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Feminism, rape culture, and the pro-life movement

August 22, 2018 by Lia Milousis Leave a Comment

In my previous post, I mentioned that I had recently finished reading Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power & A World Without Rape. Well, I am back to discuss another one of the incredibly problematic accusations that was made in this book. And yes, we are going to be focusing once again on Jill Filipovic’s essay “Offensive Feminism: The Conservative Gender Norms that Perpetuate Rape Culture, and How Feminists Can Fight Back.” (Prepare yourselves.)

In addition to misquoting religious texts and accusing “anti-choicers” of trying to “give a fetus rights that no born person even has” (Friedman & Valenti, 2008, p. 19), Filipovic also decided to draw illogical comparisons between sexual assault and abortion. This is what she said:

“Sexual assault is not only a crime of violence and power, but also one of entitlement. So long as men feel entitled to dominate and control women’s bodies, sexual assault will continue. While issues like reproductive justice may initially seem unrelated to sexual assault, they are a crucial aspect of women’s bodily autonomy and integrity – legally forcing a woman to carry a pregnancy for nine months and give birth against her will and without her consent, or coercing certain kinds of ‘unfit’ women into not reproducing, are deeply troubling uses of women’s bodies to serve the needs, ideologies, and desires of others” (Friedman & Valenti, 2008, p. 26).

Filipovic then went on to claim that “anti-choicers” were actively supporting rape culture:

“We need to situate sexual assault within the greater cultural battles over women’s bodies, and recognize that anti-rape activism cannot be separated from action for reproductive freedom, anti-racism, LGBT rights, and broader equality; and that the opponents of those movements are the same people who have an interest in maintaining rape culture” (Friedman & Valenti, 2008, p. 27).

Now, there are many, many things that could be said in response to these claims. For example, it is intellectually dishonest to claim that pro-lifers are “legally forcing a women to carry a pregnancy for nine months and give birth against her will and without her consent”. As a pro-life woman, I have no interest in forcing women to give birth. However, I am interested in ensuring that the state does not sanction abortion, which allows doctors to systematically dismember an unborn human fetus/being/child. This has nothing to do with “forcing” women to give birth and everything to do with “forcing” men, women, and physicians to abstain from participating in the destruction of human beings.

But Filipovic’s accusation goes much deeper than this. The real claim that Filipovic is making is this: by opposing a woman’s bodily autonomy, “anti-choicers” are supporting rape culture. So let’s examine this claim.

As a pro-life woman, I would like to clearly state, once and for all, that I believe in, support, and advocate for a woman’s right to bodily autonomy. I mean, let’s be serious. I am a woman. I love women. I believe in women’s rights. I studied feminism. I am a traditional feminist. I am thankful for my bodily autonomy. I support the bodily autonomy of other women. Capiche?

However, there is a massive difference between supporting a woman’s right to bodily autonomy and supporting a woman’s right to exercise autonomy over the body of another human being (ie. the human fetus). This is where pro-life and pro-abortion advocates diverge.

You see, pro-abortion advocates believe that a woman not only has the right to control her own body, but that she also has the right to control the body inside her body (ie. the body of the human fetus). (Side note: This is why the “My body, my choice” slogan should really be “Our bodies, my choice.”).

However, as a pro-life advocate, I reject this belief. I reject the idea that another individual has the right to assert control over, perpetuate violence against, and threaten the existence of another individual. And do you want to know a secret? This is perfectly in alignment with my stance as a traditional feminist who combats rape culture!

When a man rapes a woman*, he is asserting control over and perpetuating violence against another autonomous individual. In simplified terms, he is violating the woman’s bodily autonomy.

As a pro-life woman, it is my belief in bodily autonomy (among other things) that fuels my opposition to sexual assault. And it is also my belief in bodily autonomy (among other things) that fuels my opposition to abortion.

Now, before people begin to freak out and make all sorts of unfounded accusations against me, let’s make one thing perfectly clear: I am not suggesting that abortion and sexual assault are similar. However, what I am saying is that Jill Filipovic’s claim is absolutely false.

Do “anti-choicers” actively support and maintain rape culture by “opposing” a woman’s bodily autonomy? Absolutely not. As I demonstrated, the pro-life worldview is premised on the equal distribution of human rights and bodily autonomy to all human beings, born and unborn. This is what fuels our opposition to abortion. This is what fuels our opposition to human trafficking. And this is what fuels our opposition to rape culture.

