Someone recently told me I couldn’t be a feminist if I was anti abortion. It made me furious and I could barely listen to her weak argument without snapping. Feminists have a bad enough name as it is without such IQ challenged characters walking around claiming membership. She said that abortion was a reproductive health right for women. Excuse me in what universe is murder a right? Gimme a second to calm down so that I don’t end up ranting instead of informing Pro Choice feminists.
Reproductive health rights means access to contraceptives and information on correct use and side effects. Our pro choice sisters get by on the claim of bodily autonomy, nobody can claim a right to your body that goes above your own right. I agree, we have final jurisdiction over our bodies. They further argue that a foetus must survive on a woman’s body and therefore a woman has the right to withdraw her consent and body at anytime. This is where I try and hide contempt from clouding my eyes and mind. Did your mother birth and educate you so you could speak such vile filth? To argue bodily autonomy would exonerate not only abortionists but any woman who endangers her child between 0-18 years when they are legally dependent.
What pro-choice people conveniently choose to ignore is that they’ve had nothing but choices from the very start. They had a choice of getting on contraception plan before they had a choice to engage in unprotected sex. They further had a choice of several other post intercourse contraceptives after the deed. The choice to do nothing until they got pregnant was theirs all the way. When they finally get someone else involved is when they start crying ‘we can’t be forced to donate our organs and blood.’ Newsflash it was your choice, in fact it would seem to be exactly what you wanted. The number one cause of abortion is selfishness.
What about rape victims a feminist might ask? I’m sorry if this comes across harsh, but was it the budding life inside you that violated you? It would seem a victim of circumstances just like you and victimizing it does not put much moral distance between you and the animal that took away your choice.
Remember Baby Malaika who was saved from certain death after her mother (currently serving a jail term) threw her in the bushes to be devoured by wild animals? How about the woman who called Classic 105FM breakfast show and confessed to countless abortions? “Ata hii mwaka nimejaribu nimefanya mbili tu. Miaka ingine mi hufanya ata tano.” She said nonchalantly in Swahili. Her words are etched in memory, having snuffed out more than thirty lives and couldn’t give a damn. In my opinion Baby Malaika’s seemingly heartless mother stands on a higher moral pedestal than abortion activists; at least she gave her a chance (no matter how slim) to battle it out against the elements.
Note I am not condemning vulnerable young ladies who in a moment of weakness made a regrettable decision, only those who say it is not only okay but a right. Abortion is not just another means of contraception and to spread such a school of thought is plain evil.
This feminist is and will forever remain anti abortion, I dare someone else to call me a traitor to my gender for that.
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thatkindagirlke 
A feminist can have whatsoever opinions she wants about any topic. As far as I see it, feminism is the freedom of women to have and express opinions and do what they want without fear of judgement, just ask Amanda Palmer about it! I happen to have a different stance on abortion to you and I don’t think that makes me a better or worse person or feminist.
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Tolerance of divergent views is a big part of everything. I agree with you.
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You can self-identify as much as you’d like. When you hold views that support the oppression and subjugation of women, as anti-choice platform inherently does, it shouldn’t be a surprise when others dispute your claims.
Does it make you feel better to disparage others, in print, because they don’t hold your particular viewpoint?
In a world where women were judged to be fully human right bearing members of society, abortion would be an uncontested right. Currently though, many men and their allies, seem to think that woman are not equipped to make the best choices for their bodies and their families. It is a sad state of affairs that feminism is trying to rectify.
Potential life is not the same as life. A fetus has the potential to become a member of society, yet it isn’t until we have this special event: we call birth. It is an arbitrary limit that, for once, happens to respect the rights of woman and their bodies.
Murder happens to people in society, not proto-members of society, despite the assault on women, like in Indiana. The views you claim to hold will lead to more women going to prison and many more becoming too afraid to seek reproductive care. Thus,endangering their lives because their wishes to decide what goes on in their body are not respected and even criminalized.
Your anti-choice Nirvana already exists in El Salvador where women are being imprisoned for miscarrying. From the Salon article linked:
“Women and girls end up in prison for being unwilling, or simply tragically unable, to carry the pregnancy to term,” Esther Major, Amnesty International’s El Salvador expert, told the BBC. “It makes seeking hospital treatment for complications during pregnancy, including a miscarriage, a dangerous lottery.”
Feminism is about dismantling the structures in society that oppress women – women being afraid to seek medical care because they might end up in prisonis a situation that actual feminists would have a problem with.
This is the very definition of bodily autonomy – the right to decide how your body is used.
I did not realize that 18 year old individuals were still had an umbilical cord and were directly using the energy and resources of the woman in question.
