The Washington Post has a whole section today devoted to feminism and art.
Wet nurses are getting popular again.
More women are becoming leaders of Mexico's drug cartels.
The drop in breast cancer rates is likely due to decreased use of hormone-replacement therapy (HRT). And in related news, in 2005 the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to 34 companies who sell "alternative" HRT drugs and bill them as safe. But 19 of the companies are still selling HRTs.
More evidence that conservatives only care about unborn babies.
Bjork says feminism is a major them of her new album: "It's sort of trying to put out some good vibes for the little princesses out there. There are actually other things than losing a glass slipper. I mean, part of it was having a little daughter and realizing, what are we telling girls? All these books out there about finding your prince. All these little girls, all they want to do is be pretty and find their prince, and I'm like, what happened to feminism here?"
The number of women murdered in Guatemala grows ever-higher.
How the Democratic machine keeps women out.
Complications from unsafe abortions are straining Kenyan health clinics.
An excerpt from Courtney Martin's new book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters
Dozens of girls were turned away from a high-school prom in Louisiana for showing too much cleavage.
Merck applies to sell Gardasil as a preventive treatment for vaginal and vulvar cancers.
A new study shows that, when you consider both work at home and work for pay, men and women work an equal number of hours, on average... in rich countries. In poor countries, women do vastly more work.
AlterNet reminds us why poverty is a feminist issue.
Iranian Kurdish women give new meaning to the term "guerrilla girls."
World Bank policies are undermining family planning efforts.
A review of Ellen Bravo's new book, Taking on the Big Boys: Or Why Feminism Is Good for Families, Business, and the Nation.
Where hip-hop culture meets the Brooklyn lesbian scene.
In a New Yorker piece on how Wal-Mart is trying to woo liberals, one of the women in the class-action suit describes her experience as a Wal-Mart employee: "Kathleen MacDonald joined the suit after she learned that a male counterpart, who, like her, was stocking shelves, earned more than she did. When she raised the issue, she told me, “my immediate supervisor said, ‘Well, God made Adam first, and Eve came from him.’ I was, like, what? That’s when I decided enough was enough.�"
Arizon considers similar legislation to South Carolina's bill that would require women to view an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion.
Jess hits the high points from her new book in a piece for the Guardian.
And more on last week's Supreme Court decision upholding the Federal Abortion Ban:
Lynn Paltrow of National Advocates for Pregnant Women describes how this ruling will affect all pregnant women, not only those who choose abortion.
Why "informed consent" abortion laws are much, much worse than you thought... and how they relate to the "partial-birth" abortion ban.
The Freedom of Choice Act is revived.
Jill writes that this decision won't save fetuses, it will only limit women's options.
Doctors are pissed.
Dahlia Lithwick on Kennedy's creepy paternalistic language.
More state-level abortion restrictions to come.
ACOG: The ruling "leaves no doubt that women's health in America is perceived as being of little consequence." (via Ema)
Amy Goodman interviews the ACLU's Louise Melling about the decision.
How Ginsburg's dissent could provide a jumping-off point for abortion jurisprudence that's based on equality rather than privacy.
Time's totally inane take on the ruling... that both sides are too extreme, and that this decision won't matter much. Writes Karen Tumulty,
The fact is, where the two sides of the issue are at war over abortion and always will be, most Americans long ago decided what they think about it. They want abortion to be legal, but they don't want it to be easy. And their qualms about it grow as a pregnancy progresses. As with everything else about this debate, the absolutes will always give way to the individual.
Um, Karen honey, letting individuals make personal decisions about abortion is not the "middle ground." That's a flat-out pro-choice position.
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So glad to see the Weekly Reader back! I can't wait to read through it later.
Thanks, Cara! I've been out of town (to Tokyo, and then Albuquerque), hence, the hiatus.
Oh wow! Well I'm glad that you're back . . . the Reader is always highlight of my week and gives me lots of great things to blog about :)
In 2005, Britain fell out of the top 50 countries for women's participation, with women making up only 19% of MPs. (Rwanda came number one, with 48% of its politicians being women.)
This is true for the British parliament, but the Welsh assembly has been majority-female since 2003 (currently 29 men, 31 women).
