Post 5- Wombs and Race Wars

Hey readers! It's Monday and you know what that means!!! So this week I decided I would talk about an issue that is very divisive. So for all of you who disagree with me, I respect your dissenting opinions, but let's keep things tasteful yeah?

So what is on the table this week you may ask? Reproductive rights and women's rights in general. Now to add some historical perspective, does anyone remember from their high school American history class when women gained the right to vote and hold office? The 19th amendment for women's suffrage was passed in 1920. Since then, we have seen several other women's issues come and go, but the issue of abortion remains a wedge issue in American politics even to this day. There are two sides, the Pro-Choice crowd and the Pro-Lifers. I would label myself as Pro-Choice, because I feel that I am exactly that. I am for a woman's right to choose what she does with her body. After thousands of years living under the societal rule of men, we are able to afford much more opportunities to women now, and allowing freedom in regards to medical decisions is one of the most important rights a person can have.
So why is this a medical decision and not "killing a baby"? Well, to me, a fetus does not represent a person until it has passed into the world. It is my view that until it is born and separated from its mother's body, a fetus remains a PART of the woman. Therefore, a woman has the right to decide what to do with that part of her, and sorry baby daddy's, but because you aren't carrying that baby, the mom's decision (whether it is to keep or abort the pregnancy) will trump your decision. With that said, I feel like a lot of the Pro-Life camp looks at Pro-Choicers as eager to kill babies or something. That isn't necessarily true. If I were a woman, I'm not so confident that I would ever get an abortion, but the crux of the problem is...I'M NOT A WOMAN so I can't be too confident in that statement. Also, women who walk into abortion clinics don't go in (at least in my experience) with a big smile on their faces. The decision to go forward with an abortion is one of the most difficult decisions a woman can make. But as well as being a powerful social mechanism for independence from patriarchy, reproductive rights is also an important political issue.
Now the biggest objection I have to the conservative Pro-Life language in regards to abortion lies in the whole "small government" talk that the right espouses. Now if the right wants small government, then why do they want a government big enough to monitor every pregnancy in the country? That never made sense to me. Also, the "religious and moral" objections to abortion are all fine and good, but not every one may have the same morals and religion as you. Just like gay marriage, if you don't want an abortion, then DON'T GET ONE! If something is legal, those who disagree with it can choose not to partake, but if it is illegal, then everyone is forced to abide by the same rules. And besides, you may seek to outlaw abortion, but they won't stop. Just as African slaves rebelled to their domination under the social structure of slavery, women will also use resistance against laws that oppress them. We as a country will go back to back alley abortions with wire hangers if we choose to outlaw abortions. And not only will there be aborted fetuses, there will also be dead women.
So all in all, I do respect the Pro-Life side for their commitment to life on this issue. But I challenge them to feel the same way on capital punishment. Yet again, the right seems to want a small government, except they want it big enough to decide who should live and who should die. Also, once those fetuses are born, the conservative right seeks to cut the head start, food stamps, housing assistance, and school funding that those children will need to have a quality life. Let's So although you all may not agree with me, I hope that you will at least look at this issue in a different light. That is my ultimate goal in this piece. Since feelings on this issue run passionately, I seek not to inflame the opposite side, but to offer my perspective. Thanks in advance for comments that are tasteful to me and your fellow reader.

And in our "Short Read" this week, I would also just like to invoke more thought on race. Let's look at a couple of events that have taken place this year. Paula Deen's lawsuit (be sure to read the FULL story, not that she just said the N word, but what went on in her restaurant). The striking down of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court. Trayvon Martin. 2013 has been a HORRIBLE year so far for African Americans and their rights. Talk to your friends of different races, try to empathize with their communities, and try as hard as you can to see the other side's experience with race issues. Research white privilege and the advantages of being white in the US. The unemployment rate of blacks is higher, incarceration due to drugs is much higher among Blacks although their drug use is equal to that of Whites, and in New York, 90% of "stop and frisk" searches (that occur without a warrant) are performed on Blacks and Hispanics. And as I've asked before, learn to see race, understand its differences, and celebrate these differences. Doing so will undoubtedly help to ease our racial tensions.

(By the way, sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors, I'm trying to finish in time to go see The Conjuring. But I promise I will proofread later!!!!)
Till next time, give life a deeper read!
JM