Remember Mississippi's failed 'personhood' bill? The one that would render abortion murder and ban most hormonal contraceptives?
Virginia's House passed a personhood bill last week, with more support than Mississippi's House had. I have no idea why this hasn't really made national news, but if the bill passes in the Senate (and there's actually a fair chance it will), Virginia will have the most backwards, conservative abortion policies in the country, and will set the precedent to lead and justify other states to follow in our path.
This bill is one of many bills on the floor that, under the guise of women's health, is an attempt to stifle the reproductive rights of women. This is serious. Like, really serious.
Please, holy crap, please, if you are a Virginian, and ESPECIALLY if you are a Richmonder, come to the Capitol (9th and Grace) on Monday morning at 11AM.
From the facebook event page:
" CALL FOR ACTION: On Feb 20th at 11 am, we call for 500 women (but men are very welcome and wanted!) to line either side of the walkway between the General Assembly building and the Capitol in SILENCE as our Senators and Representatives pass between the two buildings several times day to work on passing bills oppressive to women and reproductive rights...
The Capitol ground rules say that we cannot assemble, hold signs, chant, yell or protest. We think silence in the face of this struggle and their unconstitutional rules presents the strongest response to their assault on women. Please come out and stand up for our rights and for the rights of all women in VA to choose the best reproductive route for themselves. "
Please, whether you're a Virginian woman or not, this affects you.
Whether you're a Virginia woman or not, please help spread the word.
I think it's awesome that you advocate things that matter on your blog. I will do my best to spread the word and raise awareness (especially, on such an important issue!). Keep doing what you're doing!
ReplyDeleteomg omg omg, I wish I could come show my support! I live in Seattle, tho. It's funny I was just thinking about abortion earlier and wishing I was in a conversation where I could say this: "Abortion is totally fun and awesome!" or "We love abortion here and think it's the coolest!" The other side REALLY thinks that is what we believe. For real, though, abortion is pretty sad, but it is important that women get to choose which awful thing they have to go thru: abortion OR caring for a child you don't want and/or can't support, etc.
ReplyDeleteI hope this doesn't pass! I can't believe they're ALSO trying to ban some contraceptives! That is just insult to injury!
the national uproar about all of this is mind-boggling to me...it's like this country is taking a hundred steps backwards in regards to women's rights. government priorities have always been severely mixed up, but this sort of takes the cake for me. this is not just about abortion anymore (which on a personal level, i would never choose, but i would NEVER what to deny any woman her right to her own choice), but also about hormonal contraception. i beginning to think that the voices behind this movement don't even understand how oral contraception works, which is of course due to lack of education about sex and the reproductive process (but that is another conversation entirely). i am completely enraged by this. i suppose that it is because it is something that affects me on a deeply personal level, as a woman, and as a user of oral contraceptives for 5+ years. i wish i could be in virginia.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately, i don't live in virginia either, but you totally have my support. women should be able to decide for themselves what to do with their bodies. how can a state determine what is "appropriate"? by whose standards? and how far will they try to go? perhaps their ambition to cover everything from abortion to contraceptives will weaken their argument... how much can you reasonably ask for? good luck... i will look forward to their reaction and response, if any, and also their decision.
ReplyDeleteWow. This is just ... wow. Who are those people suggesting these bills? What are their motives? Americans say that they live in a free country. Yes, I can see that clearly now. Especially if that bill (and other outrageous bills) get through. Stand up for your rights!
ReplyDeleteIf I had had the money, I would fly from Norway to Virginia to protest myself. But sadly I'm just a poor student. But I really hope this bill doesn't get through. It would be like a step backwards for the U.S.
The people who are suggesting this are ultra-conservative bible-thumpers who place more value in the hyper-moralization of our country than in protecting the reproductive rights of America's women. Consequently, 98% of them are men. They make up the majority of the Virginia House of Delegates, the Virginia Senate, the Virginia Governor, and many states in the South.
DeleteYou're absolutely right, Ida, this would be a step backwards for us.
Yes lets ban sex education in schools, contraceptives, and abortion. THAT'LL STOP KIDS FROM HAVING SEX...cause they'll more likely realize the consequences, and choose not to have "sex" or whatever its called cuz they were never taught it in the first place....