(eh, sorry for the lack of citations: that was from Jess's Guardian interview)
Oh gosh, today is my lucky day. I missed you so much Feminist reader, thank you for coming back!!! I'm at work ten hours today, I surely need to read this!!!
Anybody else catch Björk's performance on SNL last night? Man can I ever not wait for that album. And if it's about feminism, hey, just one more reason to love with Björk.
Wow. That article about infant mortality in Mississippi--where I live, actually--blew me away. I just crosslinked it on my personal blog, and I'm trying to figure out how to make a feature out of it on my civil liberties site.
I knew Haley Barbour kicked 55,000 kids off Medicaid a couple of years ago, which was what changed my opinion of him from "We disagree" to "He's evil."
Cheers,
TH
Oh, and I'm so buying the Bjork album. I found her voice grating for a long time (some folks feel the same way about my favorites Leonard Cohen and Peter Gabriel), but it's growing on me. And the feminism comment just makes it that much cooler.
I love the way she uses electronica in her tracks, and I love her videos, though the one with the needles and nipple tentacles scared the hell out of me.
Cheers,
TH
Tom, I'm so glad you're posting regularly again. But who could hate Leonard Cohen's voice?
Anyway, on a completely different track, I'm annoyed by the article on wet-nursing, because it doesn't seem to make a distinction between hiring a less privileged woman to breast-feed your child, and friends and family members cross-feeding. There seems to me to be a significant difference--in one, the relationship is commercial and based on economics, in the other, it's a reciprocal relationship based on mutual affection and aid. Surely these are two very different types of exchange? But no, the whole thing is subsumed under "Oooh, babies are being breastfed by women who didn't give birth to them!"
Whew, looking forward to reading all the articles as I find the time . . .
I haven't read the Time/Tumulty piece in its entirety yet, but the segment you quoted, Ann, irritated me. I don't like the media line that both sides of the abortion debate are so extreme that they're irrelevant. It's a way to make everyone feel like these things don't have real-world impact, when clearly they do! It's another version of the media love affair with "balance" as a way of coping out and not really delving into the issues. Sorting out fact from fiction. "Oh, both sides are crazy extremists, so let's just carry on with our lives." Um. Doesn't really work that way (or hasn't Time noticed all the pro-life legislation getting passed in recent years?)
I'd like to add this piece from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the culture of misogyny in America. Excerpt:
So overall, just in the relatively short period of the survey and only during the prime-time hours of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., females were the butt of disrespectful, demeaning or derogatory language 416 times out of 590 recorded incidents.
From the "informed consent" piece by Sarah Blustein:
"even more troubling is the idea that these cases could slowly build a new judicial and legislative definition of woman, as a childish and barely competent moral decision-maker for whom legal abortion becomes a menacing option from which she needs protection."
This is why the freakish Supreme Court majority opinion of this week is so appalling. I feel like we're moving backwards to a point where, you know, "Vindication of the Rights of Woman" might start to have renewed relevance.
416 out of 590 times, eh? That's because women aren't sure they are social equals to men because we can give birth and nurture babies. Whereas most people know at least on an abstract level that racism is a bad thing.
Absolutely kickass reader this week, especially the SCOTUS decision section. With every article I read on the topic, the more horrified I become.
I'm glad the Weekly Feminist Reader is back, I missed it.
Whether pro-choice or pro-life, it is patently obvious that abortion is NOT a Constitutional issue. Even pro-choicers think that Roe is bad law.
More than that, there's less strife over abortion in countries where the issue is legislated rather than decided by judicial fiat. There's a sense of legitimacy to ANY decision made by legislation, even if you disagree with it. Don't like it? Vote the bastards out of office.
Jessica,
I loved the exceprt from your book. Of course, I don't agree with all of it, but you make your points well. Feminism should be a no-brainer for anyone: unless you think that women aren't quite human, you're a feminist - and, regardless of how you feel about certain issues, should be damn proud of it.
Can't wait to read all of it. :)
I think I might be buying Jess's book for my sister's 12th birthday in August. Might be a little soon, but she's already having body and confidence issues, getting teased in school for her boobs, getting called "gay" because she doesn't want to date any of the unwashed miscreants the middle school has to offer, and she's very bright so it might do her some good.
