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Darcy Burner asks more women to 'come out'

June 14, 2012 @ 5:27 pm (Updated: 10:07 am - 6/15/12 )

Listen to Darcy Burner asks more women to "come out" about abortion

Congressional candidate Darcy Burner didn't think her request to have women stand up if they've had an abortion would become a controversy, but she hopes it will inspire more women to "come out" about their personal experiences.

At a women's health conference in Rhode Island the First Congressional District candidate asked women in the room to stand if they have had an abortion. She says about 150 women stood. Then about 2,000 women stood after she asked if the rest of the audience would support a woman who has had an abortion and is "willing to come out about it."

BurnerAfter the speech, Burner talked with a few of the women who stood up. They "never felt as loved and supported" as they did when everyone stood with them.

In an interview with Burner, she uses the term "coming out of the closet" several times.

Her message about abortion was inspired by the success of the gay rights movement.

There was a time when people felt they had to conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity because society shamed.

As more and more people came out about their homosexuality, others were able to see there's nothing wrong or shameful about being gay, she says.

"Women who've had an abortion should feel like it's okay to come out of the closet and talk about their decision," Burner says.

"People think they don't know women who've had abortions, when in fact their mothers or their sisters or their co-workers or their friends often have. Women being able to come out of the closet and being able to say 'I've had an abortion' would change people's view of what it meant."

I asked Burner a question I've never asked anyone before, "Have you had an abortion?"

"I have not had an abortion, but I've been in a situation in which during a very high-risk pregnancy my doctor sat me down and said their was a very real chance if I continued the pregnancy I wouldn't survive," she says. "The choices that are made at that moment are incredibly difficult and no politician has the right to make them for any woman."

She believes abortion rights will become an issue in the congressional races across the country as those in the GOP try to restrict women's access to medical care.

"It's easy for opponents of abortion rights, and women's rights in general, to paint the worst possible pictures. To claim that the only people this ever happens to are horrific horrible people and they're not. They're your neighbor, they're your co-worker, they're your mother, they're your friend," Burner says. "Politicians don't get to stand between women and their doctors."

The race to replace Jay Inslee is a crowded one that includes John Koster, who opposes abortion but did not return my request for a comment. Among the Democrats - Suzan DelBene, Laura Ruderman, state Rep. Roger Goodman and state Sen. Steve Hobbs.

By LINDA THOMAS

AP file photo

Related: Burner abortion move sparks strong debate

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (107)


  • Add A Comment

  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    Burner...
    June 15, 2012 2:11 pm
    She is a dishonest bum who panders to hot-button issues in her desperate attempt to be famous. I would not trust this person with a bag of socks. I would elect my neighbor's cat before I would vote for her.

    America: "Gee, we have been breaking every rule in the Bible and the economy just seems to get worse and worse. Derp derp derp."

    Fools think they own their own bodies. They think eyes, ears, and a womb are just freebies and they can do whatever they would like with these free gifts. Sorry ladies, you do not own your body. If you think you do you are a fool and a selfish blight on society.

    REPENT!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PlaneJ wrote...
    For all the haters...
    June 15, 2012 7:17 pm
    I've not seen one post offering to adopt or foster a child of a mother considering abortion. Condemnation is much simpler, isn't it?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    We have two adopted children.
    June 15, 2012 8:00 pm
    So NOW what do you have to say...? ....................................................................................................................................yeah...that's what I thought.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PlaneJ wrote...
    What I have to say HPD is
    June 15, 2012 8:19 pm
    Bless you and your family. DianeC
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    Hope you aren't teaching them
    June 15, 2012 8:20 pm
    to hate like you.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Hate? Willie...really weak.
    June 16, 2012 6:17 am
    Nothing says hate like killing unborn babies.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    PlaneJ
    June 15, 2012 10:49 pm
    If Christians in the US agreed to set up orphanages and take care of every single unwanted baby in the US would you cheerfully agree to end abortion? If the left would honestly agree to this deal I would work to make it so. But I know that this is just an excuse the left uses to justify murder.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    For over 200 years...
    June 16, 2012 5:26 pm
    Our nation seemed to have an answer for unwanted children that did not involve internet offers or anything but love and religious-based orphanages. That seemed to work just fine for hundreds of years.

    This aspiring political hack asked people to stand up to promote her career. She not only pressed a hot-button, she hit it with a hammer and did a little dance.

    Look at the replies!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    For all the haters...
    June 18, 2012 8:34 am
    That's choice! A Left wing Parrot calling anyone else a "Hater"!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Toolbridge wrote...
    Daddy Dennis has Mommy Issues
    June 15, 2012 8:14 pm
    and believes in silly fantasies. THINK!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    What do you know?
    June 16, 2012 5:21 pm
    You wouldn't know me if we passed on the street. What I shared is truth from the first book off a printing press. The people that invented the mechanical computer and the airplane agree 100% with what I said.

