I do think it’s important to understand what pro-choicers are thinking. Incidentally, I use the term “pro-choice” to be conciliatory, though I think that term–all terms in the abortion debate, in fact–fall quite short of what is really going on. Or perhaps better put, they are themselves clichés that create tension and raise up stereotypical images. Ie. Not Helpful.
Anyhoo, so I read blogs like this with interest. Not to make fun, which admittedly would be easy enough, but with an acceptance that this view is out there–and it makes sense to some women. And I really do wonder why. Because it makes no sense at all to me.
Anti-choicers like to defend themselves against the charge of misogyny by saying they simply believe that life begins at conception. What they fail to understand is that “life begins at conception” is a misogynist statement. It’s the erasure of a woman’s role in making new people, and a claim that the only effort that counts is the effort a man put into ejaculating.
I’ve been invited to talk at a university campus in the fall about why abortion is an injustice for women–will be a sceptical, if not outright hostile audience. But that’s what I believe–not only is abortion not a right, but rather marks a grave injustice in particular for women. So I plan on putting a lot of effort into that paper–it’s months away but I’ll post it when I’m done.
by 
The linked blog completely misrepresents the prolife movement and she cannot seriously believe that the thousands of at the March for Life “hate women”?
The piece quoted is also non-sensical, as believe that life begins at conception recognizes the biological reality that it takes the male ejaculation and the female egg. The woman’s role in creating life is exactly the same as the man’s: having sex. The difference starts there, where the woman’s role for 9 months is to provide a place for the life to grow before it is ready for the outside world.
I think your approach at the university talk would be to leave religion completely out of it and emphasize the fact that religion is not necessary to show the immorality of abortion. Speak of ultrasound technology and 3D imaging of fetal development, scientific discoveries in whether the fetus feels pain,etc. I also think your views on how abortion is misogyny will go a long way. How is a pro-woman society one that does not support the biological reality of women? How are women’s rights recognized when men think sex should not result in babies but an abortion (which rests solely on the woman’s shoulders emotionally physically)? How is it pro-woman that so many men pressure women into abortions?
I agree. Abortion is a grave injustice to the mothers and unborn children alike. Besides, what of the millions of females who have been unjustly silenced forever before they even have a chance at life just because of their gender?
I will be keeping your talk in my prayers. I hope it will open some eyes.
Sorry for the double post, but I forgot to share this wonderful quote:
“Every 36 seconds in America a women lays her body down, forced to choose abortion out of a lack of practical resources and emotional support. Abortion is a reflection that society has failed women.”
-Patricia Heaton (Actress)
Wow. I knew of all the rhetoric out there, just never seen it so passionately held by individuals like that. There are too many loopholes to her arguments to list here (hence the importance of your blog) but I kept wondering how aborting baby girls simply because they are girls is not misogyny at the hands of both men and women right here in North America? Or how the men who sleep with women without expecting to take responsibility for any resulting children are not misogynist?
To say that all pro-lifer’s are misogynists is a very narrow and limited view point.
I wish I could attend your talk! It should prove very interesting and I hope it will at least persuade attenders that there is indeed a relationship between misogyny and the pro-choice position.
Have you ever read Naomi Wolf’s article called, “Our Bodies, Our Souls: Rethinking pro-choice rhetoric”? She offers an interesting perspective that moves the black and white arguments, such as the ones you linked to, into a more gray area of thinking.
Here’s a link to it:
http://www.epm.org/artman2/publish/prolife_womens_rights/Our_Bodies_Our_Souls_Rethinking_pro-choice_rhetoric.shtml
I read alot of the comments posted after the blog, and its funny because honestly the majority of them are man-haters….how are they better then the so called ‘misogynists’?
I wonder if it would still be considered ‘misogyny’ when you think about In vitro fertilization, neither the man nor woman are technically involved in the process, yet conception still happens, and life begins.
I don’t understand where she gets how ‘life begins at conception’ ‘actually’ means that men are putting in effort to ejaculate (and that thats the ony effort that counts). This woman seriously needs to stop the whining, and get a reality check.
Um, that was a strange piece of deductive reasoning to go from “life begins at conception” to “the only effort that counts is the effort a man put into ejaculating.” It’s a wonderful example of the mental gymnastics required to hold a pro-abortion view in light of the scientific evidence that shows when life begins – indeed, medical text books even say the same, that life begins at conception, as does my kids’ human body science book.
I do find it amusing that they think “anti-choice” is such an insult, as if “choice” is some kind of sacrosanct concept. You bet I’m anti-the-choice-to-kill-your-baby-because-its-inconvenient, same as I’m mostly anti-choice when my kids protest about having a bath when it’s already been three days since the last one.
It’s ironic that the people who claim to be so pro-woman choose to ignore the millions of women who deeply regret their abortions because they’re just such a buzz kill for the ideology of choice. It’s striking too how much it’s about manipulating women’s bodies, if not with hormonal birth control then with more drastic and highly invasive procedures like abortion – and the mistrust of women’s bodies (and of women themselves, who obviously need the medical field to be able to control these outrageous bodies of ours) that goes along with that – that could more logically be considered misogynistic.
Having glanced at the blog referred to, (I couldn’t bring myself to read all of it) I can’t help asking myself: is such an ill-informed, rambling, expletive ridden rant worthy of response?
This sort of blog is only worthy of response insofar as the underlying assumptions are very much part of the broader pro-choice movement’s thinking. Sure, this blog may well be something to ignore for the expletives and just generally falling into the “idiotic” category. But the idea that abortion supports women and that not supporting abortion is at the core of misogyny is very much standard fare across the pro-choice board. And that is an ideology/mentality worth discussing/combatting. Might as well look at the more extreme, less nuanced manifestations.
What a wonderful opportunity to inform these young men and women of the consequences of abortion the woman faces after: She can get rid of the fetus, but not of the emotional stress and regrets; increased risk of breast cancer, and also the risk of becoming sterile. The so called “pro-choice” people always “forget” to mention that.
Andrea-
Faye Sonier pointed me towards this blog a few months ago. Through it, I have been eagerly enhancing my awareness of abortion policies in our country and US, and the advancements/setbacks of the movement. My heart is growing more and more sure that this battle to save tiny lives, and the lives of their mothers, is a fight I would like to devote more of my time to.
About your university lecture. . . Carleton? Ottawa U? I live here in Ottawa and would love to attend, if it is open to the public.
Johannah
While I believe in womens right; for social equality, I dont understand how we can defend the women in Iraq when we murder our own.children
It has been proven scientifically that a human life has been formed and yet with this understanding we still choose to murder our unborn babies.
In a literal scense are we stoning our unborn; we just don’t do it with a rock… but however you define it… Murder is Murder.
Just because I’m a feminist, doesn’t give me a right to take the life of an innocent child. These children have right to live!