ReplyDeleteTime for the crime rate to go up, along with award season for the worlds best dead beat dads....
And just when i thought 15 and preggers was a dying fad. Thank America for allowing me to have confidence that my favorite show will never leave television airwaves. Infact, thanks even more for more frequent seasons with twice the cast!!!
;(
I wish blogger had a 'like' button.
DeleteNO BIANCA YOURE WRONG. women who no longer have abortion as an option (or should I say "lifestyle convenience", as was so eloquently put by delegate Todd Gilbert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uci-a6wAHzY) instead thoughtfully conclude that abstinence is the way to go! They wait till marriage to have children, then raise them with good Christian values! This is AMERICA Bianca! GOOD WHOLESOME MORAL CHRISTIAN AMERICA.
I'm all the way over in the UK but if I were within 100 miles I would be there with bells on (silent ones, obviously). Best of luck to everyone going - this personhood bill is indeed horrible nonsense with potentially devastating consequences.
ReplyDeleteJulia, this is the first time I've commented on one of your posts (as I feel very strongly about the topic) but I might as well take this opportunity to say your blog is the one I most look forward to reading. I started out subscribing because I liked a couple of outfits I saw you in, but I've stayed subscribed because I think you have a lot of interesting things to say, and I like how you aren't afraid to say something even if it may not be what's necessarily expected (I'm referring especially to your recent post about how you sometimes feel hypocritical and as though you're bound by 'alternative consumerism') - these are the posts that actually strike the most resonant chord with me. Which is a nice segue into telling you you've got a mean way with the ukulele.
Anyway, please pardon this overly effusive outpouring... I'm a fan is all.
Vicky
i'm going to shout this from the rooftops. wish i could be in richmond to show my solidarity!
ReplyDeleteSo important to fight for women's rights. I'm glad you are sharing this important event with us. I hope that those who read this and live in Virginia attend. Please keep us posted on how things turn out. I really hope this bill isn't passed.
ReplyDeleteOn Valentine's day I went up to Albany, NY with my students to lobby for an increase in funding for school-based health clinics. My students were able to speak to legislators assistants, assemblyman and senators about why we need an increase. I hope we get it.
I hope you have a great turn out tomorrow!
I hear about all this shenanigans going on in Virginia. It's scary how these crazy people are deciding whether or not women have rights over their own bodies. These bills are completely ridiculous. Ugh. I feel so outraged when I hear about things like this. Let's just hope none of it gets passed.
ReplyDeleteSince when is abortion a women's "right"? Say whatever you want for anything else related to women's health, but abortion has nothing to do with women's health. IT'S THE LIFE OF A TOTALLY SEPARATE HUMAN BEING THAT YOU SOMEHOW GET THE SICK "RIGHT" TO CHOOSE LIFE OR DEATH FOR. Maybe the ultra-conservative bible-thumpers are on to something...seriously.
ReplyDelete"For real, though, abortion is pretty sad, but it is important that women get to choose which awful thing they have to go thru: abortion OR caring for a child you don't want and/or can't support, etc."
It's not pretty sad. It's horrific. Why does our country give us the option of horrific murder of an unborn human being who gets no say in its fate? 'Cause it's the easy way out for the mother? If you really don't want a child or can't support him/her...give him/her up for adoption. America: if you don't want the baby, kill it. Honestly, that is not a "reproductive right"...it is totally unconstitutional, and I don't get how you can say someone who opposes abortion is unconstitutional.
I hear you, Maria, and I hesitate to respond because I like you, but I can't not.
DeleteWe have differing ideas about what constitutes "life" and the truth of the matter is that there's no current widely-accepted consensus among all religious, scientific, medical, and legal communities of when life actually begins. Some people don't believe it starts until birth (that's debatable for obvious reasons); some people don't believe it begins until conception (also extraordinarily debatable).
Regardless of who's right or wrong (opponents could easily debate for days straight), you have to consider the legislation.
Virginia House Bill 1 says that life begins at conception, but doesn't define when conception occurs; ie. this bill has the potential to ban all hormonal contraceptives because they prevent implantation post-fertilization. This is dangerous for limitless reasons, but I'll summarize the two primary ones:
1. Even ignoring the medical benefits of hormonal birth control, birth control pills are invaluable to women. They give us power in ways that previous generations of women weren't afforded and they level the sexual playing field. Women who don't have a choice when it comes to sex (ie. reproductive rights) are bound by fear and oppressed by the potential consequences of their (sexual) actions. Women (and men) should not have to fear their bodies. You should not have to fear your body.
