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I feel like there are loads of misunderstandings and mischaracterizations of feminism swirling about in the ether.
I had my own unique set of misconceptions, especially around the issue of reproductive rights.
When I was younger, I was pretty naïve and oblivious. But occasionally, when I would take a break from, you know, writing in my diary or serenading my Backstreet Boys posters, I would get a glimpse of what was going on in the real world.
I could never understand why every single politician, in every single election
felt the need to tell everyone where they stood on the topic of abortion.
I seriously didn't get why this whole Pro-Choice/Pro-Life thing was still going on.
Silly me assumed that just because we had this little thing called a Supreme Court ruling that the issue was settled.
It was perfectly legal to procure a hasty abortion if you needed to do so, right?
Why are conservatives still like "Yeah! Abortion's wrong!"
And why are Pro-choicers still like "No, don't regulate my uterus!"
My thinking was: "Why doesn't everyone shut the fuck up? We settled it!"
I mean, I understood why occasionally I would walk out of my high school and see these demonstrators parading these absolutely ginormous signs of fetal tissue and coins.
They were obviously trying to dissuade girls on an emotional level from having abortions.
That's one thing, but THEN I discovered that there were organizations that existed whose sole purpose was to see Roe v. Wade overturned and make it an absolute legal impossibility for a girl to have abortion. So then I was like: Nah, okay. Maybe these aren't just a bunch of crazy feminazis marching around, ragging on a tired old issue because they have nothing better to do.
I guess that's when I realized that reproductive rights HAD to be talked about and they HAD to be fought for.
CONSTANTLY.
Pro-choicers couldn't sit around on their asses all day, resting happily on the fact that Roe v. Wade was intact.
For 40 years that ruling has pretty much been the law of the land, but all that could be changing.
TODAY, she declares dramatically, working to prevent the reversal of Roe v. Wade might be a complete and utter waste of time, thanks to anti-choice d-bag politicians who feel like it's okay to regulate what you and I do with our uteruses. No bueno.
2011 is not even over and already a veritable crap ton, 916 pieces to be exact, of anti-choice legislation has been introduced at the state level that would make Roe v. Wade pretty much obsolete.
It's kind of like pad locking your front door and then leaving all your windows open,
you're probably going to get burgled.
I mean really, what good is a federal ruling allowing abortion to girl in, let's say, South Dakota who has to jump through hoops and red tape to get the reproductive health care she needs?
I'll tell you what good it is. It's NO good.
There are already some restrictions preventing insurance companies from covering abortions.
We've got states mandating that a woman undergo and be shown the results of an ultrasound prior to having an abortion.
Then, we've got other states that have decided to impose these asinine waiting periods for young girls seeking abortion services.
The goal of all these pieces of legislation and of the politicians producing them,
is clearly to make it as difficult as possible for women who are seeking abortions to get them.
And if you think an outright state-by-state ban on this procedure is a ridiculous possibility, then I have some serious concerns about your knowledge,
because THAT would be the crescendo to this discordant, anti-choice opera.
Which is exactly why we NEED to know where EVERY POLITICIAN in EVERY ELECTION stands on the issue.
That's why we NEED to pay attention to and call out politicians pushing anti-choice legislation.
A decade ago, I naively wondered why feminists wouldn't shut up already about the whole thing.
And now, I'm not shutting up about the whole thing.
Because, It ain't over until the fat lady is guaranteed the right to do whatever she wants with her own body.
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