I was reminded today, by the Heretik, of Aquaria's Blog "Raging PMS." When I first discovered blogging, I was referred to her blog because I had misspelled my name (Treann) and someone assumed I was a women. I am in fact sans uterus. That does not mean I should not have been referred to Aquaria's bit of cyberspace. Indeed anyone who values our reproductive rights should check it out. One of my earliest posts was the result of Raging PMS and a few others I got to from there. This post explains why I feel it is important to fight for our reproductive rights. Today I want to talk about the danger those rights are in and why it is more important than ever to fight even harder for them.
On several fronts, our congress, the president and his judicial nominees would see America's women and girls become little more than baby factories. They push an abstinence only education approach that has been shown to fail. They push to overturn Roe V Wade to keep unwanted fetuses around to become unwanted children. They chip away at education for the poor, unless they join the military. They are pushing towards a transient work force, unprotected by OSHA regulations, left unprotected by the courts if they are injured. Gods, I know this sounds so crackpot and I wish that it was. They want nothing less than to have a large percentage of the population to get paid with the tax dollars of the rest of us on the bottom to fight in our wars and then come home to keep the rest of us in line. And what better person to fit the bill than an unwanted, unaborted child. With parents or a parent or the state not caring for them what better way to affirm their own value than being placed into a position of authority, such as the military, the police or any number of security forces, at home and abroad. Unemployment and underemployment are going through the roof. What other options are there but transient labor or the armed forces. As unemployment rises so does crime and that means more jobs for police officers, at least for municipalities able to afford them.
Of course when you strip away all of these other layers of the issue you come to the heart of the matter, the women or girl. The potential mother. The human being, who is dealing with conflicting emotions, guilt, hormonal changes wrought by the invader in their womb, possible rape or assault issues. Who the fuck gave anyone the right to invade that place and tell this human they have no choice, they must allow this child into the world and they must keep it, unwanted, they must give it to the state or they must give it to someone else, someone who may do horrible things to it. (of course the states don't give 'em much of a start either) This is unacceptable.
I have said it before and will again and again, I don't like abortion. I doubt anybody does. Abortion doctors don't like abortion. Planned parenthood workers don't like abortion. Conservatives don't like abortion. Liberals don't like abortion. Lesbians don't like abortion. But many of us feel it is important to maintain the right to have one should it become necessary. I will be as happy as can be when abortion is eradicated. I will dance and sing when AIDS and other STDs are eliminated. I will be tickled to Tuesday when this conversation is but a footnote in history because everyone who chooses to have sex does so safely and with family planning in mind. (Beth, this is what Planned Parenthood does) Until that day we all, every fucking one of us, needs to fight for our reproductive rights.
Aquaria, I want to thank you again for helping open my eyes to this all important issue.
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4 comments:
Hi Treban. Thanks for the kind words.
Yes, we are all in this fight together. So much of this issue is tied to everyone's issues, that it's really ridiculous to call reproductive rights a "women's" issue. Where does the government end and we begin? How much power do we want the government to have over our most private decisions and even our destinies?
This is the one issue I will not back down on, ever. It's one where I won't compromise, ever.
Treban, instead of traumatized by truth, I'm afraid you've been loaded with lies.
The "fact" of the matter is there are to many fucking kids who have a shit little life because they were unwanted. I live in the "ghetto" such as it is in Lansing MI. I get to see the reality of kids who are unwanted on a daily fucking basis. Any "God" who claims to love and be a god of love, would not wish that on anybody. And claiming that some of them come out on top is a fucking copout. For every single person who pulls themselves out of that life there are about 150 who don't get out. Thats pretty shitty odds on making it. Abstinence only education leads to more pregnency because it doesn't provide information on how to be safe. Out of 2.5 million kids who signed abstinence only pledges 12% make it till marriage. Blame who you will, rant about how horible it is, that is reality. Letr me mention this again, most kids are going to have sex whether you teach them to be safe or not. So ultimately the best way to eliminate abortion would be to encourage safe sex. Quite honestly I'm not keen on babies having babies, most of the time that child is going to have a shitty life.
Okay, I decided to stop biting my tongue. I really was going to just try to let this go. I cannot any longer.
Just because you think abstinence is impossible does not mean that it actually is impossible. Erik calls it a fairy tale. It can work, but this is why it does not I believe.
Kids are not taught to respect themselves enough to know how to control their urges, nor are they encouraged to do so. Boys have much stronger hormonal sex drives, girls are looking more to be validated. And so, kids use sex to get the mutual satisfaction that they crave.
Especially girls want love. But we all know that sex does not mean love. Lots of girls don't think that, they want a boyfriend so badly that they will sometimes do whatever it takes, including having sex with them. Boys take advantage of that desire. Also, some girls actually WANT to get pregnant because they think the baby will give them the love that they desire.
You men are only looking at abstinence from your experience. Maybe it is asking the young males of this world to exercise more restraint than the females. But both males and females should learn to respect themselves more and the opposite sex more before they should be having sex, IMO.
You mention a God of love, Treban. God IS love. Perhaps if more people today felt the love of God in their lives, they wouldn't have to try to use sex as a substitute for love.
Overall, education is the key, but it doesn't have to be about how to use a condom.
And BTW, as for Planned Parenthood, don't tell me that they don't have a vested interest in abortion staying legal, its called the Almighty Dollar, and they'd be getting a lot less of them if they couldn't be the biggest provider of abortions on the USA.
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