Uncensored Feminista

This is a pretty interesting little clip.  I didn’t even know this kind of scare tactic was going on.  Follow this up with the article in The Nation.  It’s pretty lengthy, and I must admit I didn’t read it all, so I’m sorry if there’s anything really inappropriate in it.

Since my last post was about the stupidity of a 62 year old Senator trying to tell women in the state of Florida how they should treat their bodies, I felt I needed to repost this amazing spoken word video that I saw over at Feministing.  It pretty much sums up my feelings on this very nicely.

First off, let me start with a huge apology for not writing any sooner.  It’s been a bit hectic here around the Feminista household as coming into finals week, the stepson has had a TON of Boy Scout events and trips, and life’s just been incredibly busy for me.  I do need some really positive vibes from all you wonderful people out there because I interviewed today for a job that will not only afford me the time I need to be able to finish school an entire semester earlier, but will also help me save in gas and car mileage, since I drive about 25 miles a day on average, and it would dramatically drop if I were to get this job.  So please send me good vibes because I really want this job!

Now, for the reason I’m upset.  Within the last week or two (I forget as my weeks are meshing right now), I sent off letters to the members of Congress in my state over the latest Bushism that’s going on where the conservative, right-wing, dweebs in office are trying yet again to tell me what is the right thing for my body and what values and morals I should have without even so much as getting to know me first.

In the proposal, obtained by The New York Times, the administration says it could cut off federal aid to individuals or entities that discriminate against people who object to abortion on the basis of “religious beliefs or moral convictions.”

Now, here’s my issue with this: when you take an oath to practice medicine or pharmacology, you’re taking an oath to do what is in the best interest of the patient, not your own moral beliefs.  If you have a problem with someone who is seeking birth control or is seeking to have an abortion performed, why did you enter this type of medicine then?  And I have to wonder if these same people would object to such body modifications as breast enhancements, liposuction, etc., that really has no medicinal value (except in extreme cases) other than that of vanity.  I live in Miami, I see thing things walking around the street all the time and I can’t honestly say that these people look as if they feel any better about themselves after they had all these modifications done, but the men sure do like to look at them!  As a matter of fact, I know someone who recently had breast augmentation surgery and underwent a HUGE depressive episode after the surgery. But I’m veering off topic here.  Body image issues is another topic for another time.

So I went on this letter writing thing using the Naral letter, and I received a response from my Senator.  Here’s what he had to say to me:

Dear Ms. FEMINISTA:

Thank you for contacting me regarding President Bush;s proposed new Health and Human Services regulations. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.

Throughout my career in public service, I have been consistently and strongly pro-life. Every human life is precious, and I believe that the sanctity of life is a critical characteristic of a strong nation. These are beliefs I have held both personally and professionally throughout my entire life, and they are beliefs that I will continue to hold and promote.

Our country is currently divided over the issue of abortion rights and my views are not shared by all Floridians. I understand your concern about the availability of contraceptives and birth control. However, I am opposed to drugs that can destroy an early embryo and is abortive in nature. I believe the public has the right to access health information and services, and I will continue to support measures, such as abstinence education and adoption programs, that promote a culture of life in America.

Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez
United States Senator

[all emphasis mine]

Ok, so let me break down this letter piece by piece.  First he says that he believes human life is precious and believes that the sanctity of life is a critical characteristic of a strong nation.  Firstly, considering he was born in 1946, he was around for all the “coat hanger abortions” and knows about the lives lost due to the desperation these women were underwent, so he can’t claim ignorance.  What about the sanctity of those lives?  What about caring what will happen to the mother who not only can’t get pregnant-for whatever reason-but is also not allowed birth control?  What does this woman do than?  Not have sex?!  Sorry, that’s not an option.

Now, as we all know, abstinence education does not work.  Abstinence education leads to kids being undereducated about safe sex and the options they may have and these leads to a lot more teen pregnancy, because again, assuming that these kids will not have sex simply because that’s what you’re supposed to be teaching them, is also not an option.

