You're Not Finished

#YNF EP20 - Finally Talking About Abortion, + The Last Giveaway of 2022

• Brittany Franklin • Season 2 • Episode 7

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Speaker 1:

Hey everyone. Welcome back to the Your Not Finish podcast. My name is Brittany Franklin and I am the host of this podcast, and it's been a while since I've actually posted an episode, so I'm just gonna jump into things without wasting any more time. The main thing I want to address before I talk about next month's giveaway is the topic of abortion. And I'm going to keep my thoughts on this brief. I tend to hear very polarizing views on both ends. And so I just wanna say one quick thing. So I'm sure, as you guys know by now, ever since the overturning of Roe versus Wade, there have been many responses to that decision. Um, and I'm just gonna go ahead and offer my quick response. Hopefully it's actually impactful and meaningful, but I felt the need to just say something really briefly. The thing is, in my opinion, pro-birth laws are not necessarily pro-life. They don't really guarantee a safe, equal, and healthy existence or environment for the baby that's eventually born. Additionally, these decisions don't consider future mothers in any financial, emotional, or community aspect. The babies might live at the end of the day, but they, and the person or persons who will end up supporting him or her may be at a disadvantage systemically, financially or some other way depending on the situation. The reversal of Roe v. Wade may look like a problem solve, but the roots of the problem remain unaddressed. To me, abortion is just a symptom of a larger problem. I'll get into that later though. Another thing to consider is that giving a pregnant woman a history lesson about abortion, while they're making the decision whether or not to keep a child while in emotional, mental, or financial distress seems counterproductive during these moments. It's unlikely that women in these situations care that abortion in the US has racist origins. It's unlikely that they'll end up being like, let me stand up for my black brother and sisters and have this baby real quick. That's pretty unlikely that that's gonna happen, and it's unlikely that it will matter. That Roe in the Roe versus Wade case became an anti-abortion activist later on in her life. Now of course, there are conflicting stories on whether or not that activism was sincere, but to me, this just proves the futility of attempting to impose personal convictions on people. But yeah, in a general sense, and not just as it pertains to abortion, there are many people who have a tendency to claim they are solving a problem while overlooking the many possible roots of it. For example, in my opinion, the things that would contribute to better mental health for people in our world, such as fair, affordable, and equal access to healthcare crisis, intervention programs, community programs, counseling programs, mental health training programs, higher wages, just to give a few examples, those are some of the same things that will lead to lower abortion rates. Like I have to be honest, like I would never consider having an abortion, but while I sometimes think to myself it would be nice to have a child, there are other times where I think there is no way that I would wanna bring a child into this world as crazy as it is, but giving women and young girls a safe place to land without condemning them for having sex and getting pregnant or contributing to the shame of being sexually assaulted. And that assault leading to a pregnancy, if that's the case for them, can help as well. But there are just so many people in positions of influence that don't have the resources or the heart to provide those things. What laws are being enacted and what is being done to address those issues? I mean, just look at how long it took for the government to address the baby formula shortage, for example. But this is what it means to be pro-life in every sense of the term, in my opinion, which is what I am. And to be clear, that does mean against abortion for whoever is listening with a judgmental ear and needs to hear me say that, but will probably still be ridiculous enough to say otherwise. But whatever. But, or I should say, and because of everything I just stated, you aren't gonna see me at any protests, nor will you ever hear me condemning anyone who has had or will have an abortion. In fact, I really wanna do whatever I can to help provide the resources I mentioned earlier and be part of, or cultivate a safe community for those in need, whether it's regarding mental health or anything else. I've had friends who have had an abortion, abortion and told me how traumatic it was for them and how their mental health was affected in the aftermath. So yeah, I just believe that I can have my own personal convictions while having compassion at the same time due to how nuanced the circumstances behind this issue tend to be. That being said though, for who this applies to, if you don't wanna have a child, there is literally a surefire way to not do that, and that's to lock it up until you're ready for that. But I even say that with the understanding that the idea of sexual liberation and free will exists. And I know that exists because just to be frank, I mean I've said this before, but I've participated in that. Like I've lived a promiscuous lifestyle where I did whatever I wanted to. I'm celibate now, but I just understand. So I'm not gonna condemn anybody who chooses that. So as I am now, I can talk about self-control in the form of abstinence as an option while knowing that the only person that I can control is myself. But I digress. And honestly, I don't have really much more to say about this topic. I'm just kind of anxious to see how everything regarding abortion and women's rights and things like that, how all those things will unfold