Who has made MAN the guardian of women’s rights? Who has sanctioned other women telling other females that they are wrong because they want to have an abortion. Did you hear a candidate for President of the United States of America say, when it involves a woman pregnant from a rape, “Make The Best Out Of A Bad Situation”. Yes, that is what candidate Rick Santorum said when he commented on his opposition to abortion.
A woman’s body is her own. It does not belong to anyone else except that woman. No one should be able to tell a woman what to do with her body. Not her family; not her husband; not her significant other; not her religion. What she decides to do with it should be between her and her doctor. No one else.
Perhaps it is time for females all over the world to unite and say that if a man – any man – rapes anyone, male or female, that their penis ‘ and testicles should be removed , and going one step further, that the victim do the “removal.”
Men are able to buy “VIAGRA” or similar products yet some members of legislative bodies are saying that women should not be able to buy birth control pills. What kind of a society are we living in? Men can screw all they want and women have to bear the burden?
I think that before a man can take his “Viagra” prescription to the pharmacy a “jury” of three women should decide whether or not it should be filled. These women should know what form of contraception the man will use – after all, if women can’t buy contraceptives, can the man do so? Maybe how many sexual partners he has is another question to ask. And….if his partner gets pregnant, how does he see his role as a father?
Obama, in his speech yesterday said that there should be the same pay for women doing the same work as a male. You mean that still isn’t happening? My goodness, I remember marching for that right when I lived in Berkeley in 1965.
There is continual harassment of women, by men and sometimes other women, on the streets, in the work place, in school, etc. and little, if anything is being done about it. It should not have to go to the authorities for jurisdiction; rather, those that see it happening need to step up and stop it.
The baseball season is beginning. It is time to step up to the plate and insist that women be treated equally. It is time that others stop legislating the lives of women, even though it is in opposition to their beliefs. People are elected to offer not to make sure that “ . . . they are making the best of the situation.” Rather, they are elected to office to insure equal rights for all.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah , all men should have to donate to a sperm bank then get their genitals removed at the age of 16. That should help the economy!
Malcolm – are you in the middle on this issue? Do you mock the issue of women trying to get equality with men? Do you deny that women are paid only a fraction of what men earn? Do you deny that some men use their physical strength to dominate and oppress women? Do you know it’s been less than one hundred years that women can vote in this country? Did you know …. just sayin’.
It is not an economic issue.
Hear hear! Yesterday a friend of mine was telling me how much better womens’ rights are then they were. She is from Arizona though and I think there is something in the water over there. It’s a mighty lonely world for the few of us feminists left. There are fewer women willing to stand up and complain. Women are falling all over themselves to prove they are NOT feminists. Feminist are punished and ridiculed in this world. The lack of respect for women is so obvious, so sickening and so rampant and no one seems to care except a few. We lost the fight and many of us are sleeping with the enemy. On the bright side, there are some young women who have got that fighting spirit. The Abortion Gang http://abortiongang.org/ made news a while back with “$10 for Tebow” suggesting that we make a $10 donation to a pro-abortion/choice charity every time Tebow got a touchdown. Apparently feminists do have a little fun!
It is so discouraging, Brenda. No one really wants to get up and fight anymore; people are content (?) with the status quo. Too bad that Tebow didn’t do better in his last game!
Judi – need to take issue with you here. It was just about 6 months ago, that 1000s of San Diegans marched downtown in a international day of protest and outrage over what some Canadian cop told some women. And about one-third were men. I forget what the title of the march was but something like “Slut Walk”. And there were actions all over this country as well as internationally. I’m certain if you talked to the editors here they would be able to point out where the OB Rag coverage is – as that’s where I saw it.
Judi, Molly and anyone else – just go to the search bar on the homepage and type in “slut walk” and you should find our report.
You are right, Molly. I forgot about the “Slut Walk.” I was reacting to Santorum’s statement and the lack of comments re: it. But the protests cannot be just a one time thing; it needs to be ongoing. Thanks for reminding me of that walk.
Amen Sista!
Judi, hi. Add me to those who enjoy your posts. This one seems to go beyond gender. Your body is yours. Who owns mine? The Federal Government of the United States? It clearly did at one time. Is that true today? I don’t know, but I do think that, hypothetically speaking, should I decide to throw the darn thing off a cliff one day, even that is my business and, excepting those very close to me, no one else has a thing to say about it.
I just don’t understand why there isn’t more of a furor from the women’s groups re: Santorum’s statement. Or why this comes up year after year and isn’t put to rest once and for all. If men were to be “regulated” the way women are there would be a hue and cry heard from east to west coast. Maybe we should start a movement restricting the number of children that men can father. The penalties would be obvious!
Even as a man who has had to have his testicles removed – following an accident – I can understand you sentiment – and the anger that underlies your writing. I’ll consider your suggestion as if you really meant it. I’m not sure a victim of rape would be un-traumatized by the act of castrating the rapist. Even if castration for rapists were made law only the testicles would be removed; and by a surgeon, in hospital. Perhaps the victim could watch the procedure? Testosterone replacement therapy can make up for any deficits in libido and sexual performance caused by the removal of the testicles. That said, castration might have a deterrent effect. Castration is something virtually every man fears. As a means of retributive justice – well, an empty sack is not very pleasing to look at and is a constant reminder of being ball-less.
In addition, I can understand your feelings on men being so involved in decisions that affect women’s bodies and minds. If it makes you feel any better, the urologist/surgeon who (to use the non-medical term) castrated me is a woman.
Just some thoughts. Not that I believe that lacking testicles gives my opinion more weight than any other man’s.
As things go, often an oppressed group’s worst enemies are other member of said oppressed group. There are religiously conservative leaning women out there who not only want to end legalized abortion, but send to prison not only the doctor who performed it but the women who had it, no matter the circumstances. Outside of the particular subject, there are Americans of Mexican (some who are the offspring of parents who crossed over illegally) who work for the Border Patrol and others who fully support deportation/jail time, African Americans who supported ending Affirmative Action, I’ve known Americans of Arabic decent when I was in the Navy who did tours as prison guards at GITMO. I could go on and on.
Thanks for your input, G. Your points are well taken .
Thanks Judi.
It is telling that Operation Rescue and other rabid anti- choice groups are not viewed as domestic terrorists. Their threats against abortion providers are not taken seriously by the DOJ, and the murders of abortion providers are treated as singular, unrelated acts.
It is telling that the right rails against the intrusion of government into our lives except when it refers to a woman’s reproductive choice.
And it is telling when we parrot back the words “pro-life” without calling out the obvious negation of a woman/girl’s life in that term. How about the more apt “pro-fetus?” It should come as no surprise that a fertilized egg is now being defined as “a life” and that a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest should be viewed as god handing a woman lemons and expecting her to make lemonade.
The slain abortion provider George Tiller repeatedly affirmed that we should Trust Women. Instead, we are seeing a war against women.
the only way women will have “equal rights” in any culture is when the men begin to value the innate wisdom, compassion, intellect, and abilities of the women who share their air.
i challenge any man to bear the physical experience of pregnancy and its various avenues of decisions. will they then begin to understand the complexities of this issue? he’s not the one who stands between a rock & a hard place. it’s easy for the man to ‘plant his seed’ and be done with the pregnancy if he so chooses. Not so with a woman. he’s not the one looking at choosing between his future and the future of a (potential) child. he’s not the one who’s life changes forever regardless of the decision made. No man has ever been told, “you’re pregnant” by either home test or doctor.
Only when people treat each other with respect will equality be possible. May it be so with me.
Thanks, Sunshine. Who “appointed” one sex to be stronger than the other? Even after the seed is planted, it is the responsibility of the woman – usually – to do all of the follow-up care for many , many months before the male steps in. Respect is certainly a key component to this problem.
/28/2012 1:27 PM, Jenni Balis wrote:
Wise Words
“For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy t…ired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.
For every boy burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence.
For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep.
For every boy for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes.
For every girl who throws out her E-Z Bake oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one.
For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry’s attacks on her self-esteem.
For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier.”
Written by author, Nancy R. Smith
Dear Judi C,
Timothy Leary was not strung out on LSD when he observed that women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.
And Shirley Chisholm had it nailed down when she said, “The emotional, sexual and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says:
IT’S A GIRL”.
For women to have the equality (with men) they seek; they will most frequently be successful while they continue to be pro active, focused and organized.
Phil C.
I prefer fraternizing with them and not as the enemy.
Smart man!
Thanks Judi, for sharing your phone number and responding to my note. I’ll telephone you tomorrow.
Phil (Cohen)
Castration is a reasonable, manageable, effective solution to male violent aggression. I’ve advocated for this for years, but it never gets the time of day. We seem to accept violent behavior as a natural aspect of men. Shame on those who do. Nature gave us a perfect solution to male aggression by putting the gonads within easy reach of the scalpel, but we seem to still champion aggression.
Well, Z. That should generate some discussion. Thanks for your input.
Please help prevent the laws against womens rights. Contraception’s help me with a disorder called PCOS and without access to birth control my cysts will build on my ovaries and bust leaving me unable to bare children.