My Body, My Choice
Politics and anatomy. What do the two have to do with each other? Little. Unless of course your anatomy happens to include a womb.
Why are politicians so concerned about how, when, why or where women have sex? Why do they take upon themselves the right to legislate control over our reproduction?
I don't think it has much to do with their "faith". I don't think it is a concern for the amounts paid to welfare, or a concern for the health and well being of the female electorate, nor even a concern for the wee babes.
No I think it has to do with keeping status quo.
Control over reproduction has allowed women control over when, or if to have babies, and therefore, has raised their levels of personal and social autonomy.This autonomy has allowed women to be a great force for change. It has allowed them to enter politics, though there are still major barriers, and help advance rights for women, minorities, gays, the disabled. In short as women's rights surged forward, so too did the rights of others. Barriers were recognized and started to come down.
Women are still the front line defence of the family. It is they who tend the sick, calender the appointments, cook, clean, and because of these things they are aware of the needs not being meet by current systems.
Many women lobby for extended benefits, for healthcare, for education, a living wage, for the things that allow people to have knowledge and time to challenge the status quo. This is threatening for men who are used to being power brokers. Men who gather on golf courses to arrange deals that benefit themselves.
Is it just coincidence that the highly conservative governments of both Canada and America have brought in tax changes which require the lowest incomes to pay more while providing cuts to the highest income earners?
Tax cuts mean less revenue, less revenue means less money to spend and the first things to go are those programs which help the lower and middle classes and women in particular. Daycare and other programs which are directed toward children also suffer. Naturally without daycare women have difficulty getting work.
Many states are now bringing in bills to overturn Roe V Wade. Some do not even have provision for exemption for rape, incest or loss of life.
So if you turn to the hospital for an ectopic pregnancy you will be turned away, as to save your life would require ending the pregnancy. Hope your affairs are in order.
If a 12 year old girl finds herself pregnant by her father, she will be forced to carry that child to term.
If you are raped, you will have to bear your rapists baby, after all it isn't the baby's fault.
Of course birth control will be made cheap and easy to get right? Wrong! Viagra may be covered on drug programs but not birth control. Good girls don't have sex and if they do it is with the purpose of reproducing. Why else would the CDC be telling women to treat themselves as pre pregnant? Is it because they are preparing women for upcoming change. A change which will see women no longer in control of their reprodution but instead having it controlled by the state. Kind of like the one child policy, but in reverse.
With little access to birth control, daycare or other support systems, women will once again find themselves more controlled by their womb than their will.
Without a choice in reproduction it will be harder still for women to enter politics, to try create change, to have a say in their own lives.
America still believes firmly that ' father knows best' little wonder then that in this prevailing storm of patriarchy women's rights and freedoms are blowing in the wind. This is all backed by fundamentalist churchs of course who see it as our god given duty to both breed and obey. It is easy for them with their money from the faithful and a ready ear from politicians to lobby against human rights. It is much harder for the average woman trying to hold a job, mother her kids, keep her home in order, and still be a partner (or if single act as both partners) to lobby for them.
Studies have shown that societies which value women and in which women have a voice are more free, more egalitarian, healthier and even wealthier. It would seem like all socieites would want to strive for this. Lets not forget though that fundamentalists do not want a society where women and gays have equal rights or any rights. The ruling classes do not want any threat from the lower classes and health is seen as a commodity to buy and sell.
Power corrupt governments of various times and countries have used control of women's reproduction to further their own ends.
Whether you are left or right wing, whether you see yourself as a person of faith or not, whether you see yourself as a feminist or not, women must bond together and fight against this attack upon our person.
In America, write to your various levels of government and let them know you will not vote for anyone seeking control of your body. In Canada, write your MP and CC the leaders of all the parties.
Why are politicians so concerned about how, when, why or where women have sex? Why do they take upon themselves the right to legislate control over our reproduction?
I don't think it has much to do with their "faith". I don't think it is a concern for the amounts paid to welfare, or a concern for the health and well being of the female electorate, nor even a concern for the wee babes.
No I think it has to do with keeping status quo.