I hope those girls in Louisiana get together and sue. "Cleavage" is a damn cop out in a dress code. I'm an A cup and I could wear a dress cut down to my belly button without showing "cleavage" at all. Any girl over a B is going to have cleavage in a formal dress, that's just how they're made. Idiots.
Soooo excited about the new Bjork album. Love Bjork + love Timbaland + love feminism = excitement!
it is patently obvious that abortion is NOT a Constitutional issue.
While you can probably make a solid argument for abortion rights not being a constitutional issue, it is far from "patently obvious." There are many people who think it IS, including Justice Ginsburg, who grounded her opinion in women's constitutional right to equality. I agree that the Roe use of "right to privacy" was a problematic and shakey formulation, but that doesn't mean all constitutional relevance is equally dismissible.
I was really interested to read Cass Sunstein's piece on this, which was included in the Weekly Reader.
She's a total weirdo, but I just love Bjork. And her music just keeps getting better and better. Hopefully, we'll get to review the album!
It's another version of the media love affair with "balance" as a way of coping out and not really delving into the issues.
I totally agree! I hate that.
I hate this notion that, on any given issue, the proper position is the middle-ground. I don't think of myself as an extremist by any stretch, but this kind of thinking- that one must seek out the middle ground between two positions, is ridiculous and flawed. The problem is that there are times where you've got one group endorsing a moderate position, while the opposition hold an extreme position. Should we search for the middle-ground between a reasonable position and an unreasonable position? Or should we say "Wow, group B, you hold an unreasonable position"?
I agree (once more)! The problem with the "middle-ground" idea is that, often, two coherent philosophical/political positions totally lose meaning when people try to find that middle ground. I mean, I know that political compromise is necessary. But to say there's some sort of "middle-ground," for example, between seeing a woman as fully equal in society and seeing her as not fully equal . . . um, how does it work to be "mostly equal" or "partly equal"?
The use of rhetoric by some, in a post-"1984" era, is astounding. In a comment left by IMKessel at the Slate article:
"Did Justice Kennedy not create a new right for women, the right not to have regrets?"
That's correct, removing away the ability to do something is actually giving the right to not regret it. That's why women shouldn't vote; we should have the right not to regret voting for the wrong candidate. We should create lots of new rights for women: the right not to regret getting the wrong masters degree; the right to not regret buying the wrong house; the right to not regret getting into a car accident. Doesn't every woman want MORE rights? After all, we have men to support us, drive us, and make life-or-death medical decisions for us.
Neutral does not equal objective.
Bjork is one of my favorites. As far as I know this is the first time she's called herself a feminist.
I think this is the first time, too, donna. I remember when she was on the cover of Bust awhile ago, I was really disappointed when she didn't answer "yes" to the "Are you a feminist?" question. But it sounds like the birth of her daughter (she has a son who's much older) has really changed things for her. That's interesting.
Good God, jm, that is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Thanks for bringing it up.
There's no such thing as "the right not to have regrets." Everyone has regrets. If you live past the age of five, you have regrets. Having regrets is part of being a human being--we make decisions the best we can, and hindsight is 20/20, and we blame ourselves for not being perfect. That's the fucking human condition. And that, I suppose is exactly the issue. These twits don't want to accept the fact that women are human beings.
Oh my gosh, that was the first issue of Bust I read (circa 1994) and I was hooked FOREVER. It bugs me to hell that Tori Amos, PJ Harvey and many successful artists never call themselves feminists either. Why isn't this stuff obvious on an abstract level before you have a child? I'm pretty sure Sharpton got on Imus' case because he has two college age daughters.
jm, EG -
What I find interesting is that while they're so vocal about all the women who've regretted their abortions and how future women must be shielded from that regret, they make no mention at all about women who regret carrying their pregnancies to term. Because that never happens, right? Motherhood is just so natural and fulfilling, the second a woman pops a baby out, she gets smacked with the "nurture" wand and becomes a benevolent, breastfeeding Earth-mother!
And let's not forget all the women who gave their babies up for adoption, either. Lucky for us, no one ever regrets that. Otherwise, we'd totally have to make adoption illegal, too!
[/snark]
Ugh, totally not liking TIME lately. First calling the morning-after pill "abortion-inducing" and issuing a lame retraction, and now this? Anyone know why they suck so bad? I can't find much information myself.
What I find interesting is that while they're so vocal about all the women who've regretted their abortions and how future women must be shielded from that regret, they make no mention at all about women who regret carrying their pregnancies to term. Because that never happens, right? Motherhood is just so natural and fulfilling, the second a woman pops a baby out, she gets smacked with the "nurture" wand and becomes a benevolent, breastfeeding Earth-mother!
DEFINITELY, Vervain. I kind of love you for that comment.
Definitely. No kind of about it. Much love for Vervain and her brilliant snark.
Well I don't personally know her, so I didn't want to come on too strong ;)
Most women feel relieved after their abortion. I have no regrets whatsoever nosireebob. Furthermore, I love Vervain.
Thing is, if a lot of people tend to regret a certain decision, we can factor that regret into our policy considerations of it.
For example, if a lot of kids regret dropping out of school, we can make truancy laws that prevent them from doing so.
If a lot of people regret taking on huge student loans for law school that they can't pay back, the ABA can make regulations that discourage law schools from admitting students who cannot succeed in school, pass the bar, and pay back their loans. (Which they do, FYI.)
If we're going to regret building a huge pipeline through a wildlife reserve in Alaska, maybe it's not a great idea to do it, especially when the damage is permanent.
If people regret hasty marriages, the Catholic Church (or the State, in theory) can mandate pre-marital counseling.
We don't see any of this as offensive. I think the main difference is that nothing is OUTLAWED based on the potential for regret, except with children (i.e. truancy laws or the like), who are presumably unable to make an adult decision. We might throw up a lot of barriers to actions that people will likely regret, but we don't outright ban them.
The problem is, as I see it, that outlawing something based on a potential for regret infantalises the targeted group.
A better, reasonable pre-abortion option would be mandatory, free counseling. I'm not saying that women aren't capable of making their own decisions and really need a counselor to talk them out of it, but there's a lot of issues that run alongside abortion. Many women are in abusive relationships and abort out of fear; many have parents who would become violent; a rare few have been raped by strangers and many more have been date-raped; some are victims of incest: all those women are in need of counseling. That, and I think that some 49% (anyone have a better number) of women who go through one abortion will abort again.
Shouldn't we ensure that women, if they do abort, aren't going back to abusive situations? Or that they aren't wrecking their bodies and psyches by multiple abortions and instead can be in a situation with a good, loving partner and good birth control?
FYI, I'm an equal-opportunity offender. Pre-adoption counseling might not be a bad idea, either.... and maybe a post-adoptive session or two (plus legal options for rescinding the adoption within a certain period of time) to ensure that the woman made the decision because she genuinely does not want a child during that time, not because she was scared, overwhelmed, and realised too late that she wants her child.
I mean, heck, we do mandatory counseling (albeit group counseling) with student loans, and smart kids who got through high school and seek post-secondary education aren't exactly a vulnerable group!
I know there's going to be disagreement, and I would actually welcome it.
“A better, reasonable pre-abortion option would be mandatory, free counseling.�
That’s already done at all Planned Parenthood clinics. And that’s in addition to fulfilling the 24 hour consent requirement that is mandatory in many states. The women are told about alternatives to abortion, risks, BC and EC. Both are pretty cheap at PP and they give you a free pack as well. I’ve been volunteering at a PP clinic, and as for adoption, we tell the women that we can put them in contact with people who’ll help them with adoption, but throughout the past couple of years there has only ever once been a woman that I’ve heard of, who decided to go with adoption, but she later changed her mind and terminated the pregnancy. So anyways, yeah, we pro-choicers already do all of those things.
“they aren't wrecking their bodies and psyches by multiple abortions�
Evidence that multiple abortions “wrecks� people’s bodies or psyches?
That's so great to hear that you're a PP volunteer sojourner. I'm a PP volunteer, too, but I do things in the education/advocacy area, as opposed to actually working in the clinic. I'm seriously looking into becoming a clinic escort as well. They're a WONDERFUL organization and I'm glad to hear that there are other great feminists giving their time to them.
Vervain, you and your snark are 22 shades of awesome. You should hold Snark Lessons.
