since 1920, sistahs unite! vote on!
is it just me, or does it seem like america has become even more openly hostile to women these days? between all the anti-choice legislative nightmares brewing and even oddly-misogynistic attitudes in journalistic pieces, it’s apparently becoming more acceptable to knock down women. (and gays. and jews. and minorities. and basically anyone out there who isn’t one of the wildly-oppressed, white male species. oh, boo effing hoo, boys. ) methinks for that years, people were shamed into trying to be less racist, and unfortunately, shaming doesn’t work. (of course, with some of these folks, i wonder whether education will work, either.)
so it is with some trepidation that i ponder our current state of affairs. i fear that neither diversity of population or of thought is appreciated in the policy circles of the current powers that be. the damage that may occur in our society as a result is stunning. for somehow, it is becoming more acceptable to force a woman to complete an unplanned pregnancy. and when that baby is born, will these same people be there to raise it, shelter it, pay for it? of course not. somehow, pregnancy has become a punishment of sorts — and it doesn’t matter whether the woman became pregnant simply because she was sexually active or because she was raped. her life is worth less than the burgeoning life inside of her. the policy decisions surrounding abortion rights are being made by people who not only do not care about the rights of women, but who feel that society must use certain tools to punish them, even in cases when the pregnancy is not the woman’s fault.
and where the hell are the men in these situations? women do not conceive immaculately.
roe versus wade is the law. and now that plenty of states, including my own, are making it absurdly difficult to provide safe, legal abortions to those who choose to have them, i fear for a lot of female citizens, women who may die because of someone else’s misogynistic belief system. hey — don’t want an abortion? don’t have one!
so i’m hoping a lot of people out there — men and women alike — see the writing on the wall… i’m hoping they get involved in policy discussions. i’m hoping they get active in the issues.
and i’m really hoping that they vote.
I had a bad experience a long time ago because I voiced a public opinion about one of the third rail issues of our time, so I will be a coward and abstain. But you express yourself with eloquence, passion and COMpassion, Sheryl, and for that you are still one of my favorite voices on the Internutz. And a pal. : )
aw, thanks, ms. f. i just get frustrated because the same people who are anti-abortion tend to be the same people who want to remove any and all safety nets from those single mothers struggling with children.
I think you may have hit it right there in the first paragraph, Sher. People were shamed into mouthing the right lines for a few decades. You’ll probably find few folks actually changed their *opinions* – just what they said publicly. Now, in these days of insane news hosts (Glen Beck, anyone?) and rabid hyperbole, there’s seemingly no need to worry about being shamed anymore, so the real opinions pop out again.