Control over reproduction has allowed women control over when, or if to have babies, and therefore, has raised their levels of personal and social autonomy.This autonomy has allowed women to be a great force for change. It has allowed them to enter politics, though there are still major barriers, and help advance rights for women, minorities, gays, the disabled. In short as women's rights surged forward, so too did the rights of others. Barriers were recognized and started to come down.
Women are still the front line defence of the family. It is they who tend the sick, calender the appointments, cook, clean, and because of these things they are aware of the needs not being meet by current systems.
Many women lobby for extended benefits, for healthcare, for education, a living wage, for the things that allow people to have knowledge and time to challenge the status quo. This is threatening for men who are used to being power brokers. Men who gather on golf courses to arrange deals that benefit themselves.
Is it just coincidence that the highly conservative governments of both Canada and America have brought in tax changes which require the lowest incomes to pay more while providing cuts to the highest income earners?
Tax cuts mean less revenue, less revenue means less money to spend and the first things to go are those programs which help the lower and middle classes and women in particular. Daycare and other programs which are directed toward children also suffer. Naturally without daycare women have difficulty getting work.
Many states are now bringing in bills to overturn Roe V Wade. Some do not even have provision for exemption for rape, incest or loss of life.
So if you turn to the hospital for an ectopic pregnancy you will be turned away, as to save your life would require ending the pregnancy. Hope your affairs are in order.
If a 12 year old girl finds herself pregnant by her father, she will be forced to carry that child to term.
If you are raped, you will have to bear your rapists baby, after all it isn't the baby's fault.
Of course birth control will be made cheap and easy to get right? Wrong! Viagra may be covered on drug programs but not birth control. Good girls don't have sex and if they do it is with the purpose of reproducing. Why else would the CDC be telling women to treat themselves as pre pregnant? Is it because they are preparing women for upcoming change. A change which will see women no longer in control of their reprodution but instead having it controlled by the state. Kind of like the one child policy, but in reverse.
With little access to birth control, daycare or other support systems, women will once again find themselves more controlled by their womb than their will.
Without a choice in reproduction it will be harder still for women to enter politics, to try create change, to have a say in their own lives.
America still believes firmly that ' father knows best' little wonder then that in this prevailing storm of patriarchy women's rights and freedoms are blowing in the wind. This is all backed by fundamentalist churchs of course who see it as our god given duty to both breed and obey. It is easy for them with their money from the faithful and a ready ear from politicians to lobby against human rights. It is much harder for the average woman trying to hold a job, mother her kids, keep her home in order, and still be a partner (or if single act as both partners) to lobby for them.
Studies have shown that societies which value women and in which women have a voice are more free, more egalitarian, healthier and even wealthier. It would seem like all socieites would want to strive for this. Lets not forget though that fundamentalists do not want a society where women and gays have equal rights or any rights. The ruling classes do not want any threat from the lower classes and health is seen as a commodity to buy and sell.
Power corrupt governments of various times and countries have used control of women's reproduction to further their own ends.
Whether you are left or right wing, whether you see yourself as a person of faith or not, whether you see yourself as a feminist or not, women must bond together and fight against this attack upon our person.
In America, write to your various levels of government and let them know you will not vote for anyone seeking control of your body. In Canada, write your MP and CC the leaders of all the parties.
posted by April Reign (aka Debra) at 8:17 p.m.
8 Comments:
So I guess you're okay with 20-week old fetuses being delivered just so their head is in the mom's vagina and their brains are sucked out, huh? I guess feminist supremacy justifies any level of cruelty on a poor, defenceless baby, so long as one's convenience isn't spared. People will see the barbarism for what it is. Eventually, you will lose the right to make a baby suffer like this, and the public will be on the baby's side. You know darn well that if you talk about partial birth abortion, you're only digging yourself deeper into a hole.
Suzanne 20 week abortions are done so rarely as to be almost non existant.If you really care about children go work on getting governments to support daycare programs, raise minimum wages and support mothers on welfare properly.
Oh, Suzie, you just appear everywhere! Have you taken it upon yourself to harass all feminists on the internet?
Great post, April. I've linked to it from the comments section of mine.
Berlynn, if stating one's opinion is taken as harassment, you might as well live in a cave. Wait, maybe you do.
Notice suzanne that Debra doesn't say she is against 20 week abortions. Just a note mind you.
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