I find it quite disturbing that I can now spot an oenophile comment even before seeing the name at the bottom of the post.
Some more info...(The counseling and clinic where I was were great)...
In general, women choose abortion because being pregnant at that time is in some way wrong for them. Most women feel relief after their abortion and are satisfied that they have made the right decision.
Some women feel sad or emotional for a few days or weeks afterwards and may find a supportive friend or counselor very helpful at this time.
Researchers have found that having an abortion does not make women feel bad about themselves years later.
the last two graphs were supposed to be italicized. rats.
You know, many people regret their marriages. I know what we should do--let's outlaw marriage! Then nobody has to regret anything!
Did anybody catch that Bjork interview in BUST a year or so ago where they flat out asked her if she was a feminist and she said no because feminism was about complaining? Anybody know what's up with the 180?
mirandajay, scroll through the comments and you'll see some discussion about her flip.
i'd also like to point out that "regret" is a fluid thing. there are lots of ways to feel after an abortion, relieved, sad, wistful, etc. and feeling regretful might not mean she utterly regrets her decision. which is why it's so important that planned parenthood and others like em will explore the decision and make sure the patient is ready that day. i also believe a lot of them will check in with just about anybody that doesn't necessarily want an appointment, but information. so the dream of a pre-abortion session, as discussed, is totally an already realized concept.
Exactly, Stella. I regret quite a few things, but that doesn't mean I'd do them differently if I had the chance. It just means I'm indulging in some nostalgia or fantasy.
Thank you for the info, Sojourner. If you don't mind saying, how intensive is the counseling? Do counselors treat a lot of women who admit to being in bad relationships or young women with families who would not support them through a pregnancy?
I ask because I know a few people who have had abortions, regret them, and feel as if the pre-abortion counseling were minimal.
Are counselors able to establish long-term (as in longer than the abortion period) relationships with women?
I'm a big fan of counseling for people in tough situations. As I said, it's nothing specific to abortion... so many women have post-birth depression that it would be beneficial for them, too.
Evidence that multiple abortions “wrecks� people’s bodies or psyches?
Faulty cervixes. Suicidal thoughts. Infertility. Possible breast cancer link (similar to that of miscarriage).
70% of women who have an abortion think that the decision is immoral.
Supposedly, no one is "for" abortion, but that comment pretty much makes me think that you think it's a good thing.
Post-abortive women are relieved that they are no longer pregnant, but I don't think that any of them honestly find the abortion experience to be the same thing as using an IUD or the Pill and avoiding child-rearing that way. Is it really that hard to acknowledge that women who abort suffer? Hasn't everyone been saying, "Yeah, women regret abortion, but we're all adults here and we get to do things that we regret because the government doesn't get to infantalise us?"
Planned Parenthood-- a licenced medical provider-- does not even list infertility as a risk of abortion. They do mention death, but make sure to point out that giving birth carries more of a risk of fatality. The link to breast cancer HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN and the American Cancer Association says there is absolutely no evidence of a link.
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/birth-control-pregnancy/abortion/risks-and-side-effects.htm
Suicidal thoughts? Says who? Some women surely have them, but so do women after giving birth, or women who are unable to obtain an abortion.
I think that what people are saying is that SOME women regret their abortions. Some women also regret giving birth. Some women think that having an abortion is the best choice they ever made. I'm not "pro-abortion" in the sense that I say "hey everyone, let's go get pregnant and have abortions for fun!" but I do think that abortion is a valid medical and life choice which should bear no stigma and that all women should have access to it regardless of race, culture, age and financial position. I don't think that abortion is a great thing but I don't really think it's an awful thing, either. The unplanned pregnancy is the awful thing. I'm pro-abortion rights and pro-abortion access. If you want to call that "pro-abortion" that's fine, I've been called much worse.
The clinic was very responsible and offered months of free counseling services.
I don't know if you're trying to talk about pre-abortion counseling that discourages abortion like at those "emergency pregnancy centers."
The feeling immoral part comes from the culture we live in that tries very hard to shame women who have abortions. I didn't suffer at all and had to take painkillers for one day but I didn't even need them. Honestly, this was 2003 and I thought I was the only Asian or Asian American girl or woman on the planet having an abortion. Much later I learned Asian American females have the highest rate of pregnancies that end in abortion.
