The Abortion Issue: Why We Can’t Choose To Do Away With Choice

Women’s reproductive rights have been under the most scrutiny since Roe v. Wade. President Obama’s call to make preventive care covered under all insurances invoked the typical Republican backlash. Taking it one step further, the Republicans began to attack not only contraceptives, but women’s right to privacy in making their own healthcare decisions that was fought for and won all the way back in 1973. Many states have launched new attacks on abortions, fighting for more and more restrictions on the practice. New restrictions on how long after conception a woman can legally obtain an abortion vary between different states: some lowering it to twenty weeks, twelve weeks, and even six weeks (stats). In Texas, new, excessive requirements on clinics preforming abortions are forcing about a third of the clinics to close, significantly reducing access to the procedure (Supreme Court allowing it). Arizona’s attorney general seeks to reestablish the overturned law that excludes Medicaid patients from obtaining any family planning services from providers that preform abortions (asks Supreme Court for decision).

The restrictions on abortion procedures are a barely disguised attempt to slowly rob women of their right to decide their own healthcare. Forcing women into unwanted pregnancies dictates not only their medical but their life choices, traps women in a archaic role that robs them of purpose outside of reproducing, forces them into second-class citizenship, creates financial turmoil, and impedes ability to seek economic advancement. Fathers are obligated to help financially support the children they equally helped create, yet the amount of support is determined by their income and NOT the cost of raising a child, which could be significantly higher. Fathers are under no obligation to help raise the child in any way, leaving the sole burden of care on the mothers. Not to mention there is a harsh physical strain on a woman’s body to undergo pregnancy and labor. Attacking abortion is even more illogical when the same politicians that fight against it also do not support making preventative measures accessible. Forcing women into motherhood would act to keep women lower in society by making it harder to obtain a college degree, take demanding jobs, and support themselves without welfare. To make a right impossible to exercise is a removal of that right. Any abortion restrictions, besides unreasonably late termination, should be ruled unconstitutional. Even forcing a woman to view an ultrasound and wait to make her final decision, is a way to exploit and guilt a woman’s psyche. If women really have a right to privacy and a right to choose, stop pressuring them with outside agendas. THAT IS NOT PRIVATE.

Even in Texas, certain politicians disagree with and fight against this tyranny. Senator Wendy Davis conducted an eleven hour filibuster against the recent abortion law passed in Texas (she is my hero y’all!). This self-made single mother will be running in the 2014 election for Texas state governor. If you’re in Texas and like me are tired of these damn republicans, show her your support on election day!

Image from: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/slideshow/Abortion-filibuster-in-the-Texas-Senate-65317.php

A Model for Feminism: Lady Gaga

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For this article, I would like to discuss the woman I feel is the most profound feminist of our time, Lady Gaga. Not only is she an activist for issues such as gay rights, but her music itself is a mixture of art and personal account of her struggles as a woman on top.

These lyrics go beyond sexual freedom and into the realm of acceptance, individuality, and even personal doubt. From her most recent album, the song “Do What U Want” may sound obscenely sexual with lyrics like “do what you want with my body,” but on closer observation, we find the focus on lyrics such as “you can’t have my heart and you won’t use my mind.” This highlights the physiological warfare women sometimes face in their sexual relationships. The song is mostly relating to her trying to ignore her hurt from being slandered. Another new song, “Aura”, has the line, “I’m not a wandering slave, I am a woman of choice.” Upon reflection of that line, it brings up the point that those who roam free can still be slaves by not making their own choices. In “Mary Jane Holland,” she voices problems with her success by saying, “I know that mom and dad think I’m a mess, but it’s alright because I am rich as piss.” Despite her fame, her means are questionable, even by her parents. She expresses a love for individuality, but is also honest about what that individuality has cost her. Songs like “Dance in the Dark” call for women to stand up judgments their lovers might pass on them. In “Bloody Mary,” she makes a moving statement about retaining her identity even when someone she loves leaves her.

