, silently suffering in the U.S. because people--including Oprah and her handlers--condemn us for being sorry we chose abortion. What else can one call "pretending we don't exist?"
Rough numbers, to be sure, but the massive research called for by Surgeon General Koop all those years ago was never conducted as he advised (see the two Koop links directly to the right of this post, in the sidebar under RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION). The government doesn't want to open this Pandora's box, but it has been opened nonetheless, by us women who are living it.
Lastly, this doesn't factor in the scientific research on the numbers and the actual physical and emotional trauma to women caused by abortion.
Many of us who regret take full responsibility for our mistakes. We also accept that others don't regret. It still boggles the mind that others can't accept that we do.