MY body, MY choice.
Recently, a video has been circulating the Internet of a
group of feminists proclaiming “MY body, MY choice.” When a friend of mine
posted this to her Facebook, I clicked to listen to the entirety of it and came
away feeling sad and dejected. The idea had so much potential, but the
direction they took it in, just undermined the entire idea of the project. I
could see glimmers of what they truly yearned for in the video, but they
instead turned to what society told them it meant to be women as opposed to standing
for what it means to truly be a woman.
I have pulled some quotes of what they say throughout this
short video to highlight my points.
“I decide when and
how I become a mother.”
Absolutely, women can decide when and how they become
mothers. But this becomes a possibility every time a woman decides to have sex.
By making this decision, a woman could become a mother. Women control when they
have sex therefore they can control when they become mothers.
“These decisions have
nothing to do with you.”
This statement is just blatantly wrong. All of our actions
affect other people, whether we realize it or not. In the case of abortion,
that decision can deeply affect the father of the child, the grandparents, the
other future children, and most importantly the woman involved. This decision
affects your neighbors, your classmates, your doctors. Society, as a whole, is
deeply affected by the tragedy of abortion. Every single life is valuable and
adds something to society. So every single abortion has affected the outcome of
society. Who knows what those children who were aborted might have offered to
society?
“I have the right to
be screened for this killer of women./ Whether I go to my doctor or I rely on
the services of clinics like those run by Planned Parenthood. And your desire
to stop the fundings of abortions has nothing to do with my right to defend
myself against cancer.”
Breast cancer screenings are very important and it is
important to get mammograms. However, Planned Parenthood does not provide
mammograms. All they can do to screen you for breast cancer is a breast exam,
the same that you could and should be doing in your own home. Also Planned
Parenthood’s main client base is young adults and it is not necessary to start
getting mammograms until the age of 40.
(http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/13271-fda-contradicts-obama-planned-parenthood-not-licensed-to-do-mammograms)
“If I choose to have
sex, I have the right to birth control.”
Birth control has never been a right. It’s not in the
Constitution; it’s not a part of natural law. So where does this ‘right’ stem
from? This notion has developed that people are entitled to the right to have
sex without any consequences. Sex has been separated from its procreative
purpose. If you choose to have sex, you choose to put yourself in the situation
where you can get preganant, whether or not you are on birth control.
“I have the right to
an abortion without facing intimidation, harassment, burdensome parental
consent laws, or prejudicial taxes. If I decide to have an abortion, I will not
undergo unnecessary invasive medical procedures for the purposes of your
moralizing and personal edification.”
This statement is just ironic because many women who have
abortions do it because of intimidation and harassment. The number of coerced
abortions in this country is unbelievably high. Women’s boyfriends or husbands
are threatening to leave them if they do not get an abortion. Some are
physically abused into getting an abortion, some are emotionally abused.
Calling parental consent laws ‘burdensome’ is ridiculous. Young women under the
age of 18 years old are not allowed to pierce their ears without getting
consent from their parents. If young women are not even able to legally make
the decision to pierce their ears, a decision that can easily be reversed, why
should they be able to undergo an invasive medical procedure that can have both
medical and emotional side effects without the consent of their parents?
“I am entitled to all
health information from my doctor. And allowing myself to be penetrated once
does not assume your right to do it again for your own purposes and your own
reasons.”
Women are entitled to all health
information from their doctor. Unfortunately abortion clinics are not providing
all of this information. They gloss over the side effects of abortions, saying
that they merely are required to provide this information by law. The emotional
side effects that many women experience are never spoken of. The ultrasound
bills that this woman is objecting to are an effort to provide women with all
of the information necessary to make such a medical decision.
Then the women in this video went on to make some absolutely
correct statements. These women know that they deserve to be respected, valued,
and honored. They yearn for this. It is completely evident throughout this video.
“I am not defined by
my need of a man or a partner. Though I have the right to be made happy by one
in a safe and supportive relationship”
“I am not here to be
your sexual toy.”
“I’m not defined by my hair, my weight, my eye
color, my makeup, my bra size, my skin color.”
“I’m beautiful
despite what you think. With or without your approval.”
“I have the right…to
equal pay; to health care; to education; to divorce; to safety; to protection
under the law; to respect and dignity; to complete equality.”
“Do not be afraid of
a world in which women know themselves, their voice, and their power. That
world has arrived.”
Unfortunately this world has not arrived. Women, such as the
women in this video, have been duped by the world and society. They have become
convinced that equality is the same as complete sexual freedom. This is because
of the double standard that is so present in our society. They define being a
woman as having access to birth control and abortion. When did the definition
of a woman become so tied up in her sexuality? Women are so much more than
their sexual desires. This is, and always will, a crucial part of what it means
to be a woman. But it is not the whole picture.
So what does it mean when these women say “MY body. MY
choice.”?
Men agree. They say. Your body. Your choice. Your problem.
When men are not supportive of women when they get pregnant,
this is because of this mentality that has developed. They have been
consistently told that it’s the woman’s body, therefore it’s the woman’s
choice. This means that it must her problem. He is not allowed to have any
input, so why are we surprised when so many men abandon their children?
(As a side note, this
video was co-created by a man. Interesting.)
OMG Really? THIS? Women control when they have sex therefore they can control when they become mothers.
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This is why people laugh at you and throw things.