October 15, 2009
Self-Proclaimed “Abortion Addict” Publishes Memoir
In other abortion news, I was tipped off to this wonderfully uplifting book last night:
A woman has admitted to being ‘an abortion addict’ after having 15 terminations over 17 years.
Irene Vilar said she had the abortions not from poverty or fear but as an extraordinary act of rebellion against her ‘controlling’ husband who did not want children.
The 40-year-old’s confession has unleashed a torrent of attacks from anti-abortion activists on the internet, including death threats and demands for her to be jailed.
The cycle of pregnancies and abortions, which began when she was 16 and ended when she was 33, was also punctuated by several suicide attempts.
Now a successful literary agent with two young daughters, Loretta, five, and Lolita, three, Mrs Vilar has written about her experiences in a memoir, called Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict.
The book, which was published yesterday, has shocked many Americans, who remain bitterly divided over the issue, and has angered campaigners on both sides of the abortion divide.
Charmaine Yoest, president of pro-life pressure group Americans United for Life, said: ‘It really underscores everything we always say in the pro-life movement – that abortion is part of a very sad story for women.’
However, pro-choice campaigners said Mrs Vilar’s book raises uncomfortable questions about abortion as a form of birth control.
Mrs Vilar said of the book’s reception: ‘I am worried about my safety and the hate mail. I just imagine the “baby killer” stuff and I could be a poster child for that kind of fundamentalism.’
The attractive one-time academic prodigy attended a boarding school in New Hampshire and was accepted into a New York university when she was only 15.
A year later, she fell in love and married a 50-year-old Latin American literature professor, who she says was opposed to having children.
She claims he bragged that his relationships never lasted more than five years and told that having children killed sexual desire.
In response, Mrs Vilar said she rebelled by ‘forgetting’ to take her birth control pills.
‘In the beginning I was taking pills and I’d skip a day or two or give up one month,’ she said in a television interview. ‘I’d think I’ll be better next time.
‘But slowly, my days took on a balancing act and there was a specific high. I would get my period and be sad, then discover I was pregnant, being afraid, yet also so excited.’
She claimed she had the abortions so her husband wouldn’t leave her although she failed to reveal whether he knew of the terminations.
‘Of course, this did not mean I wanted to do it again and again.
‘A druggie also wants to stop every time.’
‘Of course, this did not mean I wanted to do it again and again,’ she said. ‘A druggie also wants to stop every time.
‘Women have written memoirs about their anorexia or their bulimia, and they explain the best that they can what motivated their addiction or their behaviour. I try to do the same in this book.’
There is so much to say about this repulsive story. I realize that this woman is an anomaly, not the rule, but the truth is many women are using abortion as birth control and have had plenty more than one. Once you have had an abortion you are more likely to have more. Granted, most people who have an abortion probably won’t get to the point of having 15, but it is very likely that they’ll have between two and four. In this day and age, that’s a very serious problem. I bet that most Americans don’t think abortion should be legal for this kind of excessive use, and I only take bets I know I can win.
Not only did this woman slaughter 15 of her unborn children–the two that somehow escaped this serial killer should really watch out–but she wrote a book to profit off of their deaths. She claims that motherhood has made her accountable, but remains “pro-choice.” What is her point, then? Other than to make a quick buck, that is. If she doesn’t regret it, and is clearly not taking responsibility for her actions (skipping days on the pill, getting pregnant on purpose, then aborting her unwanted children) why expose herself for these shameful acts other than to make money off the book sales? What does her book offer to the people who read it?
She compares her book and the reasons for writing it to women who have written about their battles with anorexia and bulimia. The problem with this is that those people were only hurting themselves, so it’s not quite the same as abortion, and their stories help other women dealing with these same issues. It helps them to see they are not alone and to seek help. Is she trying to help other abortion addicts out of their addiction?
What does it mean that she calls herself an abortion addict? It’s just an abdication of her responsibility. It’s a way for her to assuage the guilt that (I hope) she feels because, whether she calls herself pro-choice or whatever else, she knows that she has taken a life. She knows that her choice has deprived 15 of her children of ever taking their first breath.
And, haven’t we taken the addiction excuse a bit too far? That’s everybody’s excuse for everything. The story goes: addiction is a disease; we can’t penalize someone for having a disease; so, we can’t penalize them or hold them responsible for their acts they claim are a result of their addiction. Cheat on your wife? Claim you’re a sex addict. Gamble your life savings away? You’re addicted to gambling so all is forgiven. And, so the story goes. Garbage! People need to start taking responsibility. An addiction may be a reason for your behavior, but stop using it as an excuse when your behavior is inexcusable.
With stories like this, is it really any wonder my faith in America is dwindling?
(H/T: Tim Dennehy on Facebook)
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