Margaret Sanger: A Champion of Reproductive Freedom?

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, is often revered by advocates for the advancements she made in reproductive freedom. Many see her as a hero and a fearless leader for the advancement of women. Planned Parenthood’s website proclaims that: “Women's progress in recent decades — in education, in the workplace, in political and economic power — can be directly linked to Sanger's crusade and women's ability to control their own fertility.”¹

The highest award that Planned Parenthood gives is the Margaret Sanger Award. This year, when Nancy Pelosi accepted the Margaret Sanger Award, she spoke of Sanger saying, “Margaret Sanger understood that women should never be silent – not when their fundamental rights are at stake.  She knew that positive change seldom came to those who waited; it came to those who worked and struggled, who acted, agitated, and fought for equality.  She recognized, as your theme declares this evening, that women are ‘stronger together.’”²

But Margaret Sanger’s legacy is a little more complicated than it would initially seem. For example, Margaret Sanger refused to condemn the “female hygiene” products that were starting to be marketed in the 1930s. These products were marked as a way of preventing pregnancy, but in reality, the majority of these products did nothing to prevent pregnancies. The manufacturers were taking advantage of women’s fears of pregnancy to sell their products to gain higher profits. Not only were the products ineffective, but they could also be quite dangerous, risking permanent damage to a woman’s body, and even death. Margaret Sanger refused to take a stance against these manufactures, despite the fact that they were contributing to the injury and death of women. She was quoted as saying that the reason she would not condemn them was “they have not lagged behind like the medical profession but have gone ahead and answered [a] growing and urgent need.” ³ But by  not speaking out against these manufacturers, it appears that Margaret Sanger  seemed more interested in promoting her ideology than she did in ensuring the safety and well-being of the women affected by it; she had forsaken the women that she claimed to desire to help.

Lysol produced one of these "feminine hygiene products"

Margaret Sanger even spoke out against maternity centers where “Such women are to be visited by nurses and to receive instruction in the hygiene of pregnancy, to be guided in making arrangements for confinements to be invited to come to the doctor s clinics for examination and supervision. They are we [sic] are informed, to receive adequate care during pregnancy at confinement and for one month afterward.”⁴ These maternity centers that were sponsored by private charities existed to help poor women with their pregnancies by providing them with proper health care and education. Margaret Sanger believed that these centers did women a disservice, saying the programs were “not merely superficial and near sighted. It conceals a stupid cruelty, because it is not courageous enough to face unpleasant facts. Aside from the question of the unfitness of many women to become mothers, aside from the very definite deterioration in the human stock that such programs would inevitably hasten, we may question its value even to the normal though unfortunate mother. For it is never the intention of such philanthropy to give the poor over burdened and often undernourished mother of the slum the opportunity to make the choice herself to decide whether she wishes time after to time to bring children into the world.”⁴ She saw these programs not only as useless, but cruel because they did not provide birth control for these women. Instead of recognizing the merits of these centers and the obvious need for them, she harshly criticizes them for not conforming to her ideology. It is interesting to parallel this view with the relationship between Planned Parenthood and pregnancy resource centers today. Planned Parenthood has often criticized pregnancy resource centers because they are not in line with their ideology, because they refuse to refer for abortions or provide birth control. There seems to be a refusal to admit the value of these centers or acknowledge any good that they might be doing because the centers refuse to embrace the same ideology that Planned Parenthood advocates.

Finally, and possibly most disturbing, is the eugenic agenda to which Margaret Sanger adhered. Margaret Sanger pushed the use of birth control to contribute to the eugenic ends she idealized. In Sanger’s autobiography, she writes about a lecture she gave on the seven circumstances in which birth control should be practiced. The third circumstance was “when parents, though normal, had subnormal children,” the fourth was “when husband and wife were adolescent,” and the fifth was “when the earning capacity of the father was inadequate.”⁵ She found that these circumstances produced less desirable children, or that the parents were not fit to be parents.

