Choice v. Freedom v. Abortion Rights

Last week, Katha Pollitt of The Nation and historian Nancy Cohen wrote that the repro rights movement needs a better descriptor than "pro-choice." Ms. Magazine contributor Carol Joffe wrote a similar post in February.

Cohen proposed "pro-freedom" as a patriotic alternative that would appeal to mainstream voters, while Pollitt, Joffe, and a number of progressive organizations prefer the term reproductive justice to describe the rights for which we're fighting.

I agree with Pollitt that we're probably not going to shift the language our country uses around abortion and reproduction at this rate. But I figured I'd weigh in anyway.

I like the term "abortion rights" since it is specific and normalizes the word abortion. I believe that as a movement, we should say what we mean. This also happens to be the language the AP style guide uses. NPR recently adopted the AP guidelines around this language in response to a post by their ombudsman, Alicia Shepard.

The repro justice approach is important and a more comprehensive way to discuss the variety of issues we work on. Both terms are descriptive and are not mutually exclusive, and we can use both where appropriate.

That said, "choice" feels like an old friend and I'd be a little sorry to see it go. Nor am I so quick to believe we have somehow lost the linguistic and cultural high ground to "pro-life" extremists. Your thoughts?

Fetushood

Via Feminist News

"The Florida Secretary of State's office approved ballot language this week for a so-called personhood initiative proposed by Personhood Florida and the American Life League. The ballot measure would amend the state constitution to say that "The word 'person' and 'natural person' apply to all human beings, irrespective of age, race, health, function, condition of physical and/or mental dependency and/or disability, or method of reproduction, from the beginning of biological development of that human being."

Whenever these calls to extend personhood to fetuses come up I'm baffled. The ramifications of such laws passing are absurd. For one, they raise several ethical complications, as Jill from Feministe points out.

However, let's set aside the political and social ramifications of the debate (if that can be done) and look at the term personhood. The term personhood implies that we have a certain relationship with the individual who has personhood. Specifically, we believe that we should respect the individual's rights and expect them to respect ours. Furthermore, we believe that we can hold the individual responsible if they violate our rights and seek due recourse against them. The problem with extending personhood to fetuses is that they simply cannot meet the criteria for personhood.

Don't we treat children as people even though they cannot uphold personhood to the same degree as an adult can? We do, but we do not treat a child in the same way as an adult. Children have a specific category in personhood as we can still expect them to respect individual rights and we still create a special class of responsibility to deal with children's actions.

The difference between children, adults, and fetuses is that children and adults have a key property that fetuses don't. They have agency. They can interact with the outside world, make demands, and understand responsibility. A fetus cannot.

We may choose to extend certain protections to fetuses, but giving them personhood is absurd. Fetuses are a cluster of cells with development potential. Giving personhood to a thing with only developmental potential is haphazard and ethically unsound.

Wisconsin Antis Hit below the Belt, Attack Contraception and Birth control

As a native Wisconsinite, I find great joy and excitement when my state makes national news and blog roles. Today, while perusing the web for blogs to feature on Majority Speaks, I came across two that featured the Dairy State; imagine my excitement.

Imagine my disappointment, however, when the first one to come up, on RH Reality Check, highlighted the little town of Wausau, WI, and their unrelenting picketing. (Be sure to check out the linked video, it’s a real gem).

These protesters aren’t picketing against abortion, mind you; they are picketing against birth control and contraceptives. It is scary to think that access to birth control is now under equal attack as abortion. The majority of the clinics under attack aren't even connected or associated with abortion or abortion clinics; they provide no referrals or medical counseling for women seeking abortion.

One protester outside of the clinic took up the ‘murder’ argument—apparently birth control and condoms are murder—claiming that we always have the choice to kill, in fact, he could murder you right now! Many others in the video supported this argument, whether it was by personal testimony or their stylish, graphic-Ts. To those following this guy’s logic, may I remind you that “pro-choice” does not equate a single question of “to abort, or not to abort.” Choice is about how you want to live your life; to give you the freedom to choose when and whether you have children, and the privacy to make that decision on your own.

Beyond the illogical 'murder' argument, one female protester showcased the ‘legitimacy’ of the marriage argument. She likens using condoms to telling your husband you’ll listen to him but “let me put ear plugs in first,” which of course signifies a lack of commitment in your marriage that is apparently not a marriage. Did you follow that logic? Neither did I.

Saving sex for marriage and procreation alone is not a realistic expectation for the general population. And what if it was? Can you imagine if everyone had twelve children, like the mom-to-be featured? This country and this planet wouldn’t know what to do with itself; there would be no future for anyone. Birth control is necessary and it is the responsible thing to do, something the anti-choice movement fails to believe or simply ignores.

Just when I thought I'd lost all hope in my home state, I read my second Wisconsin blog and, I swear, saw a light appear at the end of the tunnel. Enter Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. Yesterday, Rep. Baldwin gave testimony on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a proposed bill by Congress that would prohibit discrimination in the work-place based on sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

Baldwin urged the House Committee on Education and Labor to pass ENDA and effectively say that “irrational hate or fear have no place in our work place.” Catch up with the badgers, Congress, we added sexual orientation to our anti-discrimination statutes twenty-five years ago; a whole quarter of a century; five years before I was even born. We were the first state in the nation to do so and now 21 states, including the District of Columbia, have passed similar measures. This is something I am incredibly proud of, to be part of a trail-blazing state who fights for the rights of all people. And to that I say, on Wisconsin!

