On Tuesday night, at a Raleigh, North Carolina City Council public meeting, a 13-year-old girl pleaded for the city to make abortion illegal, comparing abortion to slavery, prompting some members of the audience to shout her down.
13-year-old Addison Woolsey began:
My name is Addison Woolsey. I strongly believe that abortion is murder. I also believe murder is wrong, so I’m here to ask you to make abortion illegal in Raleigh. Abortion should be illegal because it’s murder. The definition of murder is the killing of one human being by another without justification and acting with intended malice. When mothers choose to slaughter their innocent babies they already have fingerprints, noses; they can recognize their mom’s voice. They can hiccup and their heart is beating … On ultrasounds the baby tries to run away from the disturbing instruments that try to kill the baby. The baby’s mouth opens wide in a scream when being killed. These babies are alive. They feel being killed. It hurts them and there is nothing they can do about it. There is no way around it. Abortion is murder.
She continued, “There’s no way around it. Abortion is murder. So why is it if an infant is destroyed before birth there’s no problem but if killed after birth it’s considered a brutal murder. These babies aren’t ‘its’ or ‘fetuses’; they are human beings and they deserve to get the same human rights as any other person. As fetal doctors have said, a person’s a person no matter how small.”
Moments later, Woolsey read the part of her speech that prompted the outcry:
Abortion reminds me of slavery. Owners said that their slaves were their property and they could do whatever they wanted with them. Just how moms feel about their babies. My hope is that in a few years we’ll look back at abortion and think, “That was so cruel. I can’t believe we did that. Just how I look back at slavery. The question is, who will you be? The slave owner? … Rosa Parks ? Or Abraham Lincoln? Who are you going to be? Make a choice. My choice is made. I’m here today standing up for what’s right. I’m here today speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves. Are you choosing to be like the plantation owner flogging the little black child?
That set off some members of the audience, who began shouting her down.
She continued, “Or are you going to protest even if it is going to cost you your life like Martin Luther King Jr.? Who are you going to be? If you think abortion should be illegal, would you please stand up. We need to change the law —”
More shouting as calls for “order” were made.
Woolsey continued, “If you think abortion should be illegal, would you please stand up. We need to change the law so we can change the world. So let’s stand up and do it.”
The News & Observer reported, “Some of the anti-abortion speakers were shouting back at those interrupting Woosley. One man used his cell phone to film a woman sitting near the anti-abortion people. She flipped him off, saying ‘right here, pal’ and police officers took her out of the room. She was later allowed back in.”
The News & Observer added, “There were several children sitting with the anti-abortion speakers, and at least one boy was crying silently in his seat while people yelled at one another.”
Video below: