Billy Coffey
Billy Coffey

What makes a person

October 19, 2009  

sonogramIt was Flannery O’Connor who said,  ”The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that doesn’t require his attention.”

I really like that. It makes me feel better about being such a snoop. I like to watch people. I like to study what they do and analyze what they say. And I especially like to know what they believe. But more than that, I like to know why they believe what they do.

A case in point.

Last week at the coffee shop I was an unknown audience to three friends whose rather tame conversation turned into a discussion about a subject much more serious and touchy–abortion. I tend to shy away from the more controversial subjects in life, choosing to leave that to those more learned and eloquent. But what I heard at that table astounded me; it was a way of looking at the  issue that I had never before considered.

To hear what transpired, follow me over to katdish’s blog. And no matter which side you happen to come down on, you’ll have to admit that Tori has an interesting perspective…

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Comments

  • http://lexiconluvr.blogspot.com L.T. Elliot

    Talk about controversy. I liked Tori’s last response though.

  • http://www.unveilingradiance.blogspot.com Angela

    Wow! That is amazing!

  • http://www.ubervu.com/conversations/www.billycoffey.com/2009/10/what-makes-a-person/ uberVU – social comments

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by sarahmsalter: RT @billycoffey Guest posting for @katdish: What makes a person ~ http://bit.ly/2fCoWj…

  • Matt195

    Wow! Way to go Tori! Way to stand up for your rights and the rights of others (even the unborn)!

  • http://mbsmith090801.blogspot.com Marybeth

    Love the point she makes! Also love the new look to the blog :)

  • http://www.randommusings-helen.blogspot.com Helen

    Billy, I forgot to commend you for your courage. By telling that story, you clearly show yourself to be pro-life (not that I had any doubts from the tone of your writing..). God bless you for publicly coming out on the side of the unborn.

  • http://www.sonlightblog.com/ Luke Holzmann

    What did her friends say to that?

    I like the punch at the end… but… what was the rebuttal?

    ~Luke

  • http://more-of-mich.blogspot.com Mich

    Wow! I had never heard that argument before, but I loved her answer.

    Thanks for sharing that. It is always a hard issue to discuss among friends. My daughter, a couple of months ago had to stand up for her opinion with her friends on this issue…and she is only 13!!!

  • http://lorilundquist@blogspot.com Lori Lundquist

    Awesome story. Maybe I’ll use that “punch line” in the counseling room at the crisis pregnancy center where I volunteer. Thanks!
    Write on!

  • http://www.warmchocolatemilk.com warmchocmilk

    I people watch too. Thanks for justifying it!

  • A J Hawke

    Watching people is so much more fun than watching TV. Thanks for giving me the word for what I do. I didn’t like snooping, but researching makes it ok.

    Thanks for the post. More people need to speak out against making someone a non-person, even babies.

    A J
    AJHawke.blogspot.com

  • http://www.jeannedamoff.com Jeanne Damoff

    Beautiful piece, Billy. I left a comment over on Katdish’s blog about a sad experience George had once when a similar comparison came up.

    Now that we’re expecting our first grandbaby I love to imagine that precious child’s growth day by day. Though Grace is only 14 weeks along, she doesn’t say, “I’m going to be a mother,” she says, “I AM a mother.” The heartbeat we heard over the phone last week was not coming from a mass of tissue. May God have mercy on the unborn children–every one of them as treasured to God as our grandbaby is to us.

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  • http://jenniferdorhauer.blogspot.com Jennifer

    Speechless. Goosebumps. I am curious like Luke–did they have a rebuttal to that?

  • http://www.roxanesalonen.blogspot.com Roxane B. Salonen

    Well, I just started reading your blog, but I’m impressed. I HAD heard this argument before. And it’s absolutely logical. What a brave soul to say it in that awkward situation. It’s easier to write about such things, but to say it out loud when you know it won’t be popular is tough. Only God’s grace could allow it to have happened. It was there in abundance in the coffee shop in more ways than one. First, her saying it, then, you writing about it. Blessings…

  • http://shortybearsplace.blogspot.com/ Denise

    Awesome.