Although a lot of her songs represent strength and determination (like “Marry the Night), “Princess Die” is a song that openly discusses suicide and a lack of inner strength. In this piece, she longs for someone to love her who she can lean on. The song is an honest account of how alienating it can be to be a successful woman. However, the most profound and openly feminist song she has written is most definitely “ScheiBe” with openly feminist lyrics such as “If you’re a strong female, you don’t need permission” and “Blond high-heeled feminist, collect your femmes for this. Express your woman-kind. Fight for your right.” The song’s true meaning is related through her contradictory lyrics “I wish I could be strong without somebody there” and “I wish I could be strong without permission.” Even though it would be nice to always be self-reliant and strong, it’s not always possible because we are human. Gaga’s music and her career embody feminism by advocating individuality above societal standards, but also relating to the costs of being nontraditional.

For a compilation of videos of the main songs discussed:

[View the story “Lady Gaga Music Videos” on Storify]

For more information on Lady Gaga, check out her official website.

Self Without Gender

When we think about it, it’s hard to imagine an image of a person we know excluding their gender. Gender plays a large role in perception, even of a person’s personality. Even some personality traits are considered either masculine or feminine. If you were to meet a woman who was dominant and aggressive mixed with loud an forceful, she may be considered an anomaly to her gender. It may even be harder for her to be taken seriously than if she was a dominant and aggressive male. Yet, these could be considered personality traits, unrelated to our gender, but we find ourselves constantly mixing the two ideas.

With gender in the way of personality, interests are also effected. Why don’t more women go into certain fields like scientific research? Why don’t we have more women getting promoted to the top of companies? Perhaps because they would be considered odd for their gender and possibly not accepted or not be believed of their capabilities. Feelings of being outcast or rejected create doubt, and doubt can create a shift away from certain interests. Yes, you could put a woman in charge of a science experiment, but would her male counterparts trust her abilities? Would other women even trust it? I believe more often times then not, women learn to put other women down just as much as men.

Appearance is not reality, yet we let what we see judge easily about things we cannot see. If you were to see a beautiful young woman, clearly having concern about the way she looks, some might conclude that she is not very smart. Intelligence has nothing to do with the way we look or dress, yet we have a definition to what a nerd looks like. If someone didn’t fit our profile, we may have trouble accepting them for their true traits. How many preconceived notions do we have about what an intelligent person looks like, what a feminist looks like, a computer tech, a mechanic, a CEO, or anything else for that matter? How many times do we imagine something that we would not fit a woman into?

As the lines between men and women blur, I hope the notion of personality having any association with gender will be put to rest because honestly, I feel there are few things I do that don’t involve people thinking girl, girl, girl.

I thought I’d have a little fun with this post’s pictures. The top is me dressed in male drag! Below is a picture of me in the same year as a girl.

For some more reading on this subject, here’s a article discussing personality differences amongst boys and girls in relation to differing approaches to parenting styles.

 

Women and Sexuality

Most of us have probably seen this video or at least heard about it. After overwhelming discussion of Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance, I finally had to see for myself. Honestly, I was not at all alarmed. Childhood actress steps out and starts expressing her sexuality as a young adult. What else is new? Here are some ways women’s sexuality is changing in the general public that is not a far cry from Miss Miley.

What about all young women? Miley is currently 20 years old, so puts her in my generation (I’m at the tender age of 22 you guys ;). Young women are seeking more exploration as the tight grips of societal standards are loosening (not all the way apparently, sorry Miley). We want to party like the boys, drink like the boys, and even yes, explore our sexuality. We want to express ourselves by showing off our bodies, not out of having no self-respect, but we do it out of a sense of pride in what we look like. A wild and crazy 20 year old boy is probably going through a normal rite of passage, and guess what fellas, we want our rite of passage too.

What created the everyday female sex symbol? It’s not a surprise that some women put a big emphasis on being sexy because men seem to put such a big emphasis on women being sexy. Rather, they like sexy and yet reserve the right to look down on it if they please. With more and more women wanting to be a “sex symbol,” we may have to drop the “slut” labeling. Honestly, I hope we do. Stop slinging shit at what you think is garbage because it only makes things smellier. I think women should act as their conscience dictates and dress in a way that makes them feel the most expressive. After all, are we really hurting anyone? Besides, if you’re talking about young women, some things are a growth process. The growth process is simply evolving.

What about the even younger girls? Once upon a time, we swept teen girls having sex pretty far under the rug, and I don’t mean decades ago. It was still touchy subject when I was growing up. Some would abdicate against birth control pills for teen girls, saying that would be like giving them a free pass to have sex. So if the girls are not perfect and do not hold to your high standards they should be saddled with an unplanned pregnancy? Let’s try to go a little easier on them. Let’s not turn their sexuality into something criminal and address the subject with some openness. Personally, I feel if parents let their teen girls get pregnant, it’s a type of child neglect. Luckily, I believe future parents will be handling teen sexuality much better than parents of the past.

The Struggles of Feminism

It’s still new. Women’s suffrage happened less than a hundred years ago, and that’s here in the United States. It’s clear that change doesn’t happen overnight, and suffrage didn’t solve everything. It was simply the most basic of decisions to let women’s opinions count. It was only the beginning.

It’s not simply dictated by laws but social standards. Passing a law doesn’t magically change our society. Societal standards take generations resolve, and some we still hold onto. Parents hold a different set of standards for their daughters. Men and women have a strict idea of how a woman is supposed to behave. If a woman steps outs of these bounds even slightly, she is harshly criticized.

Feminist. That’s an ugly word! There’s so much stigma around the subject of feminism. Images like man-hater, bra-burner, legs going unshaven, come to mind when a feminist is imagined.But, come on people. It’s 2013. Maybe it’s time to put those hateful notions to bed and realize that a feminist could be any woman. It’s about women standing up for women and deciding which way we want our gender progression to go and what we want to achieve.

What about family? How do we raise our children if we decide to have them? We want our careers, but if we decide to have children, our careers get put on hold. After the child is born, it is required that women take at least six weeks off to recover. Some women decide to take several years off to be with their child through it’s infancy. That’s not a bad thing, but how do we keep our family lives and career together? That’s a hard one!

Not everyone is on board. And I’m talking about us women. Whether they think feminism is a dirty word or just don’t care, a lot of women are not active. Some are not as active as they’d like to be. It takes a lot of openness to educate our women. It takes a lot of discussion to sort out how we are feeling. Mostly, it takes courage. We can’t completely agree on every issue as a whole, but some issues we can such as equal pay scale. Why wouldn’t we want the same pay for the same job? Unfortunately, women are still getting less.

Check out this New York Time’s article on gender gap that shows some current insight on the subject.

The Beauty Of Feminism

Hey ladies! There’s a reason we’re not in the kitchen right now. Women’s liberation has brought us a long way in a relatively short period of time. It’s given us the choice to dictate our own futures, whatever we decide we want them to be. Here’s a few reasons why feminism is still a positive and relevant movement today.

We’ve come far. Fast. When you think about it, for a majority of history women have not experienced the equality we deserve. In some parts of the world, it’s still an issue! Even here in the United States, women’s suffrage did not come along until the passing of the nineteenth amendment in 1920. That’s less than a hundred years ago! Now we have women out in the professional workplace, holding government offices, and even running for president. Maybe we have a ways to go, but the amount of growth we’ve made has been exponential. And ladies, it’s definitely still getting better.

You can’t do it wrong. There’s no right or wrong way to be a feminist. All it takes is a will for women to be seen as equal to our male counterparts. That doesn’t mean we have to be like men. If you like to wear heels and dresses, great. If wearing pants and flats are more comfortable to you, that’s great too. Maybe, you like both even. Do exactly what makes you happy and makes you feel most fulfilled. If it means painting your nails and watching a romance movie, you paint those nails, sister. If it means going out and working on a car, grab a wrench. Our anatomy doesn’t define our interests. We decide, and there’s no wrong choice. Our differences make us great, not weak. We are one gender made up of individuals with very different tastes and personalities. It’s when we don’t feel like we can express our individuality that’s the challenge. There’s no wrong way to be a woman. There’s no wrong way to be yourself.

It’s about all of us- possibly. Taking a stand on our current feminist issues benefits ourselves, as well as all women, and our future generations. Just as we look back at the 1950’s ideal of a woman and shake our heads, imagine a future even brighter than our present. Progression should never be shunned, no matter the topic, and women’s rights is no different. It takes all of us to change our perspective a little bit and look past what we’ve been taught, men and women alike.

To check out some more articles on feminism or how to become more involved, check out feminist.org