Archives for 2009

Kirsten Powers writes:

NARAL claims that crisis pregnancy centers — which exist to dissuade women from having an abortion — mislead woman. In New York, abortion rights groups lobbied Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to shut down such centers because they allegedly “scared” women.

As a life-long feminist, I find this approach by so-called women’s rights groups perplexing and more than a little insulting to women.

What really seems to enrage NARAL and Planned Parenthood is when crisis pregnancy centers use ultra-sound devices, or other methods, to show women pictures of their fetuses. To say that this is a “scare tactic” would be like saying it is a “scare tactic” to show a man a picture of clogged arteries to try to get him to understand his health situation. Yes, it may scare him in a certain direction — or not — but it’s an informed decision.

If a woman is seven weeks pregnant and someone shows her this picture, what is wrong with that? How is that “scary”?

Women are not delicate little flowers who can’t handle information, despite what NARAL Pro Choice and Planned Parenthood tell us. They should have the option of having all the information presented to them before an abortion so they understand what they are doing.

[…] as a person who cares about women’s rights, I would be enormously pleased if the people who claim to be “pro-choice” would embrace a wider array of choices for women dealing with unwanted pregnancies, rather than trying to bully any organization offering abortion alternatives out of existence.

Right on.

[h/t]

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Rebecca adds: This reminds me of the never ending argument about parental notification laws. We’re supposed to believe that teenagers must have access to abortion, because they’re too immature to be good mothers, they can’t possibly understand the ramifications of becoming a mother, and they’re not grown up enough to raise a baby. At the same time, they must have the absolute autonomy to choose abortion without their parents even knowing, let alone giving consent, because they are mature enough to know what’s right for them, nobody should be able to influence their decision without their say-so, and the life-long implications of having an abortion will be readily explained to them at the clinic and completely grasped in the ten minute discussion they’ll have before the procedure.

Here’s hoping this is a big giant misunderstanding:

OTTAWA — Canadian officials contacted the Afghan government Tuesday to express concern about controversial new legislation that would reportedly allow men to rape their wives.

The Canadian government reacted with outrage following reports that the Karzai administration has approved a wide-ranging family law for the country’s Shia minority.

Various reports say the legislation would make it illegal for Shia women to refuse their husbands sex, leave the house without their permission, or have custody of children.

Received today this email from SBA List:

Washington, D.C. – Today the president of the Susan B. Anthony List commented on radical pro-abortion activist Dawn Johnsen, whose nomination was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and currently awaits a floor vote.

[…]

While Johnsen served as the legal counsel for National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League (now NARAL Pro-Choice America), she authored numerous legal opinions rejecting any and all restrictions on abortion. Some notable quotes from Johnsen’s amicus curiae brief in the case Webster v. Reproductive Health Services include

“Abortion restrictions ‘reduce pregnant women to no more than fetal containers.’”

“The argument that women who become pregnant have in some sense consented to the pregnancy belies reality…and others who are the inevitable losers in the contraceptive lottery no more ‘consent’ to pregnancy than pedestrians ‘consent’ to being struck by drunk drivers.”

“The experience [of abortion] is no longer traumatic; the response of most women to the experience is relief.”

Johnsen awaits a floor vote by the full U.S. Senate to gain confirmation to head the Office of Legal Counsel.

A letter in today’s Ottawa Citizen:

Re: The abortion trap, March 28.

Yes, columnist Leonard Stern, abortion is a trap for women and for unborn children, too. I was trapped into believing the lies that abortion was a quick fix and just a “clump of tissue.” I was trapped by my parents and boyfriend to abort.

There is a new and growing voice on this issue and it is women like me who deeply regret their abortions, have great sorrow and have been damaged physically, emotionally and spiritually.

We are pro-woman and pro-life and know that aborting your baby should be unthinkable! We urge politicians and doctors to stop abortion as a form of birth control. It is really child sacrifice; and not a medical necessity.

Many studies confirm that abortion causes depression, substance abuse, suicides, pre-term births in subsequent pregnancies, miscarriages, infertility and breast and cervical cancers.

We were not informed about fetal development and did not know our babies had a beating heart by three weeks and arms, legs, fingers and toes by eight weeks. Abortion is a wrong, and not a right.

The choice must be made on who, when, where and why to have sex with someone — pregnancy is a natural outcome of that intimacy. Childbirth is the healthy and natural choice.

Denise Mountenay,

Morinville, Alberta

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Andrea compares and contrasts with this: This blog post “Simple answers to simple questions” (from simple minds?) says:

Insofar as “pro-life” is generally just a euphemism for someone who supports forced childbirth, the answer is no.  There is no such thing as a “pro-life” feminist, anymore than there’s such thing as a pro-genocide pacifist.

“My body, my choice.” Very much entrenched. And if you say “but it’s not your body,” they’ll still refer you to point A–“My body, my choice.” It’s like talking to programmed drones.

Hey, Véronique and Patricia, have you tried this?

In the consensual living model, father doesn’t know best. Neither does mom. Instead, parents and children are equal partners in family life, according to the principles laid out at consensual-living.com.

[…]

Consensual living 101

Core principles

Everyone’s wants and needs are equally valid, regardless of age.

Children can be trusted to know their own minds and bodies.

Punishments and rewards are tools of manipulation, unneeded when family members work as a team.

There is a creative solution that works for everyone.

Each family member has a positive intent and desires harmony.

When all are secure that their needs will be met, they will branch out and help others meet their needs.

I’m no fan of draconian and inflexible discipline. But come on. If families had to live with the ‘equally valid’ wants and needs of every two-year-old, methinks they wouldn’t get anything done at all. Thoughts?

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Andrea adds: My completely adorable little niece sometimes responds with a very strong “I know” as if to put you in your place. My sister and I were laughing over this one day–and concluded that actually, there are some things she doesn’t know–like the other 23 letters of the alphabet, for starters…

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Rebecca says: I hope I’m never trapped on a trans-Atlantic flight beside this kind of family.

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Patricia adds: I was going to blog on this yesterday, but I was too busy validating the needs and wants of my five children simultaneously. Sadly, the end result was my being sedated by the local SWAT team.

Would say more but have to go explain to my youngest why she can’t spend all day, every day watching an endless loop of “The Lonely Goatherd” from our Sound of Music DVD. Or maybe she can, as that particular desire of hers is apparently as valid as my desire, some might even say, need, to go out and get some groceries.

And I think that’s enough said about that particular style of parenting.

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Andrea doesn’t mean to question Patricia’s parenting but what is so wrong with watching part–or all–of the Sound of Music on repeat? What could be wrong with wanting to be a nun, so that you can get kicked out of the abbey, and end up governess for a very handsome sea captain’s children? After a critical moment of harrowing indecision, you leave the captain to go into seclusion, back at the abbey, to ponder your options. Meanwhile, the captain’s girlfriend decides to pack her little bags and go back to Vienna, where she belongs, thereby allowing you to return and face the problem of your illicit relationship with said very handsome captain. No, I’d say there’s nothing wrong with watching too much Sound of Music. Didn’t do me any harm, anyways, says the 32-year-old single gal in the crowd.

Put it this way: I wouldn’t find it cute.

Ashton Kutcher keeps playing tricks on wife Demi Moore by secretly changing the TV channel to porn.

The star – famed for his practical jokes on TV show Punk’d – can access his home television from his computer and has been swapping Demi’s favourite programmes to X-rated movies.

He wrote on social networking website Twitter: “u can change your home tv from your computer. it’s a fun prank 2 play on someone if u know they r watching. keep switching the tv 2 porn (sic).”

Call me a crusty old goat all you like, but I do not find this romantic at all.