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedarkangel/385563298/

An End to Child Marriages

On September 13th, 12-year old Fawziya Abdullah Youssef died of severe bleeding while giving birth to a still-borne baby in Yemen.

Fawziya is one of many girls in developing nations who are forced into marriage. She was 11 years old when she married. Often, these girls are as young as 7 or 8 years old, though marriage sometimes happens at an even earlier age.

Child marriage, legally defined as marriage before the age of 18, has countless negative effects on young women. Child brides face higher rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, and obstetric festula, a condition that is caused by obstructed labor and leads to social ostracism due to incontinence, than adult brides.

Furthermore, child brides are often forced to drop out of school and are more likely to live in poverty and continue living in poverty than adult brides.

The problem of child brides is becoming more pressing than ever, especially with worsening economic conditions worldwide. Poor families marry off their girls in the hopes of either recieving a large dowry or ridding their family of an economic burden.

The only way to prevent child marriages is to improve the standard of living in developing nations and empower young women in those nations. That is why Feminist Majority supports the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 (HR2410 and S987). It is our hope that these bills pass and that the US will be instrumental in stopping child marriages and giving the child brides a chance to live the life they choose.

Resource Dump:

A list of facts about child brides on PBS

ICRW Guide to Child Marriage

ICRW Fact Sheet

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachels_photo_world/

Gender Identity is NOT a Disease

If you're interested in trans-rights and issues of gender identity, you should definitely help Stop Trans Pathologization 2012 on October 17th. They're holding an international action to protest the inclusion of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) in the revision of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

STP2012 is loosely organized and is relying on local trans-groups and allies to help in their protest. You can e-mail stp2012 [at] gmail.com or click here to find out more.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the issue, STP2012 is an organization that demands the following things:

1. The retirement of GID from the international diagnosis manuals (their next versions DSM-V and ICD-11)
2. The retirement of sex mention in the official documents
3. The abolition of the binary normalization treatments to intersex people
4. Free access to hormonal treatments and surgery (without the psychiatric monitoring)
5. The fight against transphobia: working for education, social and labour insertion for trans people

GID imposes several restrictions on a trans individual. The obvious one is that psychiatrists are given the right to block a trans person's transition into their gender identity. If a trans person wants to recieve hormone therapy or surgery or change the gender on their ID, they often times have to rely on a psychiatrist's permission to do so.

The right to live unencumbered by one's gender identity is a right that should be extended to all people. This campaign will be instrumental in securing a few basic rights for transgender people around the world. While I by no means think that this campaign will eliminate transphobia and the challenges transgender people face, it is an important institutional step in recognizing the validity of gender expression outside the traditional male/female binary.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/esparta/

FMF's 3rd Annual Women of Color conference!

You are cordially invited to attend the Feminist Majority Foundation's Third Annual Women of Color Conference October 9th & 10th, 2009 at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia!

The conference provides a space for women of color and allies to learn about various social justice issues and strategize for action as part of a larger movement for justice and equality. By focusing on advocacy and activism to create political change, the conference will unite young women to take action in the fight for equality.

Topics to be addressed include reproductive justice, violence against women, sexuality, health care insurance reform, global reproductive rights and health, media, and much more.

Early-bird registration rates are available through September 25th, at the rate of $15 per individual and $12 each for groups of 5 or more. To learn more about the conference, see our preliminary schedule, and register, check us out online at

http://www.feministcampus.org/leadership

Want to register as a group? Got questions about the conference? Contact a Campus Organizer at 703-522-2214 or campusteam@feminist.org.

Amazing Choice

(to the tune of "Amazing Grace")

Amazing choice
That is our right
For now and evermore
It won't be lost because we'll fight
To clear the clinic door

The bullies try to make us fear
But women stand up strong
For choice, that right that we hold dear,
We'll right their every wrong

Best of the Feminist Blogosphere

I've spent a good part of the day reading the many articles and essays about Dr. Tiller that are floating around the feminist blogosphere. Some of the most touching, thought-provoking, and well-written:

On George Tiller and the Profound Power of Language
Megan at Jezebel writes about the power of words and the environment that encouraged Dr. Tiller's assassin.

The Circle Continues
RH Reality Check covers Dr. Leroy Carhart, the heroic doctor who is temporarily taking over Dr. Tiller's clinic.

Where will women go now?
Broadsheet at Salon addresses the remarkable scope of Dr. Tiller's good work, and wonders what will happen to all the women he would have helped in the future.

The Murder of Dr. Tiller, a Foreshadowing
Cristina Page points out the patterns of clinic violence and worries that there is more to come, at Huffington Post.

Patients Remember Dr. Tiller
Jill at Feministe compiled the recollections of the many men and women Dr. Tiller helped, some of whom would not be alive today without him. A must read for anyone who has ever had doubts of the need for late-term abortions.