The suicidal thoughts (and attempts) are specific to the person. As I said, and I WILL REPEAT: counseling could be a great option for women who are considering adoption or all women, right after they give birth. Pregnancy is tough, no matter how you look at it.
Cara, well, I'm called "anti-choice," as if I don't think that any woman should be allowed to pick out her clothes or decide if she wants to be a nurse or a secretary. My comment re: being pro-abortion was NOT directed at you, so I guess I'm confused as to why you responded.
I know that you weren't directing your comments to me specifically, but you were talking about views that I agree with and I thought I'd join the discussion and link to some information while I was at it.
Yes, Cara, how dare you respond when someone makes incorrect generalizations about what "everyone" has been saying in this thread? :)
Oenophile, you're slipping! The very link you posted in another recent thread to support whatever argument you were making at the time actually debunks a lot of what you're claiming now about the emotional scars of abortion for "most women."
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/abortion-access/emotional-effects-of-induced-abortion.htm
And "70% of women who have an abortion think that the decision is immoral" is some very random, cherry-picked, decontextualized statistic that every anti-choice web site in existence, seemingly, has latched onto in order to desperately support their arguments. The statistic comes from an isolated 1989 Los Angeles Times poll, occurring in the throes of a very well-documented, very inflamed media war about abortion rights. There were certainly incentives for individual media outlets to do some hasty sampling and statistic-generating to keep up in said war. To say nothing of the obvious: in these dated polls in which "most" people actually did say that abortion is immoral, "most" still said it should remain legal, and an individual woman's decision.
I think feministing readers should adopt a "if a tree falls in the woods" approach to certain commenters...just my personal opinion!
Also Cara, just wanted to say I just discovered your blog and the Action Alert links are great.
Did anybody catch that Bjork interview in BUST a year or so ago where they flat out asked her if she was a feminist and she said no because feminism was about complaining? Anybody know what's up with the 180?
Mirandajay, I actually remember that issue. it REALLy pissed me off. I heard that the 180 came after she had a daughter, that she realized how very fucked up the world is re: women. Someone mentioned Tori Amos, I'm pretty sure that she's always identified as a feminist.
Hey oenophile - have you read Frances Kissling's piece about valuing fetal life at the same time as affirming a woman's right to abortion? If not, you may find it interesting, based on statements you've made on this thread and on others. You can find it here.
I'm not recommending it to say that you're uninformed, uneducated, etc. Just thought you might be interested. =-)
Hmmm...I have never had an abortion and have a "faulty cerivx" from giving birth to at ten pound baby. My poor cervix is scarred so badly that I can't get an IUD.
Thanks Charity!
How intensive is the counseling? Do counselors treat a lot of women who admit to being in bad relationships or young women with families who would not support them through a pregnancy?
I have personally never come across anyone like that. Almost everyone I have seen was calm and relieved and eager to get it done and over with. I can say most people are like, “I am just not ready for a child at this stage of my life.� Either b/c they have small children; they don’t have a strong relationship with the father, or they are still in school. The counseling session is not intensive because these people don’t need it. Though I haven’t been involved in such a case in my short time at the clinic, I know that if a person appears to be unsure, the procedure will not take place and if they need counseling they will be referred.
“Faulty cervixes. Suicidal thoughts. Infertility. Possible breast cancer link (similar to that of miscarriage).� I can’t believe people are still repeating that about breast cancer. Ironically just a minute ago I was listening to NPR and a new large-scale study was on the news that disproves any links between abortion and breast cancer. In any case, getting an abortion is riskier than not getting pregnant at all, but once you are pregnant abortion (especially and early one) is many times safer than carrying to term (I think the number is 100 times safer in terms of fatality rate, for early abortion vs. birth) . I know that both medical abortion (
Ah! That last sentence should be: I know that both medical abortion (
earlier than 8 weeks) and vacuum aspiration are very safe procedures.
Sorry I messed that up and that first paragraph should be in quotes.
Cara, I really love working at the clinic. It’s very different than the activism/advocacy work. I mean they are both great but that’s a different kind of experience. I have been arguing about this issue for so long, I finally decided to go and see what it’s like firsthand. The doctor and some of the clinic staff are really amazing people, and I love how nonjudgmental they are while doing their jobs. You know what’s funny? I decided to go volunteer there after I saw a conservative rag referring to our local PP as an “abortion mill�, it pissed me off so bad I had to do something about it.