Margaret Sanger is seen as one of the biggest proponents of ‘reproductive freedom.’ Yet it seems that she doesn't truly desire reproductive freedom for all - only for those she saw as able parents (meaning the middle or upper, white class). In her autobiography she elaborates saying “anyone, no matter how ignorant, how diseased mentally or physically, how lacking in all knowledge of children, seemed to consider he or she had a right to parent.”⁵ Sanger seems to believe that only certain people have the right to parent. So she promotes birth control for those who she does not see as able to parent according to her standards. She does not advocate parenting classes, or attempt to help those “lacking in all knowledge of children,” but instead believes that they simply should not be parents, which is where birth control comes in.

The quotes above indicate that Margaret Sanger was not, in fact, a true advocate of reproductive freedom. Margaret Sanger was a diehard eugenicist, believing the reproduction should be limited to those who she saw as able parents. This eugenic mindset is evident throughout her writings and work.

The legacy that Margaret Sanger left was not one of dedicated care for all women. Instead, she pushed her ideology at all costs. Planned Parenthood continues to follow in the footsteps of their beloved founder,  as shown in  Live Action’s latest videos [warning-explicit] exposing the danger in which Planned Parenthood puts children. 

And what about those maternity centers that Margaret Sanger saw as useless and even cruel? These are the groups and organizations that promote true women’s freedom. Groups that strive to empower women to take charge of their own lives, by helping to give them the tools to do so. Groups like the Women’s Care Center, the Guiding Star Project, Hannah’s House, Seton Home, and so many more. There is a better way to help moms and babies. We should be supporting these organizations in their view of authentic women’s freedom through whatever way we can, be that volunteering, donating, writing letters, or praying. Because being pro-life is being pro-woman. I believe in women’s freedom. Do you?

1. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/history-successes#early
2. http://www.democraticleader.gov/newsroom/press-releases/pelosi-remarks-accepting-margaret-sanger-award-planned-parenthood-annual-gala/
3. Tone, Andrea. Controlling Reproduction: An American History. Wilmington, DE: SR, 1997. 228-29. Print.
4. Sanger, Margaret. The Pivot of Civilization. Elmsford, NY: Maxwell Reprint, 1969. 114-16. Print.
5. DuPont, Kathryn. Margaret Sanger an Autobiography. Lanham: Cooper Square Press, 1999. 193-195. Print.

Why the Hobby Lobby Decision is Good for Women (Part 2)

Almost immediately after the Hobby Lobby decision, there was a huge uproar. People were dismayed to find that corporations could deny women the fundamental right to healthcare. How could a corporation impose its beliefs on women in a way that affected their health?

By some of the tweets and the comments, you would think that Hobby Lobby had declared that they do not believe women should have access to health care at all. But this is not the case. Hobby Lobby, and corporations like it, object to the HHS mandate, the mandate that ensures coverage of contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs and devices. It is worth noting that many of the organization objecting to the mandate already cover contraception when it is being used for non-contraceptive reasons.

But here is the problem. When did all of women’s health become dependent on access to birth control? By giving into that definition, aren’t we letting ourselves be defined solely by our reproductive capacities?

Then there is the fact that “women’s health” professionals, gynecologists, have become lazy diagnosticians. If a woman walks into a gynecologist’s office, no matter what the issue, she will be offered a prescription for birth control. I saw three different ob-gyns about gynecological issues. None of them really listened to me, but were very eager to get me on birth control. When I asked why I was being prescribed this, none of them really had an answer. They did not know what was wrong with me. But they figured, whatever it was, the pill would fix it.

Except, the pill doesn’t really fix anything.  All it does is coveriup the symptoms of an underlying condition. Fortunately for me, I was able to see a Napro ob-gyn who diagnosed me with endometriosis. [Learn more about Naprotechnology here]. I was able to have surgery to remove the endometriosis, and hopefully, preserve my fertility. None of the other doctors I had seen considered that I might have endometriosis. Actually, when I had raised the concern to one doctor, he told me it was not possible for me to have it.

When did women’s health advocates become so lazy? When did doctors stop caring about diagnosing a patient’s problems and just started covering them up? Shouldn’t women’s health be about actually understanding a woman’s body and what is going on inside of her, rather than just tossing her a “band-aid” pill with tons of side effects, that just allows the problem inside to fester?

There is a better way. As I stated above, I found a doctor who specialized in NaPro technology. NaPro technology is a women's health science that monitors and maintains a woman's reproductive and gynecological health. It provides medical and surgical treatments that cooperate completely with the reproductive system. Instead of rejecting a woman’s fertility, this system cherishes it and does all that is possible to preserve it. The doctors I have found who practice this system actually listened to my concerns and responded to them, instead of just throwing a generic medicine at me and hoping it would make me feel better.

