In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Month: January 2007

The Bible Says

(Warning: Offensive language)

Amazing.

It must be a joke*, but well played, sir, well played.

My favorite lyrics:

To enter Heaven, there’s no back door.

Righteous men, get on your knees. There lies no virtue in sodomy.

Yes, I am in sixth grade, because I couldn’t stop snickering at these lines.

via Pam.

*….right?

Couldn’t have said it better myself

A commenter over at Dawn Eden’s place leaves this remark in her post about how I’ve got chastity advocates all wrong. The commenter quotes a previous comment, then responds:

Tony: ” Virginity is also the greatest gift a man can give his wife. ”

By the way, I have difficulty with statements like this. I think that the loss of virginity is tragic, and it should be retained as an extremely important and *great* gift to the spouse. However, there may be greater gifts. Like… for example… a child, maybe?

Like… for example… love, maybe? Respect, maybe? Companionship, support, forgiveness, openness, commitment, maybe?

Nah. Hymens and babies. Babies and hymens.

Disturbing, in my opinion, that these things are thought of as “gifts” from one spouse to the other (and note who’s doing the giving here). I hope to God that if I ever have a child, I don’t give birth and then hand the baby over to my husband, saying, “For you!”

They explain themselves so much better than I ever can.

Get a room!

I probably shouldn’t be contributing to the disproportionate focus on the ballad of Carrie Bradshaw’s ring finger in whither-chastity discussions, so I’m just gonna open it up here. I’m definitely not going to argue that S&TC was progressive (although I’d love to hear Susan Douglas write about it)–either in terms of feminism or in any number of other directions (A brunette and a redhead! Edgy!). But there were some things about it that I thought were very interesting, and it was a guilty pleasure.

So, what did you think of Charlotte?

Anti-Choicers: Racism, Misogyny, Xenophobia, oh my!

Ann at Feministing has a great collection of photos of the March for Life that she found in a pro-life. Be sure to read the captions. Interesting how the pro-life leaders are old white men, the girls at the rally are applauded for being pretty, bilingualism is accepted as long as its in this very narrow context, and dipshit teenage boys give the thumbs up to forced pregnancy. Go check it out.

Calling All Feminists and Yogis

If you’re in New York, come get a great stress-relieving work-out and help women at the same time. It’s a yoga class open to all levels, and it’s by donation — and anything you give will go to Women for Women International, a great group which assists women in war-torn nations. The details:

Wednesday, 1/24
2:30-3:45pm
Laughing Lotus Yoga Center
59 W19th St, 3rd fl (between 5th/6th aves)
By donation (proceeds go to “Women for Women International”)

Hope to see some of you there!

Why I Am Pro-Choice

Well.

After my cobloggers’ superlative contributions, I’m not sure I really have much to offer. I was brought up to believe in personal sovereignty. My mother has always been horrified by the idea of anyone dictating another woman’s reproductive decisions, even though she would not consider abortion for herself. Forced pregnancy, as far as she is concerned, is as much a violation as rape, and just as repellent. It is abusive to arrogate that control. It is profoundly dangerous. All attempts to do so have resulted in nothing but grief for women and their children. I am pro-choice because I trust women to determine what is safest and best for themselves, and because I cannot trust myself to make that decision for anyone else. I don’t have the right to steal a woman’s joy in her own freedom, or in her decision to become a parent. I don’t have the right to tell my mother that she became less of a person when she became pregnant with me. It’s that simple.

Why I Am Pro-Choice

Though Jill, who’s been on fire lately, has said pretty much all there needs to be said on this subject, I wanted to be sure to add my two cents.

I’m pro-choice because my mother couldn’t exercise control over her reproductive system, and wound up bearing seven children between 1965 and 1974, the first of whom died soon after birth and the last of whom came along because she couldn’t get a tubal after her previous pregnancy in 1970 because of patriarchal rules. Had she been able to have the number of children she really wanted to rather than the number that she had no other choice than to have, I might very well not be here — and I’m only the third of the living children. Had she been able to have the number of children she really wanted to, when she wanted to, rather than the number who simply occurred, she might have had the wherewithal to leave my father while she was still young and could get work that might have supported a smaller family.

And that is why I am pro-choice.