    You have projection issues, tool. Fix yourself. Your bigot is showing.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • longwayhome wrote...
    Sorry, republicans
    June 15, 2012 9:03 pm
    But you guys lost the chance to have a President that will do your bidding. mitt is not interested in you and your challenge to make a house payment, car payment, your rent. Check out his history. He is no more than a seasoned politician that is able to get enough attention to promote his agenda. Which is NOTHING. As far as Burner's chances to further herself in the Govt. I think she is one of the few Govt. officials that is willing to buck the trend from status quo and re-elect Obama. It's almost a certainty that he will be around until 2016 and I hope that all the negative posters on this site have a hobby or something to help them survive. I have heard that there a lot of older widows at the numerous nursing homes in the area. Maybe you republicans can target them to give money to the losing party! My only wish at this point is that we NOT have another republican President. We have suffered enough.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    longwayhome
    June 15, 2012 10:52 pm
    I won't be voting for Mitt...I'll be voting against the socialist currently in office. I think both are bad for America...but Obama is magnitudes worse.

    For the record and sad to say, I have never had a candidate I could vote for that I felt represented my values and views in a significant fashion. That's one of the reasons why I'm not registered with either party...they both play the same game and neither represents me.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • tuleman003 wrote...
    As a man,
    June 15, 2012 9:56 pm
    I'm not sure how to feel about this subject. I know a few women that have had abortions, and no matter what the circumstances, it's not the highlight of their life. Always thought Darcy is a little twisted.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ronzilla wrote...
    Why is George Costanza's fiance, Susan,
    June 16, 2012 1:55 am
    running for public office?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    ronzilla
    June 16, 2012 2:51 am
    Admit it, you're wondering how many boxes of cheap envelopes it'd take.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ronzilla wrote...
    rational
    June 17, 2012 3:11 am
    I just gotta watch out for those metallic squinks and gallonks. They may be my undoing.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Moondoggie wrote...
    PlaneJ
    June 16, 2012 1:27 pm
    Most couples that adopt are pro-life, so your charge that since nobody posted an offering to adopt on THIS blog at THIS time is baseless.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PlaneJ wrote...
    Thank you moondog give
    June 16, 2012 2:50 pm
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PlaneJ wrote...
    Oops
    June 16, 2012 2:51 pm
    I meant to thank you for your response Moondoggie. DianeC
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Moondoggie wrote...
    If this story was fish.......
    June 16, 2012 4:29 pm
    It would have been thrown out days ago. mynorthwest.com has so few stories that this story is only here to fill up the page.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Moondoggie
    June 16, 2012 9:55 pm
    mynorthwest.com has so few stories that this story is only here to fill up the page.

    You don't really expect they'd cover real news like the AG being threatened with contempt of congress for refusing to provide thousands of documents related to Fast and Furious where which lead to a US boarder patrol person being murdered, or the at least hundreds of Mexicans dead because of Holder...or perhaps Holder appointing an Obama donor to investigate the Obama WH and leaks of highly classified information that has also lead to the outing of people who helped the US?

    Or did you think MYNW would cover the Egyptian military overthrowing the elections on the very same day that VP Biden commended Egyptian democracy?

    Or perhaps you expected MYWY to cover Greece and the EU as they take their slow march through collapse?

    Or perhaps Obama having claimed that he doesn't have the power to overthrow laws created by congress...which contradicts his actions regarding illegal immigrants just this week.

    Nah...MYNW isn't a news source...it's barely mild entertainment. Either the editors here are ignorant of most of the news taking place in the world or their bias doesn't allow them to report on it...either way, it doesn't speak well.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • kata wrote...
    nope
    June 16, 2012 11:30 pm
    Usually I end up leafing through http://www.xinhuanet.com if I want to know what's happening here ;)
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    LWH
    June 18, 2012 8:39 am
    How are your Dear Leaders re immaculation chances today? November the 9th?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Life Muse wrote...
    Have compassion for all life.
    June 25, 2012 12:12 pm
    Women's reproductive choices are once again political fodder, complicated by religious righteousness and liberal soap boxing. Here is a letter I wrote recently to a Seattle radio personality: I am pro-life. AND I have a heart for women who have made or are making the choice to abort their babies. Right now there are 115,000 babies aborted daily. This means that there are 115,000 women who will carry their choice with them every day for the rest of their lives. We who are pro-life cannot stand for the sanctity of life and then often denegrade the lives of women who live with this painful choice. In the situation with the politician and the applause, http://mynorthwest.com/646/693448/Darcy-Burner-asks-women-to-come-out-about-abortion I don't think it was for abortion. The applause was for the courage of women willing to stand and say they live with the choice. I wonder what it would look like in a church if we asked women to stand if they had an abortion? Statistics are that a woman worshipping next to you has made this choice. How will you show compassion while at the same time villifying the women who live with this choice? No woman makes this choice lightly. For every one of those 115,000 there is a story, usually of pain. One way to impact the number of abortions is to instill a value of life - beginning with the lives of the women making this difficult choice.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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