I know that it's easy to say "if you don't want to accept the consequences (pregnancy) of your actions (sex), then don't do it in the first place," but blanket statements like that are not only counter-productive, but they're insensitive to the extraordinarily complex web of social and cultural factors that determine sexual norms and behavior.
Removing reliable contraceptive options will not prevent people from making informed decisions about sex or prevent unwanted pregnancy. Education (and oh god, if I could just repeat it from the rooftops of the world: education, education, education) is what makes people make informed decisions about sex and prevent pregnancy. Since the powers that be in Virginia have no interest in reforming America's defunct education system (especially sex. ed), HB1 would ensure that Virginian women would be armed with neither education nor enhanced contraceptive methods. This is a recipe for not only scores of unwanted pregnancies, but also (brings me to number 2)...
2. Unsafe abortions.
DeleteWhen "sinful" behavior isn't downright illegal, it's controversial because it seems like lawmakers are somehow encouraging or approving certain behaviors by allowing their existence. This could be true, but the thing is, it doesn't matter. What's more important is that, in the face of behaviors that you will not be able to eliminate, no matter how illegal (ie. abortion), you focus your efforts on harm reduction. Yes, by allowing abortion to be performed legally, it might seem like the government is sending the message that abortion is a-okay. But is that more important than making sure that women aren't having horrifically unsafe (and often more gruesome) DIY abortions that result in not only the death of a fetus, but potentially the life of a woman as well? Yes, women are people too. So to respond to your idea that abortion has nothing to do with women's health- in more ways than one, this is entirely incorrect.
I promise you, no one likes abortions. Planned Parenthood workers don't jump with glee at the thought of vacuum aspiration. But to confront this with legislation that, instead of resolution, provide nothing but punishment and a war against lower-class women, is entirely counterproductive and will not make abortion disappear. The only thing that can reduce the rate of abortions is education. Legislation that supports sex education is the legislation that will reduce the rate of abortions. Focus efforts there.
You're right, Maria, abortion is horrific. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a woman who has had an abortion that would say it wasn't the hardest choice of her life. Maria, I think, and I hope you know, that it's an enormous oversight to equate abortion to "an easy way out for the mother" and frankly it's insulting to women who have made that traumatic choice in their lives. Things really aren't that black and white.
The definition of conception:
Deletea. Formation of a viable zygote by the union of the male sperm and female ovum; fertilization.
b. The entity formed by the union of the male sperm and female ovum; an embryo or zygote.
So pregnancy begins at conception, and you are pregnant with a baby. An embryo is a baby. How is that baby denied personhood? Because of its size and development? How is that justifiable?
Contraceptives (birth control pills) are fine, but contragestives (morning after pills) are harmful to the unborn baby. I don't have any argument against contraceptives; people have been naturally preventing pregnancy for a very long time.
But if abortion was illegal, more babies would be saved than killed, even if there were back-door abortion procedures that were more gruesome to both child and mother. But if we use the logic that people would just find a way to have an abortion whether it were legal or not, we could use the same logic to make stealing legal. Really.
I agree, education is a key factor in both preventing pregnancy and reducing and someday banning abortion. But that's not the only thing we can do. We can protest against abortion with all that is in us and fight for the lives of thousands/millions of unborn babies who can't speak for themselves. We can make it illegal.
What are the reasons a woman has an abortion? To end the pregnancy by allowing the baby to be killed. Women who have abortions want to end their pregnancy and not have a baby. That is the reason. Unless you have some condition where if the baby is born the mother will die. What other reasons are there? Inconvenience? Not the right time? Can't support the baby? Shame? And society thinks those reasons are imperative enough to take the life of another human being for the sake of the mother's convenience and because the child is unwanted? That is an insult to humanity. Sure, the reasons may be an area of grey, but the objective of abortion really is black and white. You're choosing life or death for your baby based on how much you want it.
I like you too, Julia, but I can't not respond either.
