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Shouting from the mountaintop

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“No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
–John Donne

Two months ago, I wrote a post about choices. In that post, I wrote the following:

I believe in the Heaven of Indra. I believe in the “inescapable network of mutuality.”

I believe that the choices we make reach further than we can know. That we are all connected. That we must make our choices with the knowledge that our choices affect those whom we have never met.

I believe that if we are to effect change in the world, if we are to exercise control over our individual situations, then we must look at our situations as the situations of all women and move forward from there.

I believe we are all in this together and that one woman’s fight is the fight of all women.

Those words are as important to me in this moment as they were in February when I first wrote them. Perhaps even more important.

Right now, my friend Diana is fighting a battle that, at its core, is about choice. It’s about her choice to fight for the lives of her unborn babies.

Katherine wrote about the nuts and bolts here.

After a groundswell of support and outcry from Twitter this morning, the tide started to turn in this battle she and her husband are waging and Diana responded.

The situation Diana faced prior to the forces of social media uniting against her doctors and hospital make me want to climb up on top of a mountain instead of my usual, lowly soapbox and shout about the indignity women in this world face every time they try to make medical decisions for themselves based on research, anecdotal evidence, or just plain old instinct.

It shouldn’t have taken Twitter to get these doctors to see that Diana’s choice is a valid one, no matter the possible outcomes. They should not EVER have relegated her to the status of “hysterical pregnant lady” and should have treated her with dignity and respect. They should have treated her the way they’d want their own mothers treated. Or better yet, themselves.

That is, after all, the Golden Rule, right?

Situations like this are the kind that unite all people, regardless of beliefs, creed, race, gender, whatever, under the banners of humanity, decency, and most importantly, compassion.

Every day women all over this country who do not have the power of social media backing them are faced with decisions and choices and battles like the ones Diana has faced since Saturday.

Choices like this affect us all. So, I’ll say it again.

I believe we are all in this together and that one woman’s fight is the fight of all women.

I’m fighting with Diana. I hope you are, too.

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John

Tuesday 1st of May 2012

Simply, well said.

Katie

Monday 30th of April 2012

boom.

Julia

Monday 30th of April 2012

Absolutely. I am so glad for Diana that her situation has been given attention it deserves after the outreach of social media. But I am appalled that there are women without this support system that are treated like this every day, whose stories are not given a voice and are left to struggle alone.

Isha

Monday 30th of April 2012

*applause!* I hope those doctors were reprimanded. I cannot believe she was treated that way. Like a number instead of a person. Doctors sometimes too much like teachers--one rotten one REALLY makes you rethink the entire profession. But I know that's not fair, and that there are wonderful spectacular doctors out there. I hope they find her, and help her. Until then, I am sending her all of my good thoughts.

Miranda

Monday 30th of April 2012

I trust that they were, or will be. And it's that treatment of patients as numbers instead of PEOPLE that you know just chaps my ass.

I hope the spectacular doctors find her, too. Or that she finds them. Or at least that the ones who are helping her today have their heads out of their asses.

Lindsay @lilloveandluck

Monday 30th of April 2012

Yes, yes, and yes .

Miranda

Monday 30th of April 2012

Thanks!

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