One final point: The connection between rape culture, abortion services, and businesses like Planned Parenthood is a lot more problematic than you might think. I would recommend that you watch this video and this video. The reality is that, through our activism, pro-life people have been actively combatting rape culture. And realistically, if you truly want to combat rape culture, you too must oppose the insidious way that abortion is used by Planned Parenthood to cover-up sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sexual exploitation.

 

*Note: I recognize that rape and sexual assault do not always follow this construction. However, in light of the fact that the vast majority of sexual assault is perpetrated by men against women, this is the construction that I have chosen to use.

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Feminism Tagged With: anti-choice, bodily autonomy, feminism, human trafficking, Jessica Valenti, Jill Filipovic, Planned Parenthood, pro-abortion, pro-choice, pro-life, rape, rape culture, reproductive justice, reproductive rights, sexual abuse, sexual assault, Women's rights, Yes Means Yes

Cherry picking–not a right

June 4, 2008 by Véronique Bergeron Leave a Comment

When it comes to pro-abortion arguments, a recently published opinion piece in the Medical Post — “INSIDERS: Is the end of abortion near?” (a restricted access piece) — has got it all. There’s the well-funded religious groups, fear mongering of Bill C-484 backdoorism and a return to coat-hanger abortions, abortion as standard of care for unplanned pregnancy, abortion as human right, abortion as incontestable under law, the obligation to refer, the obligation to facilitate access, and finally, freedom of conscience, sure, but my conscience, not yours.

Then there’s this brain twister:

The Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC) is very concerned because we owe our deepest gratitude to our federation founders those heroes who fought so hard for the right of women to be able to choose their reproductive rights.” (emphasis mine)

 

Huh? So it’s no longer about having reproductive rights but about being able to choose our reproductive rights? This is moral relativism at its best – or at its worst–depending on how you look at it.

 

Allow me to think about it in the big scheme of things, that is, a scheme bigger than justifying individual wants and desires. Why women? Why the “right to choose”? Why “reproductive rights”? Why do women have a right to choose their rights? Men can reproduce too.

Just imagine men parading around with this slogan: “What I do with my semen is my business.”

But men are not allowed to choose their reproductive rights–and rightfully so. Society at large recognizes that some rights should be limited and others denied entirely. In civil society, rights are not chosen individually even when their scope is essentially individual. Rights are enshrined and efforts to protect them deployed because of a general understanding that they are just, good and necessary. There is a general understanding in society that men shouldn’t be allowed to do whatever they choose with their sperm; that pedophiles shouldn’t be allowed a full range of reproductive rights and that under age children shouldn’t be allowed to choose at all, to name but a few…

Pro-choice advocates please stop waving the flag of “reproductive rights.” Please stop making a case for the special status of your eggs. Or at least make a coherent argument. I’m still waiting for that.

_________________________

Andrea adds: Aaaah, Véronique, clearly you didn’t get the “it’s none of your business” memo. It’s probably my very favourite pro-choice argument, that variation on a grade four theme–none of your beeswax–said with jaw tightly clenched. Are homeless people my business? What about all the charitable groups we have to help with that? Very strictly speaking, nothing is ever our business–if that’s the kind of world you want to live in. One where you step over the bodies lying on grates on the way to work, and turn your head the other way, while you zip in to Starbucks for a latté. “Mankind was my business…” It’s always a good time to quote one of my all time favourite movies. Here–watch the YouTube clip again. (Yes, I’m aware that it is June.)

Filed Under: All Posts Tagged With: abortion, Janet Drollin, Medical Post, pro-choice, reproductive rights

The conspiracy files

February 21, 2008 by Andrea Mrozek Leave a Comment

It’s important to be aware of emerging threats. Read about the “medical right” here and their dangerous use of The Ultrasound. (Da da da… that was three notes of scary music.)

An interesting and immediate contradiction emerges:

…[The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice] describes the anti-abortion movement’s multimillion-dollar immersion into the non-medical use of ultrasound equipment and questions the ethics of using medical diagnostic technology to persuade women to continue a pregnancy. Lost in the craze for non-medical ultrasound imagery is the potential risk to the developing fetus…

Speaking of “potential risks” there’s this thing called abortion, which proves to be a potential risk to many a developing fetus.

But still, I’d like our readers to be aware of how dangerous The Ultrasound can be. Sometimes its use reveals a baby alive and kicking in there.

In the next edition of the conspiracy files, we’ll show how some doctors recommend women my age and stage take folic acid even when they are not yet pregnant. Certainly implies that I should be pregnant-a nefarious plot to force women to have babies. Stay tuned.

Filed Under: All Posts Tagged With: reproductive rights, ultrasound technology

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