a woman's purpose
To say that I'm furious would be the understatement of the year. Let me explain why.
On Tuesday the 14th of May 2019, twenty-five white, male Republicans voted to ban near-all abortions in the state of Alabama; the bill classifies all abortions as a Class A felony, punishable by up to 99-years in prison.
The moment that I heard about this, I was disgusted. This disgust quickly changed to sadness and a loss of hope; and then eventually, to anger. I have never felt so deeply angry.
This should not be a discussion that needs to be had - taking away a woman's autonomy and ability to decide how she uses her own body is not an option. This is not up for debate.
It is NOT optional to respect women's rights.
It is NOT optional to respect the autonomy of others.
It is NOT optional, after all we have worked for over the past 5, almost-6 decades, to continue to stomp women into the ground and tell them that they do not have the right to choose.
This bill is so much more than an attempt to 'protect human lives'. They don't care about life. They care about control.
I have a question for every man that voted on this bill -
How many children have you adopted?
How many abused and unhappy children in the foster care system have you consulted in your decision?
Once the baby is born, you don't give a shit what happens to it. You don't care that the mother might not be able to support it; that she may only be a teenager who didn't notice the condom broke; that she might have been raped or abused; that she might have an STI and be putting the child in danger.
And most of all, that the mother might not want to be a mother.
So spare me your nonsense about doing this for the embryo (a fertilised egg after 8 weeks) or the fetus (a fertilised egg before week 20. **note, abortions EXTREMELY rarely happen after this stage, and only occur if there is severe risk to the mother's life if the pregnancy is to continue.
By taking away a woman's choice, you are telling the world that she does not have the capacity to be a responsible decision maker. You are telling her that she is not capable of weighing up the risks and benefits; of deciding whether she wants to bring a child into this discriminatory, polluted world.
To bring in some context, the so-called "Human Life Protection Act" bans all abortions, not considering cases of rape, incest, a woman's medical history (including sexually transmitted infections that may cause difficulties during pregnancy that could cause the child to be born with a disability), or the age of the woman/girl in the situation.
This wrongful criminalisation of abortion is just the beginning - in Ohio, a bill is currently being passed that will make all birth control illegal. Contraceptives are in the process of being taken off pharmacy shelves.
That means - that not only do women fall victim to men who don't understand the world "NO", they also cannot make the responsible decision to practice safe-sex or end a pregnancy that they cannot properly support.
The issue that I, as a woman myself and doctor-to-be, am most concerned about is the fact that if you take away a woman's access to birth control, her access to safe clinical abortions, AND her right to refuse sex, then you are ultimately taking away her autonomy.
It terrifies me that doctors in Alabama must now choose between providing ethical, medically appropriate care that respects a patient's autonomy and considers their best interests, or obeying the law.
And speaking of women's right to refuse sex, here is an actual quote from one Republican regarding that:
"Rape victims should make the best of a bad situation." - Clayton Williams, who terrifyingly, is a politician.
That's absolute bullshit.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
There is a very clear pattern emerging - one that shows the superiority that men feel they are owed by society and the ultimate goal of 'putting women back in their place'.
Men don't want women to have choice - but of course, I wouldn't say this without backing it up with some data.
A study conducted in 1986 (which really is not that long ago), surveyed 1,860 Obstetrician- Gynecologists regarding their attitudes to various fertility-control services, including abortion. Exactly 50% of the participants were male and 50% were female, chosen via a randomised method.
When asked whether women should have the legal right to obtain abortions, 90% of Females strongly agreed, while only 76% of Males strongly agreed (Weisman et al, 1986).
This study perfectly displays the innate issue within our society - that men feel they have the right to tell women what they can or cannot do with their bodies.
As for religion - I completely understand that the morals of your religion may not support abortion - but how DARE you suggest that your own personal beliefs should dictate the choices of others when over 30% of Australians identify as atheists.
If I was ever in a situation where I'd need to consider an abortion, I don't know what my choice would be.
But as far as I'm concerned, that would be MY choice to make.
A woman's purpose is NOT just to become a mother.
It is the same as any other human being's; it is to embrace herself,
to follow her passions,
kick ass and make the world a better place.
So to all you men who think you can tell us what to do -
Go fuck yourself.
All my love,
Monty
References:
Weisman, CS, Nathanson, CA, Teitelbaum, MA, Chase, GA & King, TM (1986), 'Abortion Attitudes and Performance Among Male and Female Obstetrician-Gynecologists', Family Planning Perspectives, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 67-73.
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