We need to be promoting real women’s health. Women’s health that understand women as whole persons. Women’s health that is not boiled down to whether or not a business pays for a woman to suppress her fertility. Fertility is not a disease and it should not be treated as such.  We need to promote women’s health  that does not see the way a women’s body normally functions as in need of fixing. We need health care professional who listen to our concerns and respect our beliefs. That is true care for women's health.

Why the Hobby Lobby Decision is Good for Women (Part 1)

If you were down at the Supreme Court yesterday awaiting the Hobby Lobby decision, you might have noticed something interesting. The overwhelming majority of Hobby Lobby supporters were women.

Huh.

I thought Hobby Lobby was trying to oppress women.

They were trying to ban birth control.

They were trying to bring us back to the 1950s.

They were enforcing a patriarchal society where men make all the decisions about women’s reproductive choices.

Oh, there's me, looking very oppressed by the decision

But, then, why were most of the Hobby Lobby supporters women? I mean, even the mainstream media had to use pictures of women celebrating the decision when it came out. 

However, if you wandered over the pro-choice side, you saw something interesting. At least half of the supporters were men. The person leading their chants was a man. At one point, before he started to lead a chant, he leaned over to the women in front of him and said “do you want to be referred to as women or girls?” I had more than one pro-choice man get two inches from my face and scream about access to birth control.

But please, do tell us how Hobby Lobby is trying to oppress women.

Oh look, the all-female legal team! 

Despite what the media, or Planned Parenthood may lead you to believe, this decision was a good decision for women.  Despite one’s personal beliefs on contraception, our First Amendment guarantees the right to exercise our religious beliefs. To claim that women care more about their employer paying for their birth control than our own religious freedom is demeaning to all women. Over a third of the plaintiffs who have filed suit against the HHS mandate are women. The mandate hurts women business owners who were being forced to choose between their religious convictions and their own business. Thankfully, the Supreme Court recognized that this was an unfair burden to place on business owners.

It is also problematic to refer the HHS mandate as a huge advancement for women’s equality, as supporters of the mandate often do. The subtext is that if a woman wants to be successful or equal in the workforce, she must suppress her fertility, which is viewed as a hindrance to her goals and her fulfillment. Women are sent the message –  that there is something wrong with their bodies that needs correcting if they are to be equal. To be equal to men, they must become like men.

This view is demeaning to women. We are being told that if we even want to have the opportunity to achieve equality, we should be contracepting. We are told that if we do become pregnant, whether planned or unplanned, somehow we are unsuccessful, in effect we have failed.  If we choose to pursue motherhood, we are clearly not pursuing success – at least not as the government defines it.

If the government truly saw the choices for and against motherhood as equal, there would be more support for women who become pregnant. Contraception and abortion-inducing drugs and devices are offered for free through the HHS mandate, but not all pregnancy-related costs are covered. By only offering full coverage of options promoting the prevention or interruption of pregnancy, the government is sending a subtle but clear message about what it means to be a woman and what a woman's success looks like – and it doesn’t include her fertility.

So who declared the real war on women?

Stay tuned for the next blog post, where we will discuss what true women's healthcare should look like.

Event Idea: Rose Garden

For a number of years, our pro-life club put up a ‘Cemetery of the Innocents’ on our campus. The Cemetery, comprised of simple white crosses, sought to raise awareness, commemorate the lives that have been lost to abortion and promote life-encouraging resources for women who may have experienced or are considering an abortion.

This year we did something a little different. We chose to display a garden of roses in place of the cemetery.  Each white rose represents lives lost due to abortion. The other roses represent those who have suffered emotionally, spiritually and physically because of abortion, including mothers, fathers, families and friends. The garden is centered around a cross, the source of hope and healing for all.

With these roses, we sought to raise the same awareness and commemoration, while simultaneously extending a deeper invitation to love. The flowers demonstrate the fragility, beauty and value of every human life. We acknowledge there are many students on college campuses who have been affected by abortion, both directly and indirectly. The display is a loving way of reaching out to acknowledge those wounds and offer hope for healing. It is an invitation to the entire community to join together in promoting a greater respect for the dignity of all life.

