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

Month: November 2009

Bittersweet victories, choice, and what you can do

Saturday night, by a five-vote margin, the House of Representatives passed health care reform legislation. It’s an incredible victory — Americans desperately need health care reform, and this bill is a step in the right direction. It means that millions of uninsured and under-insured people will be able to go to the doctor when they get sick, and will be able to get treatment when they need it. It means an end to gender-based insurance ratings; it means an end to listing pregnancy, c-section, rape and domestic violence as pre-existing conditions; it means maternity coverage. Those are fantastic victories.

But they came at a price — and as usual, women paid. As Ann put it, It’s pretty fucking cramped underneath this bus, what with 50% of Americans down here. The Stupak amendment to the health care bill, which blocks even private insurance companies from covering abortion services, passed — with 64 Democrats supporting it. You can read their names here. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against health care reform. The majority of those Democrats also voted for the Stupak amendment.

That’s right: There were 21 Democrats who voted to kill the health care bill, but who also voted for an anti-choice amendment to attach to that bill. If any Democrats need to be taken out in the next primary cycle — besides Stupak — it’s these 21.

I’m happy that a health care bill passed in the house. But checking my email Saturday morning and getting word about the Stupak amendment felt like a gut-punch. Spending the afternoon listening to the floor debates, and then watching the votes tick in, was sickening. I don’t envy Nancy Pelosi’s position, and I don’t actually fault her for putting the amendment up for a vote — but I do fault the anti-choice Democrats who voted for it. I especially fault Rep. Stupak, who is a Democrat himself. It’s one thing to be a pro-life Dem who supports lowering the abortion rate through contraception access and sexual health education (oh, and comprehensive health care reform), but who doesn’t need to punish women. It’s quite another to sponsor a bill that strips health care from women in the name of “pro-life” politics. Of course, Stupak and his co-sponsor, Joe Pitts, are no strangers to compromising women’s lives in the name of life:

The amendment, named for Representatives Bart Stupak, D-Mich, and Joe Pitts, R-Penn. Stupak is a so-called “Democrat for Life;” Pitts has been a dogged supporter of failed abstinence-only policies, domestically and internationally, and was among those who succeeded in adding language forbidding the provision of contraceptive supplies for HIV-positive women in US global AIDS funding.

Bravo, really guys.

Reproductive health care is health care. And thanks to spineless, misogynist Democrats, women are not going to get the care they need. Beyond that, this is just another example of a party reliant on women to win elections throwing women under the bus as soon as our needs become inconvenient. As Ann says:

[Liberal dudes will] be explaining that it’s not a big deal because the Stupak amendment can be stripped out by the conference committee (which I very much hope it will, but am not holding my breath) and because there are potential loopholes (though I have yet to hear a convincing one).

On some level, I don’t care about the nitty-gritty details of this amendment. This isn’t just about how the money is allocated or what workarounds exist. This has me so incredibly infuriated because it further segregates abortion as something different, off the menu of regular health care. It is a huge backward step in the battle to convey — not just politically, but to women in their everyday lives — that reproductive health care is normal and necessary, and must be there if (or, more accurately, when) you need it.

This also sets apart women’s rights from the Democratic/progressive/whatever agenda. As something expendable. But fundamental rights for women are not peripheral. They are core. And not just because of so-called “progressive” values. In a political sense, too: Seeing as how the Democratic party relies on women voters to win elections, you would think they would have come around to this no-brainer by now.

Yes, we got hosed.

I’m also not confident that this will be taken out. For that to happen, the Senate could not include the same restrictions in their version of the bill — and with Democrats like Bob Casey and Ben Nelson in the Senate, and with pro-choice senators like Claire McCaskill shrugging their shoulders, I think the chances of similar language not being adopted is slim. White House reaction has been mixed — first they sounded like they weren’t touching this one with a ten-foot pole, but now Obama has issued a statement saying that women’s insurance choices shouldn’t be restricted.

Who knows — maybe this will all work out. But that doesn’t negate the fact that 64 House Democrats voted for the Stupak amendment; it doesn’t negate the fact that a Democrat introduced it; it doesn’t negate the fact that a whole lot of liberals looked the other way.