Adoptions are all great and dandy, but the truth of the matter is that there may be a lot of good parents who are willing to truly love and care for these children, but there are also a lot of bad families from bad homes who will raise unstable deviant children that will be a burden on society, and Goddess forbid, take another life later on.  What about the sanctity of that life?  Granted, this is a very extreme situation, but it does happen, and it is possible.  Gangs are based on the neediness of adolescents and the lack of attention and affection that they receive at home, and these kids will do anything for their family/familia.

The on thing that sticks in my head most when I think about the adoption issue is the movie I watched called I Had an Abortion from Women Make Movies.  There was this one woman that they interviewed who was Christian and she ended up pregnant.  With everything that she was brought up to believe, when she became pregnant she decided to seek adoption for her unborn child, and the moment the interviewer found out that the baby would be interracial, they wanted nothing to do with her.  So, under certain circumstances, again, adoption is not an option.

Now I skipped a little because the last statement I want to discuss really shows me this man either has a lack of education or immense gullibility, I’m not sure which one yet.  It is just about every pro-lifer who believes that contraceptives are a type of abortifacient, when it is not.  Chemical birth control does not cause and abortion, it deters an egg from implanting, or it does not release an egg, as is the case with the pill and others like it.  Is Mr. Martinez telling me then that life begins at fertilization?  What truly bothers me is that from his standpoint, an embryo that could not come any where near sustaining life outside of my womb has more rights than I do.  When will this kind of control stop?!  I say that the moment men start menstruating and start worrying about pregnancy and whether or not it’s the right time for them to conceive, and what they can do in order to avoid getting pregnant, or abstain all together when they have a partner who is threatening to leave because you won’t “give him some” is the moment that these men can tell me what to do with my body.  They are not me, they do not understand my circumstances, nor my reasons to not want to conceive at this time.  Therefore they can not feign to know what is right for me, and there will be no lack of sex in my life right now so to take all these options away from me is not an option.

I have a big problem with mainstream media, mainly in the sense that they are brainwashing women to want to marry and have children with the recent glamorization of weddings and pregnancy and the way they portray it as if it’s wrong not to want these things, or how they make you feel as if you’re a failure if you haven’t achieved these things by the time you’re a certain age, like you’re late 20’s.  It seems almost reminiscent with the 1950’s and how the women were considered spinsters if they hadn’t married by the time they were 23.

Let me start by saying I’m 31, and will soon be 32.  I was married and divorced two years later and have been living with my current boyfriend and his son for two years now.  It’s been wonderful!  We have your typical best friend/lovers type of relationship that a lot of people envy, and I personally have never been happier.  We live like we’re a family yet according to society and our laws, we’re not a family yet since we’re not married yet.  Yet, there’s been this uneasiness within me.

With the current glamorization of marriage I feel inadequate as a woman simply because I was divorced in my late 20’s and have not had children yet and am in my early 30’s, which is leading me down a cycle of depression, anxiety and an almost obsession with marriage and kids.  I know I shouldn’t pay any attention to the media (I should just turn the freaking T.V. off and read!) but it’s everywhere!  I can’t walk down the street and look at the newspaper racks because someone is talking about who’s pregnant, who’s engaged, who’s adopting, etc.  I go on the internet, and BLAMO!  There it is.  It’s as if there is this crazy obsession in the media with family and procreation and it’s creating a lot of uneasiness within me.  

So why don’t we simply get married?  Well, it’s not that easy, and frankly it’s a bit personal, but what it comes down to is that we’re simply not ready right now.  As for the kids portion, same thing, but why do I have to be made to feel as if I’m inadequate as a woman because I feel my children and my relationship will benefit if we were to just wait a little while longer?

I have to wonder though, is it just me or do other women feel the same way about this?  I’d love some input on this.

Edit:  This is a good reference to what I’m talking about.  