I believe the unique difference in this type of display is that it commemorates all those who have been affected by abortion. The day the garden went up, I got an email from a senior student on campus. She wrote to me saying as she biked past the signs she read, “For all those affected by abortion. I was now apart of this memorial; my affair had been commemorated. The pain flooded back, along with a peculiar anger.” This woman had not had an abortion, but she had been personally affected by it, just as we all have been affected by abortion, whether we know it or not. When she saw the garden, she recognized this. Although initially her reaction was one of anger and grief, through reaching out via email, she was able to engage in further conversation which allowed her to more fully confront what had happened. This is what we sought to do with this garden. Although the wide reaching impact of abortion is not a comfortable fact, this is a reality. It is only through confronting this uncomfortable reality that we are able to take steps forward.

 On college campuses, it is important to remember that many women and men are suffering from the wounds of abortion. Although we do not want to keep silent on this issue, it is important to keep these people in mind when doing pro-life activism. Truth needs to be spread with love, not merely facts or statistics. The roses commemorate the pain of these individuals while providing an opportunity for discussion for the rest of campus.

How to make the garden:

Supplies:

-Silk flowers

-Bamboo sticks
-Green tape
-Wooden cross

1. Cut the bamboo sticks to about 18 inches.
2. Cut the flowers so there is only one flower and one stem.
3. Take a red and white flower and tape them to the bamboo stake.
4. Choose a formation for the garden and stake the flowers in the ground.

 

Be sure to have signs explaining the display. Our club sent a letter to our school newspaper explaining the new display.

5 (Pro-Life) Ways to Support Women Right Now

1. Research your school's student health plan and see what it covers (or doesn't cover).

Girls who become pregnant in college don't have a real choice to carry their pregnancies to term if their schools don't facilitate their needs during pregnancy. For example, Yale University's student health plan covers abortions, but their basic student health plan offers NO coverage for students who would like to parent or place their child for adoption. Contrastingly, Notre Dame ensures that women who become pregnant as students will receive the full support of the university community, including housing, tuition assistance, and more.

If your school does not provide adequate support for pregnant women, contact student services and advocate that a change be made. Preventing discrimination against pregnant students is an important way we can support and empower women. This is a main initiative of Feminists for Life. Students for Life of America also has a "Pregnant on Campus" Initiative.

2. Instead of buying a frappuccino, support a mom in need by buying baby wipes to donate to a pregnancy center.

Many women who choose life for their babies still need support in providing for them.  If you're willing to spend a few dollars on coffee, next time spend that $4 on something new moms really need. Diapers for newborns are always in high demand. You can locate your local pregnancy center and donate directly, or check your local parish and see if they have a donation bin at the church. Supplying resources is a significant and immediate way to support women.

 3. Learn about the symptoms  of post-abortion syndrome so you can be an ally for women around you that may be suffering.

As many as 1 in 3 women have had an abortion, so we all need to be prepared to support the women around us who may be suffering from that decision, no matter how long ago it was made.

Places to start:

Silent No More

Rachel's Vineyard

After Abortion - The Elliot Institute

Post Abortion Healing and Treatment [PATH]

Remember to always discuss the issues with compassion; you never know who may decide to approach you about their past experience. Also research post-abortive help in your community, so that you have referral information ready should a woman share her story with you. Many dioceses and Crisis Pregnancy Centers offer post-abortive counseling and retreats. Providing opportunities for healing is an essential way to support women in a culture of life.

4. Post contact information for your local Crisis Pregnancy Center on the "local businesses" billboard in a nearby coffee shop or grocery store.

You never know where someone may stumble across that information when they need it. Promoting the your local Pregnancy Center could also increase their volunteer base and donations. Consider contacting them directly and asking if they have pre-made fliers that you could post. Advertising the availability of assistance is crucial for supporting women in crisis pregnancies.

Find your local pregnancy center at www.optionline.org

5. Pray for women in situations and relationships that put them at risk for undesired pregnancy.

As many as 64% ofwomen get abortions because they feel pressured by others. Many have become pregnant by a man who will not support the child or does not want to child to be born.

Even if the woman may want to carry the child to term, she may be living an unhealthy lifestyle herself, and not want to bring a child into that situation. Women deserve better relationships and better lifestyles, for their children but also for themselves. Pray specifically for these women - that they will receive the support they need to pursue safe and healthy relationships and lifestyles. Women need our support not only financially and emotionally, but also through the power of prayer.

Pro-life is pro-woman. :)

Event Idea: Girl Talk

Communication is a two-way street: one part speaking, one part listening. Without the second part - listening - communication  breaks down.

This past election season, politicians, news reporters, and other "authorities" spoke loudly and frequently about "women's issues," including abortion and contraception. But were they listening? Were they hearing what women were actually saying? Do we hear what the women around us are actually saying, on all sides of these issues?

The Pro-life movement proclaims the values of individual dignity, life, and family, but these ideologies have practical and very real, day to day ramifications for all people, and in a particular way, for women. Too often, people on both sides of these issues think they know what others think, and why. But do they?  Pro-lifers have a responsibility not only to act and speak on behalf of life, but to listen. Through listening, we affirm the dignity of others. Helen Alvare has challenged the Federal Government to do just that with her campaign Women Speak for Themselves. We can do the same in our own communities.

The Event

Pro-lifers have a duty to listen to the very real, very personal concerns and experiences of women in their communities. An open discussion series like Girl Talk can help get real conversation going on "women's issues," promote respect for women's individual feelings, thought and experiences, and provide a foundation for real progress to be made.

Pre-planning

Time: An hour is usually a good amount of time for this series. Choose a time and decide how frequently your series will run (weekly, bi-weekly, etc).  Also decide how many sessions you will have.

Location: Choose a cozy location that is inviting and easy to find, but private enough for participants to speak openly. Set up tables and chairs in small groups of about 5 or 6. Hold the series in the same location each time to build familiarity and comfort.

Topics: Choose which topics you will discuss each meeting, and find a video, article, or other prompt for discussion. Make sure to find prompts from a variety of perspectives; sometimes the best discussions spring from those disagreeing with or challenging a prompt.

Food and Drink: Sharing a meal or light snack will help create a more comfortable atmosphere for participants. Afternoon coffee and fruit, or evening dessert may work well.

Advertising: Spread the word through both personal invitations and mass marketing like posters. Convey the tone of an open discussion by emphasizing that in your advertising, such as by putting different phrases on a poster [example above].

Outline of the Event

10 min: Welcome guests as they arrive and introduce yourself. Direct them to take refreshments, take a seat, and begin reading the discussion article or talking to others at their table.

5 min: Speak to the group as a whole, introduce yourself again, and explain the goal of the event. Emphasize that each person has individual feelings, thoughts, and experiences that shape her views on issues, and encourage participants to explore and share those underlying reasons for their opinions. Ask that each table do introductions, and read and discuss the prompt at their tables.

20 min: Discussions at tables.

20 min: Have each table share ideas from their discussions with the whole group, and discuss as a group if relevant.

5 min: Have each participant share an insight or thought with the large group. Thank everyone for coming, and invite them to attend the next session.

Other Recommendations

• Have signs directing participants to the event
• Assign "table captains" to each table to help facilitate discussion and make all feel welcome
• Have cards or table tents at each table with values for the discussion such as the Virtues of Discourse.
• Have name tags
• Encourage participants to bring other friends in the future

Discussion Topic Ideas

• Views of feminism
• Relationships between men and women
• What women really want
• Beauty, attraction, and what it means to be sexy
• Contraception and other fertility technology like NaPro
• Abortion: how it affects women and what it offers women
• Women in the workplace
• Women and higher education
• The role of faith in women's lives

From Our Experience:
We had a 3-part series with the topics of feminism, birth control, and beauty/self-image. For our second session, we invited local NaPro Fertility Care Practitioner Suzy Younger to attend and answer questions about female fertility at the end of the discussion. Her attendance was the highlight of that session!

Girl Talk has been featured in:

University of Notre Dame Observer "Girl Talk Creates Conversation"

University of Notre Dame Rover "Girl Talk: Catholicism, contraception, and beauty"

HerCampus.com Notre Dame Chapter "'Girl Talk' Discussion Series Reaches out to Women at ND"

MY body, MY choice.

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.)