Choice-and Its Effects on Women, Men and the Religious
As a woman running for office, I've thought much about the issue of choice. I've also listened to many people throughout the district and here are a few of their comments on the subject.
Comments from Men:
If men could have babies, abortion wouldn't even be an issue.
Just because women can have babies, doesn't mean that they have to have them.
Comment from a wise, old woman:
If we had to wait for men to have babies, we'd all go extinct!
Now that we've listened to a few asides on the subject, let's get down to serious business.
The first question I want to ask is this: How many women have been forced to have an abortion since Roe v. Wade? The answer is probably pretty close to zero. So, what's the issue? If you don't want to have an abortion-don't have one! That's the beauty of choice.
I want everyone to consider one more thing-China. In China, women don't have the right to say, "NO" to abortion. After a woman has two children she is forced to have an abortion, should she become pregnant again. Plus, if a family wants to have a male child to carry on the family name, it is OK to keep aborting female after female fetus until the couple achieves their desired goal--a son. That is called female infanticide.
So, what does this mean for us? Well, it means never give up your right to say no you don't want to have an abortion if you don't want to have one, which is what you have now and what Roe v. Wade gives you-CHOICE!! (I'm still wondering who all of those Chinese men will mate with to carry on the family name when they have killed off all of the women before they were born?)
One objection I hear about Roe v. Wade is that it is a Federal law. Many people feel that under the US Constitution it should be an issue asked of the citizens at the state level, and, therefore, a State Law.
Others feel that being a Federal Law is alright because our Constitution guarantees the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (I'm still questioning the pursuit of happiness part. Personally, it seems as if these rights are being, or have been, legislated away.) And for heaven's sake, how can you have liberty and the pursuit of happiness when you don't have life to begin with? Right?
Hopefully, you'll find your answers to these questions below.
You have rights under the US Constitution--as long as you are a male. Remember, we have never passed an Equal Rights Amendment making women equal to men. Under the Constitution, women's rights are only implied in law, other than the right to vote. As the law stands now, "Women have more rights as a fetus than we do once we are born. Once we are born and found out to be women, we lose these rights." Is anyone else seeing a problem here?
I remember when I worked with the United Nations on the Conference on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). We set up a forum where women from all over the world could come and give testimonials of atrocities committed against women in their respective nations. Their accounts were sickening. I heard accounts and saw photos that you will NEVER see in any newsprint, or on TV.
On the way to the evening's festivities, the night before the UN forum was to be held, I asked my boss, Professor Catharine A. MacKinnon, "Do you ever feel like you are beating your head against the wall?" The things that happen to women-human trafficking, sex slave industry, forced pornography at gunpoint (Linda Lovelace in "Deep Throat" and many others), female sexual mutilation and domestic violence everywhere, not to mention the glass ceiling and wage discrimination--all because we aren't as physically strong as a man, or part of the "Good Ole Boys Club." That amounts to nothing more than terrorism against women and at the very least, discrimination--something women have been fighting since being dragged around by the hair! "Do you ever feel as if you are beating your head against the wall?" I asked her. She very confidently replied, "No!"
A few minutes later we walked into the room; I instantly knew what she felt. Here was a roomful of women, some of whom took their very lives in their hands just by getting on the plane to come and tell of the atrocities committed against women in their home countries. These women could have been killed for coming to tell their stories. It was incredibly empowering. If these women were this strong, I could be this strong too!
I knew then that if we women didn't stick together to tell our stories and bring these things public, no one would ever know what really happens to women behind closed doors. We would be fearful and left in the dark. But when we bring our stories out into the light, the darkness will have no where to hide. (By the way, the United States has never signed on to CEDAW. The US is good at getting other nations to sign on to things like CEDAW and the Kyoto Protocol, but then the US never ends up signing on.) It was at this point that I knew why the Professor had so strongly said, "No!" I will now also say, "No! No more inequality! No more abuse!"
One comment that came up often to me from the women at the conference was, "You women here in America are so lucky that you have equality to your men." I felt compelled to tell them that we still are not equal, that we've never passed an Equal Rights Amendment under the United States Constitution. That we don't have equality in pay and that men still beat up on women and use them as sex slaves-right here. It seemed to have burst their bubble at first, but I assured them that we are luckier than they are in their countries, but that we still do not have equality. Our equality is only "implied" in law, and women in the US, as well as everywhere, still have a long way to go to achieve equality.
So, knowing what I know about what happens to women and knowing that no matter how much I work out I'll never be as strong as a man, I find myself again thinking about the question of choice.
So I guess the next question is to ask, "What are the reasons for abortion?
Sometimes, abortion is a function of rape. Ohhhh! There's an ugly word that most people in Congress generally try to avoid. Why? I'm not sure, but I think that it probably has something to do with the fact that most of the representatives in Congress are men and generally not raped. So, let's talk about abortion in that context-the context of rape.
Now again, I'm going out on a limb here and telling you what I think. I don't think that rape is OK, not in any way whatsoever. I was raised Catholic. I'm pretty sure that the Bible says that rape is not OK too. Right?
So, if rape isn't OK, how did we get to where we make a woman pay for the crime of a man? In other words, the woman didn't ask to get raped, a child was forced upon her, she has an abortion to take care of the unintended pregnancy, but some people want to hold the woman accountable for a crime (abortion) when it was the man who committed the crime in the first place (rape). And then the system "rewards" the rapist by telling him, "Don't worry, she is a criminal if she aborts your offspring. Your child will get to live." Huh?
OK, now let's get down to reality. Imagine your wife, or girlfriend, has been raped by another man. Tell me honestly, are you REALLY going to be thinking about how happy you are as your partner's stomach grows with another man's child? I'd bet most guys would say, "No!
So, now we have looked at this case from all 3-sides, male, female and the fact that you aren't being forced by law to have an abortion if you don't want to have one in the first place, religious reasons, right? So, as your very personal choice, you could still choose to NOT have an abortion, have the baby, keep the baby, or give the baby up for adoption. Right? I have many good friends who were adopted by loving families.
Therefore, I'm inclined to think that the Constitution, as it is written, is probably a pretty good deal for everyone. It satisfies everyone's rights. And remember, not every religion in America is Christian. We have to also remember the separation of Church and State. In some religions, abortion is OK, and all people under the US Constitution have the right to practice their beliefs FREELY.
And, as a woman, I'm not ready to give up any rights us women have garnered, unless we have something better to replace it with.
Now, let's talk about abortion being used as a method of birth control. I am a mother and I can't personally understand how anyone couldn't love their child. But that is my choice. Those are my circumstances. But, those aren't the circumstances and choices of every woman. And truly, it's personally none of my business.
Here's why I think it IS important to have a woman as your Representative, because I just want to ask one question of my sisters, "If you are getting pregnant, don't you think that you just might be getting something else too, like a sexually transmitted disease?" These are the questions I don't mind asking. These are the questions that should be asked?
I will ask you to think and start taking personal responsibility for your actions. If you want to be treated like an adult, act like one. If you really don't want to have a baby, take precautions to make that not happen before you get pregnant. You just might be saving your own life. This is what we should not be afraid to talk about with one another.
Let's get women in office and really get the conversation going. I'll bet we could end up eliminating far more pregnancies if we just talk, educate, and empower women, instead of blaming, and shaming women, and hiding everything in a closet.
Amendment XIX (1920)
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
