Comments on: …excuse me?

By: 13-year-olds are fair game, according to William Saletan « I am the Lizard Queen!

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:30:24 +0000

[...] the Polanski case. Now, I know that Saletan has given feminists every reason to ignore what he says outright, but I stumbled upon this round of garbage via a Think Progress e-mail and it incensed me enough [...]

By: lauredhel

lauredhel — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:29:40 +0000

Colin: The sexual meaning is a very recent-onset meaning of fetishism/fetish. Think more along the lines of something revered for irrational reasons; an object or idea imbued with spiritual powers due to magical thinking. And you could look up “commodity fetishism” for another non-sexual meaning.

By: Colin Day

Colin Day — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:24:37 +0000

stithy:

Are they fetishists? Do they get off on fetuses? I call them “fetal-rights activists”, which I believe is more descriptive, if less zippy.

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:20:52 +0000

Henrietta, I think your argument about Michelle Armesto-Berge really just reinforces the argument that the pro-choice movement has been making all along: women deserve the right to make their own decisions for themselves. If Michelle Armesto-Berge wanted her baby, she should have been able to keep it, without interference from her parents. Perhaps you should question laws that allow or require parents to be involved in decisions about reproduction and abortion for minors, rather than questioning laws that promote greater choice and freedom of control over their own bodies for ALL women, regardless of her age.

For every Michelle Armesto-Berge, there is another young girl who does not want to be forced to carry a child to term and whose parents will coerce her into doing just that. As far as I’m concerned, either is a violation of a woman’s right to choose, and we should do whatever we can to prevent such travesties from happening. The correct response, however, is not to argue there is a problem with laws that allow abortions. The problems are with laws that say anyone but the woman in question are allowed to make those decisions for her.

By: stlthy

stlthy — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Foetus fetishists?

By: Colin Day

Colin Day — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:59:23 +0000

Lauren,

I’m just trying to find substitutes for “prolife”. I don’t believe that they are.

By: stlthy

stlthy — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:46:05 +0000

My god. What is wrong with people?? Lord Saletan can go fuck himself, seriously.

As to greater penalties for assaults on women that lead to the death of a foetus – I don’t think there should be an extra murder charge because of the potential repercussions for reproductive rights. I do think there’s a case to be made for taking it into consideration when deciding penalties for the fact that an assault severe enough to induce a miscarriage is a pretty damned bad assault on a woman, and it would indicate that major damage had been done to her.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:49:00 +0000

Colin, what’s your point?

By: Colin Day

Colin Day — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:37:28 +0000

Jill, would you say that “forced birthers” is more incendiary than “fetal-rights activists”? And whichever is more incendiary, should we try to be more or less so?

By: Abyss2hope

Abyss2hope — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:18:19 +0000

Henrietta, in your example your focus on Dr. Tiller is incorrect. You say that the parents of Michelle Armesto-Berge coerced her into an unwanted abortion so if anyone should be charged with a crime it should be her parents. I very much doubt that she asked her local DA to charge her parents with murder.