Federal response to Dr. Tiller's assassination

President Obama's lukewarm statement on Tiller's murder:

"I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence."

We're disappointed the president made no mention of law enforcement or justice in this matter. Condemning violence is a good start, but we were looking for real leadership.

However, we are optimistic President Obama's support is more behind-the-scenes. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is devoting Department of Justice resources toward protecting abortion providers. Statement from Holder:

"The murder of Doctor George Tiller is an abhorrent act of violence, and his family is in our thoughts and prayers at this tragic moment. Federal law enforcement is coordinating with local law enforcement officials in Kansas on the investigation of this crime, and I have directed the United States Marshals Service to offer protection to other appropriate people and facilities around the nation.

"The Department of Justice will work to bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice. As a precautionary measure, we will also take appropriate steps to help prevent any related acts of violence from occurring."

Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was similarly sympathetic. As the Kansas governor, she had worked with Dr. Tiller and was supportive of his work. Her statement (see pg. 4 of WaPo story):

"This is sad and shocking news. My prayers go out to the Tiller family and to the members of his church who witnessed this terrible crime."

If you want to send your condolences and support to Dr. Tiller's family and clinic, use this page and FMF can forward your remarks.

Our thoughts are with his family. We remain grateful to the doctors and their staffs who provide abortion services, and to the volunteers, politicians, and organizations that continue working to protect choice.

Clinic violence is not new, and if we do not organize to protect choice, it may continue. To learn more about recent and past clinic terrorism across the country, browse the data we've collected from clinics since 1993. The most recent survey results were released in February, and you can see that and past surveys on our National Clinic Access Project site.

Dr. Tiller's assassination is the reason our work is still, now more than ever, so important. If you and I do not keep agitating for reproductive freedom, we will lose it.

P.S. We welcome thoughtful, respectful comments and e-mails. If you are condoning clinic violence, post those thoughts on your own blog, not ours. Thanks.

Fired Up, Ready to Wait?

For those of you (like me) who readily admit to being a bit of a news nerd, you probably tuned into President Obama's press conference last night expecting to hear discussion about the economy, war, and something about sick pigs.

What I did not expect to hear was this from CNN's Ed Henry (yes, the same CNN that brought us this little nugget of foolishness yesterday):

"Thank you, Mr. President. In a couple of weeks, you're going to be giving the commencement at Notre Dame. And, as you know, this has caused a lot of controversy among Catholics who are opposed to your position on abortion.

As a candidate, you vowed that one of the very things you wanted to do was sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which, as you know, would eliminate federal, state and local restrictions on abortion. And at that it was above -- quote, "above my pay grade."

Now that you've been president for 100 days, obviously, your pay grade is a little higher than when you were a senator.

Do you still hope that Congress quickly sends you the Freedom of Choice Act so you can sign it?"

Stunned to hear "the a-word" I perked up in my seat eager to hear our feminist President answer in the affirmative. What I got was, well, a little wishy washy:



While I commend the President for openly identifying as pro-choice, I was annoyed that he failed to see the difference between attacks on choice in state legislatures across the country and working together to prevent unintended pregnancies. Bills, such as the ones in Kansas, Arizona, Utah, and South Carolina, do not attempt to prevent unintended pregnancies but to punish and endanger women who become pregnant.

I understand that the Freedom of Choice Act, which would eliminate such bills, may not be high on his list of legislative priorities with the many crises at hand. In fact, I applaud him for the many great advances for women in his first 100 days. But what I wanted to hear him say (and what he promised on the campaign trail) was that he understands the dangers of these threats, the importance of the Freedom of Choice Act, and hopes Congress will deliver this bill to his desk soon.

When asked what has troubled him during his first 100 days, President Obama noted the slow pace at which change comes to Washington. Often times politicians are too concerned with the next year's race and fail to work on the tasks at present. There is no switch or button, he stated, that will allow Congress to "fall in line" the way you would like.

So perhaps I am guilty of being too eager, too ambitious. But I can't help but become a little flustered when I am told to be patient for change. What happened to "fired up, ready to go"? Trust me, I am more than fired up and ready and waiting. Are you?

Don't be fooled by fake clinics!

Happy April Fool's Day! We hope you're busy executing all manner of devious pranks today.

Unfortunately, every day is April Fool's Day for crisis pregnancy centers. CPCs claim to assist women faced with unplanned pregnancies, but they are not legitimate health clinics staffed by licensed healthcare professionals.

Unlike comprehensive healthcare clinics, they give women medically inaccurate information and pressure them to carry unintended pregnancies to term. These fake clinics often pose as women's health clinics, but they do not provide abortion services or referrals, and they do not provide balanced information on family planning options like condoms or emergency contraception.

CPCs receive millions of dollars in state and federal funding. Our tax dollars would be better spent on clinics that present the full range of medical options for women who are pregnant.

If there are fake clinics near your campus or in your community, make sure your friends and classmates know these are not medical facilities. Work with your student health center to end referrals to CPCs.

Educate your elected officials so they know CPCs are not comprehensive healthcare providers but receive disproportionate amounts of public money. Keep working on and off campus to protect choice and promote women's health!