Should women then be prohibited to drink alcohol until her children are 18 as well?
Deliberately blurring the line between fetuses and children doesn’t help your case.
I’m certainly glad you have stepped up as the representative of allwomen. Because your statements indicate that you seem to have perfect knowledge of each and every woman’s life situation and state of mind.
Funny though because many women don’t have have access to contraception plans or birth control, but those women must just be outliers, mere statistical blips, and we can safely ignore them…
But of course, when you are on a noble crusade for life woman’s rights hardly matter.
The act of coitus and the chance of a resulting pregnancy is not a remover of rights.
The number one cause of posts like this is ignorance, but I digress. Women seek abortions because they know what is best for their life situations and families. Calling these proper responsible actions ‘selfish’ smacks of a moral judgment that you are not qualified to make with regards to other women.
You do know that pregnancy is dangerous right? You do know that there is a bevy of temporary and possibly permanent side effects that come along with being pregnant?
I can definitely see your feminist credentials shining through here as you would force women to carry their rapists baby. Your over-arching concern for Life once again trumps the rights of women, their immiserated states be damned.
Because clearly the results of banning abortion make for happy sunshine fun times for women, we just need to continue to look to El Salvador for all the happy effects of the clearly pro-women policies you claim to endorse.
I’m not really sure what a gender traitor is and thus have no comment. Being that the anti-choice position is inherently toxic to woman and their rights, your claim of being a feminist can most definitely be called into question. It is analogous to claiming to be a Vegetarian, but still eating beef hamburgers on special occasions.
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I’m glad to see my post reached the intended audience, people like you. You cannot bully me into supporting abortion. I find you intolerant and rude, I simply said that not all feminists should be automatically labelled pro choice. i did not claim to representing an entire gender, only myself and my OPINION. My stand is pro life, so don’t relabel it anti-choice; I don’t call yours anti-life. However thank you for refreshing the same tired old argument and spicing it with a few quotes and sob stories about Indiana and El-Salvador. I wish they changed MY opinion. I am from Kenya and can’t begin to trade with you the horror story of the African woman.
One last thing, I did call your kind IQ challenged, but only for trying to squeeze the entire feminist movement into your narrow view. Note not once did I claim pro-choice people like you aren’t feminists. YOU repeatedly attempted to not only invalidate my beliefs as a feminist but as a woman. I bet if it was up to you, my gender would be called into question too! Thank Anyway, I would ask you examine your hypocrisy before accusing me of disparaging people in print for not holding my particular viewpoint. Till then, let me soak in the bliss of my alleged ignorance not giving a damn if my ‘feminist credentials’ do not measure up to you.
I believe it’s wrong and unfair; you believe it is right and just, end of story. No need for intolerance and self righteous indignation. Feedback appreciated.
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No bullying intended. If being shown how reproductive coercion is harmful to women offends your sensibilities…well good.
A consequence of truthful discussions.
Actually your words started out with insults towards women who happen to hold pro-choice and pro-women, you said the following:
“Feminists have a bad enough name as it is without such IQ challenged characters walking around claiming membership. ”
Do note, there is no written indication that this is “just opinion”. This statement is presented as fact.
So explain to me how advocating for the removal of a woman’s reproductive and bodily choices cannot be considered not anti-choice? Please also note that the pro-choice view is focused on women, you know kinda like feminism, as opposed to being focused on those who need use women or need their bodily functions to survive.
I doubt they would, but the horrible conditions for women in those locations are directly related to women losing their reproductive autonomy and being treated as incubators first and human beings second. You are advocating for more of this kind misery and death for women in your supposed ‘pro-life’ stance.
I’m not trying to change your opinion.
I’m telling you your opinion is wrong and showing with examples from the world of how women suffer in locations where pro-life tomfoolery has obtained the upper hand. It hurts women, and is definitively not a tenable feminist position.
Beliefs that have toxic, life threatening consequences for women are not feminist beliefs. Choose to believe whatever you’d like, but advocating for forced-birth is not a feminist position. It is a contradiction in the starkest of terms given any sort of reasonable definition of feminism.
Note that I am directly engaging with you in *your* comments section. This is an interaction of sorts, unlike the person mentioned in your article. They have no say in the matter and thus the reason for my objection.
Call it what you like – your position is still like being a vegetarian 6 days a week except for beef BBQ Sundays. Most of the ‘pro-life’ platform hurts women denuding them of their rights and ownership of their body.
There is nothing Feminist about that.
If, on the rest of issues of feminism, you happen to be a saintly courageous defender of women, congratulations, more power to you.
On the issues of abortion and reproductive rights, not so much.
Likewise.
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