Comparing some feminist ideas on abortion...

[archangel__7]

Something I've noticed during my studies which touches briefly on the topic of abortion politics; and I'd like your input to make sure I'm seeing this clearly.

One feminist mantra since the sixties has been "The personal is the political." On this view, the personal situations a woman might encounter in her everyday life are not to be seen as

Comments

[lavendersparkle]

I think your definition of 'political' is too narrow, in that you're assuming that 'political' implies something that requires government action. As a feminist, I understand that women's liberation depends upon widespread attitude changes and the reformation of many non-governmental institutions. When I decide to comfortable in my body and not be a slave to mainstream beauty standards, it is a political act. When I make attempts to examine my own privaledge and tackle my own prejudices, it is a political act. When I perform acts of random kindness, it's a political act. None of these political actions require direct governmental involvement.

I think I bigger problem with mainstream feminism is failing to make the link between 'the personal is political' and designating abortion as a 'holy cow' that no one is allowed to critique without being called a misogynist. When a woman has an abortion, she is violently oppressing a member of another disempowered group. That's not very feminist. Mainstream feminism is now getting the idea that this isn't good when the person your attacking is from an oppressed class or race, so hopefully it's only a matter of time before more people get a clue on this one. I think one of the problems is that our patriarchal society makes motherhood so disastrous to many women that admitting that killing feotuses is problematic will remove for many women their escape from financial destitution. Maybe when we've got as far as building a society where mothers aren't the most dicriminated against group in employment, more feminists will feel comfortable critically examining abortion in the same way as other oppressions.