The world has suffered another very tragic loss.  Jana Mackey, a 25 year old feminist and law student in Kansas was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Saturday.  She was found inside his home.  She was a women’s rights activist who lobbied for NOW and ProKanDo, a political action committee in Kansas.  This breaks my heart.  I found out about this via Viva La Feminista, and after reading the comments, I found one by her brother Travis.  The anniversary of the death of my brother is coming up this 18th, and this reminds me of what I went through a year ago with my family.  I feel so sorry for their loss, and I’m sorry the world will never be able to see what this beautiful, strong woman could do for the causes she believed in.  

I know my last couple of posts have been about women who have perished because of useless violence against them and this is yet another example. The useless misogyny and this need to control another human being led to this.  She had broken up her relationship with her boyfriend 3 weeks prior to her murder, and it could only be assumed that he was not happy with this and wanted to possess and control her in hopes of regaining her favor. I hope her images can make this very real problem for women real for everyone.  This was a life lost to violence by someone who needed to control and possess another life.  This is a societal problem that we need to find a solution to fast!  This man was someone who could not deal with the loss of the relationship and someone who consequentially killed himself whether out of remorse, depression, guilt, or the desire to be with her in the afterlife. Whatever his reasoning, this is unacceptable and we need to find a solution that will stop another woman from being murdered by a controlling, possessive man.

My heart goes out to her family and friends.  She will forever be in our hearts.

Links:

• LJWorld.com
• Feministing
• Think Girl
• The University Daily Kansan
• Facebook Group

I have been so busy and swamped with school work that I haven’t really had much time for anything else, not even being sick like I have been for the past week.

I’m currently reading the Malleus Maleficarium (aka The Witch’s Hammer) for class, and I’m truly taken aback at how these two Dominican monks really didn’t know nor understand women. They related everything that women did to the devil and every bodily function of desire or what not was the work of the devil, going as far back as to creation stories. It’s pretty sad. More on it soon as I read further into it.

I’ve also been reading this book, “Pillars of the Earth” for the same class and have been unable to put it down! It’s really a great read. It’s historically and religiously accurate, which is wonderful because I can really get into it, I can really visualize what’s going on, and it’s just an incredibly awesome read. It also shows women’s rise to power and how women were treated during Medeivel Europe.

It’s been pretty hectic lately with school, I have a test today and I’m tryin to keep up, so I haven’t really had much time to ponder things outside of my schoolwork, except for what I’m made to read for classes, so I’m sorry the content has been lacking lately. I do want to write more on “Pillars…” and the Malleus Malleficarium because they’re both really important, in my opinion, especially the Malleus because of the women that suffered because of this work. Actually, I just want to say one thing: it seems that we really haven’t learned our lesson all that much since then. Women are still being persecuted by men simply because men don’t understand women and don’t even want to try to understand them and are still looking for ways to control them, which is what this work was all about.

More on all this soon…

I’m trying to recover from some crazy stomach bug that has had me all sorts of bent out of shape and from the 4th of July craziness that I went through yesterday, so I’ll be back with a new and interesting post soon.

Hope you all were safe yesterday.

Va. Catholic bishop sorry after abortion mixup – 07/01/2008 – MiamiHerald.comI’m glad this happened.  I’m glad there was a “mix up” and this girl was able to have the procedure.  I don’t agree with the bishop apologizing for it because this was the girls call not his, and the charitable workers who helped her should be applauded not reprimanded. Click on through and read the article.

 Kira Cochrane on the apparent backlash against feminism The Guardian

If I were to start talking about and quoting stuff from this article, I would just end up completely copying and pasting the whole thing here.  Super important to read.  A quick recap is that this article is about how women’s rights are under attack by anti-feminists.  It talks about how all our perceived rights are slowly being turned back an things like employment equality, abortion, and rape are ignored and the numbers are ugly.  Check it out.

This was also talked about over at Jezebel.