BACK ABUSED 6'?m2f Abortion: unwanted children will be abused LIZ -- (enters, crosses to DC, looks both ways, paces, looks at watch, looks both ways) AMY -- (enters opposite) Hi, sorry I'm late. (hugs) LIZ -- Oh, I'm so glad you're here. I didn't think you would come. AMY -- I promised you I'd be here for you. LIZ -- I know, but, knowing how you feel about abortion. I... AMY -- Hey, speaking of that, I changed my mind. LIZ -- You what? AMY -- I changed my mind. Your argument in favor of abortion won me over. LIZ -- You're kidding. AMY -- What you said... that chances are your baby would be unwanted and that unwanted children are more likely to be abused... LIZ -- But you were so... so antiabortion before! AMY -- Well, your argument makes sense. LIZ -- Okay, well, shall we get going? (turns, points) AMY -- Sure. But, if you don't mind, I'd like to make a quick stop along the way. LIZ -- (turns) Sure. Where? AMY -- I need to stop by Twin Haven. LIZ -- The nursing home? AMY -- Yes. LIZ -- That's where your grandmother moved to, isn't it? AMY -- Yes. LIZ -- My abortion appointment is in a half hour. Are you sure we have time? AMY -- Sure. I'm not going to visit. I'm just going to pull the plug. LIZ -- Pull the plug. AMY -- Yes. LIZ -- You're not... You're not really going to.... AMY -- After what you said about your abortion, I think it's an obvious solution for Grandma too. LIZ -- You can't be serious. AMY -- Sure. Grandma is getting frail and a little demented, and it won't be long before she becomes unwanted. I think I should follow your example. LIZ -- My example? AMY -- Yes. I mean, it's obvious. Grandma is a burden to us now. It won't be long before she'll probably be unwanted, and right after that the abuse will probably follow. LIZ -- That's ridiculous! You can't just kill your grandmother because you think she might be unwanted and might be abused! AMY -- How is that different from what you are about to do? LIZ -- (long pause, deep breath) I... I guess I never thought about it in those terms before. Say, you're not really thinking about pulling the plug on your grandmother, are you? AMY -- Of course not. The real question is, are you really considering pulling the plug on your baby "because you think she might be unwanted and might be abused!" LIZ -- It's not the same thing! AMY -- How is it different? LIZ -- Well, I don't know. It just isn't. (snaps fingers) I know! It's not really a person yet. AMY -- Are you saying that it's a human being, but it's not really a person? LIZ -- Yes. AMY -- What's the difference? LIZ -- I... I don't know. This all made more sense when I read it on that web site. AMY -- Did you know that before Roe versus Wade, being a human being meant being a person? The abortion advocates fabricated the personhood distinction in order to justify the killing of babies in the womb. LIZ -- But there MUST be some differences. Let's see. How about consciousness? AMY -- That would mean that a head trauma patient is no longer a person. Do we have a right to kill him? LIZ -- How about intelligence? AMY -- Well, if intelligence is the measure of personhood, smart people have more rights of personhood than the mentally retarded. And that was the justification Hitler used for killing the mentally retarded people in Germany. LIZ -- Well, the fetus is dependent on the mother. AMY -- So are newborns. Would you like to see the killing of newborn babies legalized? LIZ -- Well, there must be something. That web site sounded so convincing. AMY -- Any quality of personhood that you can name is artificial and would always disqualify some other humans beside fetuses. LIZ -- I saw a diagram of my fetus. It doesn't LOOK human. AMY -- If you step on a caterpillar, is there any doubt in your mind that a butterfly has lost its life? LIZ -- Well, no. AMY -- Elizabeth, the fetus in your womb looks more like a human being than a caterpillar looks like a butterfly. But it doesn't matter what it looks like. The offspring of two human parents is a human. The fetus in your womb is a human being in an early stage of development. LIZ -- Alright, so it's human. So what? AMY -- That web site used the words termination and abortion and extraction. But what's going on there in that clinic is that human beings are losing their lives. LIZ -- Does that mean you're not going with me? AMY -- Not at all. You're my friend. I love you and I'll be there for you when you're done. But when we go into that clinic I want you to admit that what's going on there (points) is that the human being inside your body will lose its life. LIZ -- (sighs) Alright. I suppose we could do it YOUR way. We COULD arrange an adoption. But if I don't want this baby, who would? AMY -- Well, contrary to what the abortion advocates are telling you, there is no such thing in this country as an unwanted baby. Even babies with severe deformities are adopted as soon as they're born. LIZ -- Really?! AMY -- Really. Childless couples in this country have to fly half way around the world to adopt a baby. You'll have people standing in line to adopt your baby, even if it's mentally retarded. LIZ -- I suppose this is the right thing to do. Alright, then. (exits opposite) Come on. AMY -- (follows) Some day a human being will thank you for your bravery. ©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |