Abortion - things just keep getting cheerier

Let me just say how happy I was that today's discussion on abortion did not dissolve into (too much) yelling. It's a very tricky subject sometimes, but it seemed most all of us (at least the ones who were talking) shared the same view. I used to stay out of the abortion argument, I hadn't pondered it long enough to be confident I had a personal perspective as opposed to whatever was passed on to me from parents and friends. But since then I have decided I am overwhelmingly pro-choice - with my main argument having nothing to do with when life "really" begins, but with the reality that abortions will always happen. The only variable is whether this is legal and done in safe sterile hospitals, or illegal and performed in the back-alley with a rusty coat hanger.

That horrible image aside, it is also an issue of human rights. Through today's discussion and a couple other things I have become more aware how much the "pro-life" argument ignores the rights of the mother. Most of the arguments I hear from pro-lifers completely ignore the life and health of the mother. I can't even organize my thoughts, researching for this blog is making me so angry!

To talk briefly about the reading, I thought the point of the second, shorter, article was very valid. It is interesting that the same people who are against abortion are limiting access to contraception and limiting who can adopt. There are already a lot of children who need adopting and fostering. By making abortion illegal AND making it difficult/impossible for potential parents to adopt, these people are screwing over these children they are "saving" from "murder." 

The first reading talks of Pregnancy Crisis Centers. In the Full Frontal Feminism book I've been reading, Valenti relates the story of a 17 year old girl who accidentally went to one of these centers, while looking for a Planned Parenthood nearby. They took down her information and "made her an appointment" at their "other office" - the actual Planned Parenthood. When she showed up for her appointment, which didn't actually exist, the police were there because of an anonymous tip that a minor was being forced to have and abortion. The people at this Center also stalked this girl, called her father, and encouraged her peers to harass her.

I would like to finish up with a political cartoon I saw a while ago that I was reminded of today, which I was able to find again thanks to the wonders of google:






 Sums things up for me pretty nicely. And according to the comments on the cartoon, the man pictured is the first Bush president - who was president from '81-'89. How are we still having this argument?

Rape, Assault and other happy things

It's been a while! So today my group presented on Rape Culture etc. I thought the discussion went really well; I was excited to see the class turn so quickly to our campus and to relating these issues personally. Researching rape and discussing it so much in the past couple weeks has been intense. It's been hard because looking at all this terrible and horrific side of our culture is overwhelming. There is so much to fix and it seems impossible. But awareness is the first step.

In the reading we assigned, Valenti talks about something she calls a "rape schedule." We discussed this in class a bit and I got to hear other young women's perspectives. I know I am a rather paranoid person, but I also know this is not that rare. Hearing both sides of the spectrum - women who are over-alert like myself and women who don't worry much about it - was very interesting. Listening to the guys asking questions and relating it to personal experience was also one of my favorite parts of the discussion. Some men, particularly minorities, have felt threatened in a similar manner. When you think about it, this fear can be applied, on some level, to any minority. Be it gender minorities or minorities in race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. It all makes perfect sense.

Also on the subject of rape/sexual assault on college campuses, this is an interesting project I came across: http://acvoice.com/2012/10/23/surviving-at-amherst-college/. If you scroll down there are photos featuring what rape victims were told by college official, friends, perpetrators, and others. One of the ones that stood out to me: “Are you sure it was rape? He seems to think it was a little more complicated.”
 from an Amherst College Administrator.

I'll hopefully be continuing to update again. Looking forward to leaving the presenting to other groups and hearing what they have to say.

-Sara