"Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke. That's their natural and first weapon." ~ Gloria Steinem
Showing posts with label the war on women 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the war on women 2011. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The NBA and the Billion-Dollar Mistake

So, the NBA season is in jeopardy, blah blah blah, money money money, etc. I don't much care about the NBA, but I DO very much care about the WNBA.


The NBA has basically been subsidizing the WNBA for the last decade or so. I fear that if the NBA loses enough money over this, they'll look to the laydeez to save them money, putting the whole league and every player in it in jeopardy. Of course, an alternative is that the 2011-2012 NBA season is not played, people want to watch basketball, and end up supporting the WNBA, making it unwise for the NBA to do anything rash.

I don't hold out much hope for the latter, though.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

I Trust Women

I believe in a culture that supports the autonomy of women; specifically, I am now speaking of reproductive autonomy. This means giving women the ability to make their own choices in this area.

This means women should have access to affordable
  • birth control
  • reproductive healthcare
  • abortion
but also
  • prenatal care
  • breastfeeding support
  • infant formula
  • vaginal birth support
  • cesareans
  • hospital deliveries
  • birthing center deliveries
  • home deliveries
  • OB/GYNs
  • midwives
  • doulas
This list is by no means exhaustive; I just rattled off some things I've been thinking about recently.

The point is, my sister is a little uncomfortable, I think, with the fact that I support Planned Parenthood and access to abortion. She is not at all uncomfortable with the fact that I support her decision to carry her current pregnancy to term under the care of a midwife, and that I am appalled by how much difficulty she's having in getting her health insurance to cover everything--despite the fact that her birthing center is in her network and there shouldn't be any problems.

What she doesn't get is that those two situations are inextricably linked, and you can't support one without supporting the other. Take a look at this for a shining illustration of how women are treated in a culture that supposedly loves and supports childbirth and childrearing.

It's what happens in an anti-choice culture. As long as women are considered to be heinous, selfish, ignorant fools who don't know the first thing about their own bodies and the needs of their children, as long as women are considered incapable by society of making choices for their own welfare and for the welfare of their children, as long as women are inherently mistrusted, we will continue to deny them the means to live healthfully and happily in the context of their own family--whatever form that family may take, whatever avenue of birth that may mean, whatever infant feeding strategy that may take.

As long as we fail to trust women, we will continue to frighten and shame them into certain medical procedures, under the guise of doing what's best for their baby, and frighten and shame them out of other medical procedures, under the guise of righteous indignation. No woman should have to start, continue, or end a family based on anything resembling fear or shame. And if you disagree with me on that one, shame on you.

Monday, March 7, 2011

I Would Like This Public Protest

Women with the following, or something like it, taped to their abdomens:

"U.S. GOVT. PROPERTY
NO
TRESPASSING"

And, possibly, men with the following, or something like it, taped to their abdomens:

"PRIVATE
PROPERTY
NO
TRESPASSING"

Too much?