my uterus
This is a repost from my myspace blog:
"I am writing this in response to a friend's blog on the touchy subject of family planning. Wheeee!
Being a feminist means believing that rights and opportunities should be egalitarian for both genders, not one over the other (in either direction)
However, this is not the case in our society.
In the instance of family planning, a man seeking a vasectomy can have one through the health department for no charge, no questions asked. The only requirement for this is that you have a low level of income, otherwise you have to pay money. This option is not available to a woman through the health department for a tubal ligation. It is not a procedure that is covered by Medicaid unless there are extenuating circumstances, and up to age 25 a doctor is reluctant or unwilling to perform the surgery (during the period of time where a young woman is most at risk for unwanted pregnancy)
There are now pharmacies that are refusing to fill the "Plan B" morning after pill on the basis of "moral obligation". So, if contraception is to fail it is now becoming more difficult to prevent the pregnancy through emergency contraception. Sheesh.
There are women who go through everything they possibly can to prevent pregnancy and are still thwarted by the system based on moral issues. And this is where the right to abortion comes into play. The system is already unfairly biased towards women when it comes to preventing pregnancy, based on issues of Christian morality (which should not enter the realm of law-making at all). The Supreme Court has ruled that the right for a woman to recieve an abortion is protected under law. Up to that point, women were still having abortions and they were doing it under unsanitary and unsafe conditions. I have also talked to a couple older women that during that period of time were forced BY THEIR HUSBANDS to abort an unwanted fetus, arranging the procedure with the doctor without the consent of their wife.
My point in saying all this is I am of the opinion that entering a relationship with a man does not give him rights to decide anything regarding my woman bits. My uterus is not and will never be up for negotiation. A man will need to trust that the woman he is in a relationship with will be up-front with her views on children and contraception, and would be honest with him if an unwanted pregnancy is to occur. There are too many variables involved (such as abusive and neglectful husbands/boyfriends) to violate a woman's right to privacy on issues of contraception and abortion by legally requiring her to disclose this information."
"I am writing this in response to a friend's blog on the touchy subject of family planning. Wheeee!
Being a feminist means believing that rights and opportunities should be egalitarian for both genders, not one over the other (in either direction)
However, this is not the case in our society.
In the instance of family planning, a man seeking a vasectomy can have one through the health department for no charge, no questions asked. The only requirement for this is that you have a low level of income, otherwise you have to pay money. This option is not available to a woman through the health department for a tubal ligation. It is not a procedure that is covered by Medicaid unless there are extenuating circumstances, and up to age 25 a doctor is reluctant or unwilling to perform the surgery (during the period of time where a young woman is most at risk for unwanted pregnancy)
There are now pharmacies that are refusing to fill the "Plan B" morning after pill on the basis of "moral obligation". So, if contraception is to fail it is now becoming more difficult to prevent the pregnancy through emergency contraception. Sheesh.
There are women who go through everything they possibly can to prevent pregnancy and are still thwarted by the system based on moral issues. And this is where the right to abortion comes into play. The system is already unfairly biased towards women when it comes to preventing pregnancy, based on issues of Christian morality (which should not enter the realm of law-making at all). The Supreme Court has ruled that the right for a woman to recieve an abortion is protected under law. Up to that point, women were still having abortions and they were doing it under unsanitary and unsafe conditions. I have also talked to a couple older women that during that period of time were forced BY THEIR HUSBANDS to abort an unwanted fetus, arranging the procedure with the doctor without the consent of their wife.
My point in saying all this is I am of the opinion that entering a relationship with a man does not give him rights to decide anything regarding my woman bits. My uterus is not and will never be up for negotiation. A man will need to trust that the woman he is in a relationship with will be up-front with her views on children and contraception, and would be honest with him if an unwanted pregnancy is to occur. There are too many variables involved (such as abusive and neglectful husbands/boyfriends) to violate a woman's right to privacy on issues of contraception and abortion by legally requiring her to disclose this information."