When I was a teacher, one of my favorite books to teach was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I taught - and reread - the book multiple times, and I've seen the great movie repeatedly.
The movie was on last night, and, of course, I watched it.
It suddenly dawned on me that it provides parallels to abortion.
One of the villains - and one of the most tragic figures - in the book and movie is Mayella Ewell.
Mayella lives on a farm with her siblings and her drunken, abusive father. She is fearful, lonely, and obviously feels unloved.
She's like too many young women who turn to sex to find love, and become pregnant.
In Mayella's case, she seeks that love from Tom Robinson, a completely innocent Black man who helps her when he can, but has never made any kind of romantic overtures. He treats her well, something she has not experienced in her sad life
One day she gets him in the house ostensibly to help with something, but then grabs him and kisses him.
In the South at that time, a White woman kissing a Black man was unthinkable.
He tries to get away, but just at that moment Mayella's father sees what's happening.
Tom does get away. Mr. Ewell beats Mayella.
Mayella now faces a desperate situation. If word got out about what she did she would be even more of a social outcast than she already was. And she risks her father's continued disapproval - which, he has already demonstrated, could include physical violence.
Again, her situation parallels that of so many young women who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant as a result of choices they made.
In her desperation, and likely under pressure from her father, she accuses Tom of rape. Mayella needs to deny her own guilt. She needs to get rid of Tom,
In the South at that time, Tom, as a Black man, is viewed by society as somehow less human, maybe even not human.
Similar to the way the unborn are viewed by many parts of our society today.
After a trial, at which Tom's innocence is made clear, Tom is nevertheless found guilty. He later panics and tries to escape, and is killed.
In effect, he is aborted.
Desperate woman fearing reactions and consequences seeks to get rid of the reminder of her choices and guilt, viewing that reminder as somehow less than human, resulting in the death of a innocent being.
So like abortion.
She is a victim as well - of those who are supposed to love her, of her society that's ruled by ignorance.
So like so many women today when faced with unplanned pregnancies.
My message to pro-choicers: Don't be a Mayella Ewell, and don't treat women like so many Mayella Ewells.
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