But what’s really chapping my hide today — almost as much as the amendment itself — is the number of “progressive” dudes who have lectured me in the past 24 hours on How This All Works, and the number of progressive dudes who have just stayed silent. I’m apparently not the only one. Thanks, guys. Glad to know that women’s health care isn’t really health care, or isn’t part of the “big picture.”

So what can we do? A few things. Put pressure on your senator to only support a health care bill if it maintains the legal status quo on abortion — that’s especially important if you live in a state with an anti-choice or middling senator. Find out how your representative voted on Stupak and call their office, either to thank them or to tell them that you’ll be supporting a pro-choice democrat in the next primary. Call Stupak’s office at 906-863-2800: Tell him that you will be supporting a pro-choice primary challenger, and that you’re appalled at his amendment. Donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds — they’re needed more than ever. Sign this letter to Nancy Pelosi.

Other ideas?

Carnival time!

I’ve got a bunch of blog carnivals to share with you. For those unfamiliar with the term, blog carnivals collect posts on a particular topic from a range of bloggers. It’s a great way to promote yourself and find new bloggers to read.

The Asian Women Carnival: I’m very fond of this carnival, though it’s only been running a short time. Go read the most recent edition. The fourth should be up soon at viva la vida, on the theme of Storytelling, or reclaiming our selves through our words. In the mean time, check out the carnival homepage.

The Carnival Against Sexual Violence: It’s run by Marcella Chester of abyss2hope and is published twice a month. The carnival covers everything from law to personal stories to raising awareness. Go read the most recent edition. The 82nd edition will be held on 15 November, so get your entries in before then. More details are at the carnival homepage.

The Carnival of Feminist Parenting: This carnival is based at Mothers for Women’s Lib and is run entirely by Anji. Go read the most recent edition. Submission details can be found at the carnival homepage. Expect the next carnival on the 15th.

The Carnival of Feminists: COF is up and running again, thanks to Lindsay and Amelia of Female Impersonator. Go read the most recent edition. Don’t forget to read the carnival homepage. The next edition will be held on the 11th by Scarleteen, with a particular focus on teens and young feminist voices, so submit.

The Disability Carnival: It’s pretty fabulous stuff. Go read the most recent edition. The 60th carnival will be hosted at FWD/Forward. The theme is disability and intersectionality; check out the call for submissions. The carnival is coordinated by Penny L. Richards at Disability Studies, Temple U., so more details there.

The Down Under Feminists Carnival: The carnival, coordinated by Lauredhel from Hoyden About Town, covers posts of feminist interest from around Australia and New Zealand. Go read the most recent edition. See the carnival homepage for information on how to submit to the next edition at The Professional Lap Cat.

These carnivals don’t run themselves, so get commenting and nominating posts, your own or those of others. Some of the carnivals also need hosts for future editions. It’s a lot of fun (and I know because I’ve hosted the Down Under Feminists Carnival and the Carnival of Feminists in the past! And will be one of the hosts of the Disability Carnival in a few days!) and a great promotional tool.

Testing testing testing

This post is open to comments to test whether the improved database and new template can cope with people commenting. If you can’t think of anything else to write, I’m rather fond of limericks.

Posted in Uncategorized

Raising a Progressive-Minded Kid

Thanks to conversations like this, I’ve been thinking about progressive parenthood and what I can do to ease my son’s confusion about the world around him.

My boy just turned ten years old (long time readers of this blog, yes, you are old) and he is an absolute joy.  He’s still affectionate with his mama, and doesn’t hesitate to give kisses or hold my hand or talk to me about the dramas in his life.  It’s pretty great.  We take long walks together in the evening and this is our talking time, the space we make available to discuss our lives and ask for opinions and share our secrets without the distractions of our home duties nagging at the corners of our minds.  Sometimes Ethan shares stories about his classmates at school, often about one in particular who was once his friend but has morphed into E’s worst enemy.

I was never fond of this other kid, or his family for that matter.  Culturally conservative and very religious, they were all very vocal about the kinds of traditional values that make me cringe:  strict gender roles, authoritative parenting, support for political measures that amount to very thinly veiled racist beliefs.  Ethan, being the child of a feminist and a child of color, was skeptical about some of the things this other child had to say about women or Latin@s for example, and when their friendship ended exchanged some words with the kid that amounted to E calling out the other kid for being “unfair” to others for superficial reasons.  Which then led to the kid mocking Ethan’s name and race.  Ethan, responding with humor, mocked the kid right back.   “Yeah, but you’re German, dude!” And with a startlingly accurate gutteral accent,  “Ach, ach, ach, nicht, nicht, nicht, ach, ach, ach, nicht!”  According to Ethan’s report, the children on the playground that witnessed this argument sided mostly with Ethan.

It might be a tad problematic from my adult perspective, but heartening as well.  E knew the kid was in the wrong, and he defended himself in a way that revealed the absurdity of bigotry.

I reminded him later that he is also quite German.

On our walks we talk a lot about what it means to live in the world compromised by discrimination.  This means I have a child who knows words like “discrimination” and “sexism” and  “accessibility” and can use them appropriately.  I’m always on the look for teachable moments, and do what I can to make them worthwhile.

The time we saw a working dog in training at the grocery store?  A perfect time to talk about working animals, disability, accessibility.

The time the boys at the birthday party didn’t want to watch “Coraline” because they said it was a “girl movie”?  A perfect time to talk about masculinity and homosociality and sexism.  Also a time to discuss our shared appreciation of a Good Story.

The time E accidentally let a curse word slip in front of me, despite being a TOTAL CURSE WORD PRUDE?  A perfect time to talk about appropriate social venues for certain language.  And we don’t really care at home within reason.  And don’t tell Grandma I said that.

The time E wanted to know if my friend was a boy or a girl?  The perfect time to discuss not only the performance and creation of gender, but also to discuss that we have loved ones who are queer and that they face discrimination and diminished equality because of bigotry.

The time Ethan asked, “If the baby is inside the mom, how the hell does it get out?”  SEX TALK.

When he slips into bigoted commentary?  I challenge it in a friendly but pointed way that (I hope) encourages him to reconsider the bases of his thought.

When I explain my values I am passionate (AACS is so cool!) but keep it age appropriate (not using the word “phallologocentric” but talking about linguistics and what words imply).  He feels free to come to me about any questions he has about the world, and I think one of the reasons he does is that I’ve been nothing but open to discussion.  Especially on our walks.

There has been a lot of discussion about parenting and feminism in the femosphere over the last few years, and I wanted to open space on the blog again so we can discuss how to teach our children our values.  It’s one thing to say that we ought to teach our children our progressive values, but it’s another thing in the details of actually doing it.  And if you’re not a parent, tell us how you were taught.  What works?

Happy fun song!

I can’t let another day go by knowing that some of you have not been exposed to this song. May I present Swedish pop song “Caramelldansen” by Caramell.

Here are the lyrics in Swedish and English.

URGENT: Call Your Rep RIGHT NOW

As I write this, the House is voting on the anti-choice Stupak Amendment. This article at RH Reality Check has all the facts, but here are the basics: The Stupak Amendment was introduced by an anti-choice Democrat and a Republican. It will prevent abortion care from being covered not only through government-run insurance plans, but by private insurers as well. The current compromise on abortion, the Capps Amendment, already prevents federal dollars from funding abortions; the difference is that it allows women to choose plans where abortion is covered, and to pay premiums for those plans out of their own pockets. That way, no federal or taxpayer dollars go to abortion, but women can still access the procedure. The Stupak Amendment would break that compromise. From the RH Reality Check article on the amendment, the Stupak Amendment would:

*Prohibit individuals who receive the affordability tax credits from purchasing a private insurance plan that covers abortion, despite the fact that a majority of health insurance plans currently cover abortion.
*Result in a de facto ban on private insurance companies providing abortion coverage in the health insurance exchange, since the vast majority of participants would receive affordability tax credits.
*Prohibit the public option from providing abortion care, despite the fact that it would be funded through private premium dollars.

It would, in effect, remove abortion coverage even from private health insurance. This is scary stuff, and it’s expected to pass. The House is voting on it as I write this, so please call your representative RIGHT NOW. If you don’t know who your representative is, you can find out here.

I just put in a call to Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, my representative, and urged her to oppose the Stupak amendment. Please call your representative now, and tell them their constituents want to see a NO vote on Stupak.