Wading in Uncomfortable Waters: Abortion and the Politics of Experience
Forty years after abortion became legal in the United States we are still wading in waters that run deep.
Arguably, abortion runs as deep in our modern human history as pregnancy does. Our ancestors had ways of terminating pregnancies long before the U.S. Supreme Court existed. And while we commemorate and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, we know that it does not mark an anniversary of the beginning of this family planning method. Abortion has been, and will continue to be, part of a wide array of methods that we use to control our bodies and fertility, regardless of its legality.
...read moreRoe at 40
Today is the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the United States Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion for American women. I wrote about it in the Guardian, emphasizing the fact that abortion, birth control and bodily autonomy are crucial for women’s survival and our freedom. Without the right to determine the number and spacing of our children, we lose the ability to drive our own lives and to live fully freely, happily and healthily. Outlawing abortion doesn’t decrease the abortion rate; it just drives women to use a more dangerous methods and put their lives and their health at risk. Forty years on, Roe is as important as ever. And American society is, sadly, as misogynist as ever — evidenced by the very fact that abortion is still a fight.
...read moreGreatest Hits: Why I’m Pro-Choice
We’re getting a bit more traffic in the post-YearlyKos blog-frenzy, so now is probably a good time to put up some decent posts. Unfortunately, I’m totally crazed right now — finishing my last week of work, moving, and then leaving for Hamburg/Italy/Hamburg again in less than a week. Plus I’m spending about nine hours a [...]
...read moreIt’s a health clinic not a meth lab
How is this even tolerable in our society? In Aurora Illinois a new Planned Parenthood clinic almost completed construction before coming to the attention of those who would like to sabotage it: Growth in the counties Aurora straddles — DuPage, Will, Kendall and Kane — has created an intense need for more comprehensive and affordable [...]
...read moreAnd by “reframing” I actually mean “making the same argument as my opponent”
Thanks, Democratic feminist allies! Matt Stoller, Mike Lux and Chris Bowers have started Open Left, “a news, analysis and action website dedicated toward building a progressive governing majority in America.” It’s worth checking out. I was going to write a nice laudatory post about the site, and I still think it’s a great project, but [...]
...read moreBlog for Choice – Jan. 22
January 22nd, 2007 is the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. To celebrate, we’re blogging for choice! This year’s theme: Explain why you’re pro-choice. It’s gonna be a good one. I hope all of you participate.
...read more“Progressive” McCain
Bipartisan favorite John McCain has officially come out and said that he thinks Roe v. Wade should be overturned and that there should be a Constitutional amendment banning abortion — except in the case of rape, incest or life of the pregnant mother. Because if a woman is raped, then it’s not her “fault” that [...]
...read moreWomen, Girls and Abortion
The Oregonian is doing a great series on Measure 43, their state’s parental notification statute. They take a different tack than the traditional news article on abortion, which inevitably involves an interview from a Planned Parenthood representative and an interview with an anti-choice leader. The Oregonian instead talks to the very people who this measure [...]
...read moreThe Most Frightening Thing You Will Read Today
Why is the Iraqi reconstruction a miserable failure? See here. After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government in April 2003, the opportunity to participate in the U.S.-led effort to reconstruct Iraq attracted all manner of Americans — restless professionals, Arabic-speaking academics, development specialists and war-zone adventurers. But before they could go to Baghdad, they had [...]
...read moreFriday Feminist Round-Up
Kuwaiti women vote for the first time in the country’s history. “I feel like I am a full citizen today,” said Maha Barjes, a member of Kuwait’s Human Rights Society and longtime women’s rights campaigner. “The results of this election will be very different. Even the men now acknowledge that.” This is a big moment. [...]
...read more“The Willingness to Throw the Rights of Others Under the Bus While Patting Oneself on the Back for Making Noble Compromises”
Word, Scott. His article, in full, because it’s so good: Men Overboard It’s not just “contrarian” for center-left pundits to claim Roe doesn’t matter. It’s stupid. By Scott Lemieux Issue Date: 07.05.06 The confirmation of two conservative Supreme Court justices and the passage of a draconian abortion ban in South Dakota have again thrown the [...]
...read moreNot Surprised
Jessica seems surprised that a federal court upheld the firing of a teacher at a Catholic school in Delaware after she signed onto an advertisement celebrating the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. A Court of Appeals ruled against Curay-Cramer, saying that Congress didn’t intend for the 1978 law to apply to religious schools. Cause [...]
...read more
Recent Comments