Today is Blog for Choice Day, and the topic de l’année is pretty straightforward: What is your top pro-choice hope for President Obama and/or the new Congress?
My hope has already come true, in the form of Barack Obama’s proclamation issued on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Because my hope was that Congress and the President would place Roe in its proper context. And at least so far, they have:
On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.
And that is exactly right. The fact is that Roe is not just about the right of women to control their reproductive destinies — though that certainly is a vitally important part of it. It is about the right of women to control their destinies, full stop. That is not just about abortion. It’s about so much more than that. And I am so grateful that the President recognizes that. Hopefully, he will take those words and put them into action over the next eight years.
Bravo, Jeff!
Remember individual rights? Let’s hang onto them. Tight,
I was thinking recently about one of the factors that let Christianity progress from Basement Sect status to around Scientology status, before Constantine converted. Stay with me here.
Apparently, the Roman Empire had laws against widows spending “their” money unless they remarried. Then widows found a loophole. They would give money to a Christian “bishop” or filthy hippie. He and his filthy hippie friends would come to live in her house, and she would more or less control the “church funds”.
As you may recall, some conservative Romans got raving mad about this. Their response included wild accusations of baby-killing orgies. I guess that serves as universal conservative code for women gaining some control over their own lives.
My wish is that they would govern in a genuinely pro-choice manner, by respecting all aspects of the right to choose, not merely those traditionally valued by Democrats.
That’s my wish, but it’s silly to expect a pig to sing. My hope is that they at least impose no further restrictions on our right to choose.
all aspects of the right to choose,
Which aspects would those be, Brandon? The right of employers to pay women less than men for the same job (or not hire women at all)? The right to keep legal marriage between a man and woman? The right to a racially-segregated society? The right of schools to expel pregnant young women?
Brandon, stop trolling.
And this isn’t an invitation to discuss whether or not ‘bringing up the economic theories of Milton Friedman in a thread about abortion in order to accuse Democrats of being anti-choice’ is trolling or not, because it is.
Just stop. Don’t do it again.
—Myca
That ALL women, temporarily able and mentally bodied and living with disabilities have control over their own bodies and their sexual and reproductive freedom. Currently many women and girls with disabilities in this country have even less choice than other women.
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HUGE shout out for a guy blogging about choice. I ironically found out that my doctor would not perform my abortion on this day. The ironies were not lost on me. Thanks for speaking out for women’s right to choose.
feminist.professor
blogging my abortion 1outof3 at blogspot