Ugh. I started volunteering after the SD Abortion Ban. I actually signed up originally to work in their Rape Crisis Center, because that's what they had available, I wanted to do something, and that sounded like a rewarding experience. When they interviewed me, though, they saw that (while I was willing to work in any area) my real passion was in advocacy and kind of set up a special little role for me. I've done some tabling, write some articles for the local newsletter(s) and just recently did my first legislative visits. It's kind of spotty work, depending on what's happening at the time. We're also setting up a Community Awareness Group in the area and I might (fingers crossed) be getting a blog on the local website.
Okay, now I'm rambling. What I'm trying to say is that I love it! But I think that I would also enjoy doing something more directly with patients, which is why I'm looking into being a clinic escort.
Thank you, Sojourner. I've heard that many women abort because they feel as if their partners or parents are not supporting them; many are coerced into it (threats of violence, lack of financial support, loss of livelihood, etc).
To me, that screams out for intensive counseling, both to ensure that the woman is making a sound decision (not a psychologist, but I cannot help but think that you would regret a decision less if you felt as if, at the time, you examined all of your options instead of taking one out of fear) and to ensure that she's not going to step out of the clinic and back into a bad situation.
Charity: your statistics are only marginally different. They lump together birth control failures (from, presumably, manufacturing defects) and inconsistent/incorrect usage.
Sassygirl: congratulations on your baby (perhaps very belatedly). I'm very sorry to hear that you were hurt during delivery - and I mean that quite honestly.
Women who get multiple abortions often have difficulties with their cervixes because the dilation procedure occurs over a much faster time frame than during labour (a few minutes, occasionally hours if a late-term abortion, versus several days). I know of a woman who had to have her cervix sewn shut when she wanted a pregnancy after having had several abortions.
I'm not suggesting that this is the basis upon which to outlaw abortion - far from it. I'm a bit OCD about assigning the correct remedy to the problem, and here the remedy would be to improve abortion techniques (either allowing for cervical dilation over a longer time, perhaps something the woman could administer to herself the night before, or by improving technology). Such improvements would also have applications in labour and delivery that every pro-lifer could get behind (and I'm just assuming that pro-choicers would want abortion to be safer, right?).
Thank you, Soupcann. No offense AT ALL taken.
In the Valuing Fetal Life section, my gut-level response was not listed in there, which was, "That would be so great - a way to remove the conflict between women and babies and allow them both a good existence." Not sure what that says about me - overly optimmistic? - but there it is. I find it hard to believe that pro-choicers and pro-lifers really think the way they do in the normal responses.
Really great article. I grew up in Massachusetts, land of pro-choice Catholics, but have not heard a profoundly moral view of the abortion debate in a while. I do wish she would give more respect to the pro-life movement, instead of dismissing it as "anti-choice" and including a diatrabe at the end about how we don't really care about babies. (I mean, I would NEVER claim, seriously, that pro-choicers don't care about women if they don't permit elective abortions at 8.5 months - there's some lines that simply are not crossed, from either side, and we should encourage that tendency towards compromise in each side.)
Thank you - that's a really good article. I'll certainly think about it for a while.
Thanks for these highlights. The Guatemala women/girl killings stood out for me. Just horrible.
"Sassygirl: congratulations on your baby (perhaps very belatedly). I'm very sorry to hear that you were hurt during delivery - and I mean that quite honestly."
Thank you, he is 4.5 now, but I still like to be congratulated ;) He was born at home with a fabulous midwife team. The funny thing is, I didn't know I was hurt until I went to get an IUD and my doctor told me, she also said that it is very common in women who have given birth.
I don't know the stats on faulty cervix being a complication of abortion, but if it is, then I agree, something needs to be done to prevent that. I don't think that researchers should ever stop researching new techniques to make it safer or easier.
Although, in my ideal world, women wouldn't have to make the choice because all educational and financial barriers to effective contraception would gone and women would be able to have sex lives free of the worry of an unintended pregnancy.
Whoa. "Karen, honey..."?
That was way patronizing.