in the future. Cuz it's looking, it's looking bleak<laugh>, to be honest with you. And so I just hope even the church will really open up its doors as a place of compassion and love for single mothers, for women who experience sexual assault and end up getting pregnant, um, for people who have had abortions and want to, and need to heal from that experience. Um, I actually go to a church. I'm not gonna say what church it is, but I do go to a church that offers that to women. Um, and I think that other churches, religious organizations should be offering that as well. Anyway, to quickly and awkwardly move on. As I said earlier, it's been a while since I've recorded a podcast. And the reason for that is I just haven't felt led to really talk about anything. Like, yes, there are so many things that are going on in the world, and so you're probably asking how, I haven't had anything to say given the fact that there is always something to be commenting on or offering my opinion about. But lately I've just felt the need to, as scripture says, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger and focus on my own personal growth in the process. I don't really need to always have something to say about what is going on. And sometimes it's wisest to just wait till all the facts come out about something or until the smoke clears and then respond. Sometimes it's best not to respond at all. And there are just, there are many voices on these platforms with differing thoughts, beliefs, and theories that can cause a lot of confusion for whoever's listening. So yeah, I just wanna be wise and whenever I do speak to an issue or whenever I am talking about mental health or whenever I'm integrating Christian theology with mental health, I do so only when I'm led by God and only when it's to be a light, to be encouraging or to be informative, you're not finished needs to be about making an impact. And a lot of these opinions and voices and whatever like that, they aren't really having a substantial impact. And I just don't wanna be in that category to just be saying stuff, just to say it. That being said, though, I have been posting blogs on the year, not finished website, biweekly, and from the looks of things, those do seem to be having more of an impact, which is more important to me anyway. So please be sure to add to your not finish.com for more content there. Even when I don't post a podcast, I'm always going to post a blog. I'm a much better writer in my opinion anyway. So yeah, there's always gonna be a blog. There's always gonna be the opportunity to share your own personal testimony and story on you're not finished. So please again, look to you're not finished for that. Finally, I am having the last giveaway of the year next month. I'll be announcing that in a couple of weeks or May next week. Next week, sorry. So make sure you are following me on Instagram at Y N F cast to receive updates on that and for more encouraging content. Again, the giveaway items will be announced on the 31st and the giveaway itself will start on the seventh with the winner being announced on the 14th. That being said, that is all for today. I know it's a really, really short podcast and it's probably too short given that it's been a couple of months since I have posted. However, I just wanted to share my thoughts on abortion. I thought it would be really important and impactful to just think about things from a different way, especially for those who might use their views on abortion to demonize women, women who are pro-choice. I don't really think that's necessary because again, like as I said before, the only person that I can control is myself. And I can have my convictions and be against abortion while having compassion for someone who chooses to do so. There have been many things that I have done that are not right and against the will of God and, and all of the things that I've been forgiven for. So having my own personal history in mind makes me just be a little bit more understanding, even though it's a huge, a huge issue. I've never had an abortion, never. There's a lot of things that I have not done, but there are a lot of things that I have done as well,<laugh>. So I'm not, I'm not forgetting the person who I used to be and I never will, and I, I never will forget who and what God saved me from. Which is why I believe that nobody, including someone who chooses to have an abortion, nobody is beyond redemption. So anyway, sorry, that's the last, literally the last thing I'm gonna say about it. I get that some people will disagree, but I just really wanna put that out there and if you disagree with me, like let's have a conversation about it. Let's talk. We don't have to agree, but we do have to respect each other. And so I'm open to having that conversation with anybody who chooses to have it. Anyway, back to what I was saying. This is literally the end of the podcast. If you need additional resources for mental health addiction and suicide prevention, head over to www.you not.com and click the get help section. And if you wanna share your story, journey, or experience of overcoming mental distress or as someone with a diagnosed mental health or mood disorder and you're okay with that being shared publicly on the You Not Finished website, shoot me an email to Brittany your not finish.com, that's B R I T T A N Y, your not finish.com or to stories@yournotfinish.com, or you can contact me through the website. Anonymous submissions are always welcome. Make sure you follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Y N F Cast to stay up to date on the latest episodes and for encouraging content. Don't forget to rate the cast on Apple Google Podcasts, wherever you can rate it if you love it. Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate it. I hope you guys have a great day. Good luck on the giveaway if you decide to enter it and finish well. Bye.