Before I even begin, I just want to point out that my original post wasn't about biology, morals, or even the ethics of abortion. It was about legislation. I know that I know it's easy to blindly support (I'm not implying that you personally offer blind support- just that many do) any legislation that supports an end goal of eliminating abortion, but when you don't consider the contents of the legislation, the reasons why current legislation exists in the first place, or the potential consequences of it, you may end up finding that you advocated outcomes you didn't foresee.
DeleteAs a quick aside, legalization of abortion is not comparable to legalization of theft for a lot of reasons. I'm not going to address them because I think it's irrelevant- but in the future, it might make for a better case to compare it to legalization of IV drug use ;)
For more information on that: goo.gl/IJhHv (shortened URL)
As far as your supposition that the reasons women choose abortion can be reduced to "don't want the baby" or "inconvenient" goes-- I know that you know that the factors that go into that decision, and women’s perceptions of the outcomes are far more complex. For you, because of your upbringing and religious commitment, that decision would be simple, as is your perception of the outcome. But when the decision is made to have an abortion, it's made by desperate women in far more desperate situations than you (or I) could ever really comprehend or empathize with unless you've been in a similar plight (and let's be honest- because of your upbringing, commitment to religion, and, from what it sounds like- education that has empowered you to make informed choices about your sexual behavior, you will likely never be in a situation that would warrant having to make that decision, which is a good thing). Whether it's right or wrong, and regardless of a “black and white” outcome, women choose to have abortions for complex and desperate reasons and have perceptions of the outcome that aren’t necessarily in line with yours. I know that you know this because you’re a compassionate, non-judgmental, and understanding young Christian woman.
On a different note...
I'm aware of the general definition of conception; unfortunately that definition isn't specific enough when you're talking about making aborting a pregnancy a punishable crime. Fertilization can take up to 3 days, so there's no way of pinpointing the "moment" of conception. You could then say it happens at ejaculation, just to be on the safe side, but if you’re going to be arbitrary about the moment of conception, why wouldn’t you be arbitrary about the whole thing? Regardless of that, arguing biology is pointless when there's no way to scientifically or logically prove the ethical significance of it.
DeleteExample- some pro-lifers will use the biological argument that they consider an embryo or fetus to be "life" because life begins at conception. Ergo, it's wrong to have an abortion because "life" has some kind of inherent ethical significance. But then those same pro-lifers will turn around and oppose legislation that gives people access to the healthcare that will directly save their lives or, in the absence of it, kill them. Apparently "life" only has inherent ethical significance in certain circumstances- that in and of itself renders that argument practically obsolete. That's just one example, but the point I was trying to make there (sorry, it wasn't very well explained- long day at work) is that biologic arguments are basically meaningless when there’s no ethical consensus about their significance.
Even ignoring that- if you are going to argue biology, there are professionals in a wide range of fields who would disagree with you that an embryo is a baby (and some that would agree of course). And, regardless of whether either of us are right are wrong, that lack of consensus means that enacting legislation that punishes behavior deemed unethical (really 'immoral' in this case) predominantly by only one group of people (in this case religious pro-life individuals) is completely illogical (not to mention a violation of separation of church and state since pro-life motives are often openly cited as religious- though I'm not denying that there are a very small handful of pro-lifers who aren't religious).
I know you're a religious lady, Maria. And you're free to derive your ethical code from anywhere you choose- that's the beauty of the free world. I also admire your passion (you’re a lot more passionate than I was at that age) and I encourage you to protest to affect the change that you believe in. I also know that you're quite young, and that you're also a smart lady, so I know that before imposing moral judgements on others, you'll want to consider other realms of possibilities concerning ethical standards.
There are some bioethics/philosophy readings I would highly suggest concerning abortion. Check out John Finnis, Judith Thomson, Don Marquis, and Michael Tooley. Some of their ideas will undoubtedly make your hair stand on end, (ex. Tooley actually wrote that even infanticide is permissible because infants haven't yet achieved any kind of moral standing as "persons". No, I don't agree with that). And I'm sure you'll find that you completely agree with others (fervently pro-life Marquis, for example). I just think it's important to fill the void with the entire spectrum of possibilities before defiantly standing in opposition to any one of them.
If you'd like to continue this discussion, shoot me an email.
La Belle Oiselle. You're awesome. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDelete