My news feed last night brought me an article about a woman named Leslee Unruh who was fighting to make abortion illegal. To, you know, save the babies.
One fundamental flaw in things such as this is this idea that some have about their own power. An idea that seems to dictate that if they just say “no, you can’t” you will immediately stop. Heh. I can’t get my toddler to stop peeing on the cat and they think passing a law that turns women into walking wombs for the state will make them stop having abortions?
Making abortion illegal does not stop it.
Figures show that 10,000 women die every year in Nigeria from unsafe abortions, carried out by untrained people in unsanitary conditions.
That is 27 deaths every day. [link]
Did you catch that? Here, let me try again. Making abortion illegal does nothing to stop it.
In Peru alone, an estimated 50,000 women a year either die or suffer serious complications after an illegal abortion. [link]
No, still not sure? How about this. Making abortion illegal does not stop it, does nothing to affect the circumstances surrounding abortion, and conveniently overlooks that some of those clumps of cells they are fighting so hard to save will, in fact, grow up to be the very women they hate.
“Pro-life” Where life means a clump of cells floating in someone’s body, yet a fully formed human being doesn’t count if it has a uterus. I feel a Friday Feminist Fuck You coming on, if only I had a webcam.
Tags: abortion, pro-life, pro-choice, women, politics
Similar Posts
April 10th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Wow, that was a bad ass link! I like the YouTube link, think I’ll be sticking that in the MouthyGirl favs…have to explore that more when I’m off the clock…
Sabrina’s last blog post..Dependents or Codependence?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I heart you Summer. How true is this. Abortion is not a new concept, like the pro-life movement wants you to believe, that somehow it magical appeared during Roe v Wade. It is sad that women across the world have to suffer such inhumane treatment. Women’s sexual health around the world has taken a back seat long enough!
Susan’s last blog post..Still workin on it?and a warning
April 10th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Thanks for writing this, Summer. Even for pro-choice me, that photo and link was an eye-opening reminder.
Trish’s last blog post..Budget blog hosting review - ANHosting, 1and1, DreamHost & MediaTemple
April 10th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Excellent post. Never understood how they could call themselves pro-”life”…who’s life?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
abortion is a touchy subject… life is about choices, there are consequences for whatever we choose, good and bad… I don’t think it’s my place to say what I think others should do. this is sad
Saskia’s last blog post..new blog
April 11th, 2008 at 1:04 am
You were once only a clump of cells.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:34 am
My mother, however is a life. One who owned her own body, who had a choice in how and when her body would be used.
I know you expect me to get all weepy and “Oh, I’m so glad my mother didn’t abort me!”. But that’s not going to happen. Why? Because as much as I enjoy my life now I have the humility to not presume that my feelings have any weight in forcing another human being to bend to my will. I have the ability to see that what is right for me is not right for everyone else on the planet. Unlike the so called “pro-life” people I actually respect lives and hold them to importance. Unlike “christians” I understand compassion and treating others like you would want to be treated includes women. And unlike idiots I understand basic biology.
Am I glad my mother didn’t abort me when I was just a clump of cells? Only if that was HER CHOICE not to do so.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Do you get the point of this post, or do you just hate women too much to ever really understand?
April 11th, 2008 at 2:46 am
“You were once only a clump of cells.”
Oh because we haven’t all heard that one before. I am sick and tired of people who like to either play Devil’s Advocate or those who disagree with abortion who like to throw the “Sure, you can be pro-choice, but your mom chose life!” Yes, indeed she did, however, with my life I would like to stand up for those women who choose not to carry out their pregnancies.
By making abortion illegal, we are going back over 30 years of history and once again, treating women as second-class citizens who can’t be trusted to make a choice regarding their own bodies but who can damn well be trusted with a baby. We are saying “You are not worth safe medical practices, instead just go out and get a botched abortion.” They care so much about “the babies” but they couldn’t give a damn about the women.
Pro-life people only care about the babies until they are born, then they can go to hell and oh no, what if they turn out to be gay? Then those same people who were “fighting for their life” are telling them that they are going to hell. Better yet, what if they grow up to be Democrats and pro-choice? Oh no, the horror!
Holly’s last blog post..McCain Clearly Has No Idea What He is Talking About–Ever
April 11th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I agree with everything you said, Summer. Pro-life supporters are really just pro-birth. And then they don’t care about the life of child, like Holly said. They could end up in the foster system or heck knows what other terrible things, but yeah. Thanks for the great post!
April 11th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I get how people personally feel abortion is something they wish wouldn’t happen. I get that as a woman who has been pregnant and found that process, as mundane as it is, utterly amazing. But I also don’t think you can tell women what to do with their bodies. That impulse bothers me a heck of a lot more than thinking about a group of cells that may or may not someday turn into a human.
I think what bothers me the most about the counter-argumenters is that I’ve never seen a group of people standing outside the clinic 30 miles from my house or on the busy intersection in my college town protesting world poverty, unsafe water, malaria, hunger, HIV/AIDS, all of which kill children daily every few seconds. I might give their arguments about “saving children” a lot more respect if they fought for the millions of children who die every year b/c the rest of the world turns a blind eye.
Sarah is Ok’s last blog post..Cheekbones and Braces
April 11th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I stand and I applaud you! And say ” what she said”, I admire your “bravery” for posting this and saying it…Unfortunately there are those who wont get beyond it or want to get beyond it.
Being a pro choice individual(I made my choices, and glad I have them, as a mom of four) and battled against what never made sense to me. ANd yet they want to save lives , and yet have no problems with embracing the violence of bombing or murdering people who support legal abortion.
excellent post!
April 11th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I don’t think there is anything wrong with saying that summer was once a clump of cells, it’s true, she was. So, where do we draw the line on abortion, I mean really. Because women that abort fetuses/babies whatever you want to call it… when they have toes, fingers, a heartbeat, when their bodies are crushed, poisoned, are murdering in my opinion. If we have abortions and make them legal there needs to be a boundary as to where the line is drawn. I had an unwanted pregnancy once, I kept it, it was hard…yes, it was my body… but it was also someone elses.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
And I don’t think there is anything safe, ever, about an abortion. I know women who had legal abortions, and their bodies are screwed up now.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Summer, I’m new to your blog. Found my way here through the Home Education Blog Blog… and wow… what an amazing site you have, and what a powerful message you post. I will most definitely be back.
Ute’s last blog post..Homeschooling is fun
April 14th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I just came across your blog and applaud you for posting this! I agree with you and feel that no one has a right to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body. Whatever anyone thinks of abortion for themselves, the options must remain open for every woman to make the choice that is right for her own situation.
Nature Deva’s last blog post..The Kid Safe Chemicals Act
May 1st, 2008 at 6:30 am
[...] Please forget the fact that abortions have been around for almost 5000 years. Or all over the world women are suffering from the horrors of back alley abortions. The genocide and genital mutilation. How [...]
July 7th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
June- there is far less risk to a legal early termination than there is in carrying a pregnancy to term.