Abortion Rights, Reality, Responsibility, and Respect
The core of reproduction as it effects women’s lives is what we pay attention to in the movement for women’s freedom. It’s not only about rights. It’s about reality, responsibility, and respect. Rights are not enough. We need more. Last week I attended a heartening celebration in Denver called Don’t Rewind Roe, hosted by Protect Families Protect Choice, which is a coalition of major women’s organizations in Colorado. We listened to an inter-generational panel of three accomplished women, each of whom spoke with deep intelligence and sophistication about the importance of safe, legal abortion. They reminded us how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. Each presenter was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Each was calm and unapologetic. The exchange centered in the lives of women from three designated generations–“pre-Roe,” “gen x,” and “millennial.” Each speaker offered her perspective about her own life, her family relationships, and her understanding of the impact of legal abortion. We were treated to film clips from the three eras, which augmented the dramatic changes that have taken place in the status of women. If you want to be reminded about how it was for women forty years ago–pre-feminist movement–take a look at those old movies and TV shows. As a pre-Roe woman I can tell you, it’s harrowing. We have entered the fortieth year since Roe v Wade. Millions of women have been able to obtain safe, legal abortions when they needed them. Millions of lives were saved because women determined when and whether to carry a pregnancy to term. But we are under threat and the threat is increasing in volume and virulence. It’s looking like the rousingly hysterical anti-abortion rhetoric that has taken over the Republican party will dictate much what goes on in the presidential election. Those who would make abortion illegal again have waged a relentless campaign to convince people that having a baby is always better than having an abortion, and that women have abortions because they don’t understand that it would be okay to have the baby. Neither of these is true of course. Women have abortions for all kinds of reasons, and underlying their decisions is a flashing light of clarity that having a baby with that particular pregnancy is not the right thing to do. There is nothing wrong with having an abortion. There is no reason to feel bad about it or to qualify it in any way. It isn’t a “necessary choice” or a “sad choice” or an “unfortunate choice.” It is a good choice, as good a choice as continuing a pregnancy, just different. The defensiveness that some of us feel is a natural reaction to the nasty opposition that has been escalating in ferocity since Roe, but it is not helpful to women. At this point in the struggle it is crucial that everyone become absolutely clear that there is nothing to apologize for when it comes to abortion. That old idea that every abortion is a tragedy implies that there is something wrong with it, and there isn’t. This is one of the reasons I wrote Life Choices, to reclaim the legitimate place of abortion in life. Lots has been happening with the book. I will be doing a WEST COAST TOUR in March, beginning in San Francisco, driving up to Ashland and Portland, and then to Seattle. This is being put together as we speak. Very exciting. Any and all help with contacts and connections is welcome. Please let me know if you can help, or if you want me to come to your area. An essay I wrote was just published...
Read MoreTen Ways to Stay Connected to Life
Doesn’t it bother you that people who hold an extremely narrow view of reproductive health have commandeered the word life? For example, bumper stickers that say Choose Life, are invariably anti-abortion. The pro-choice camp often responds with slogans like Protect Choice. There’s nothing wrong with that phrase, but it might not be the best response because it plays into the idea that somehow those of us for whom legal abortion is a blessing are not in favor of life. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When women choose abortion they are choosing life as much as when they choose to continue a pregnancy. Both choices are life choices. Both choices are considered choices and involve deep reasoning and a lot of heart. The specifics of this is diverse and complicated. Each woman’s relationship to pregnancy involves myriad aspects of her life and life in general. Her ability to bring forth new life from her body encompasses her physiology and her psychology, and… her spirituality. Her judgment about the outcome of a pregnancy reflects an ancient and innate responsibility. We all know this, and yet we are faced with growing extremism in the name of life that denies what actually happens in real life. It’s a little wearying to say the least. The best way to stay strong in the face of this is to stay consciously connected to All Life—the interconnected oneness of existence. This is important for both clarity about our work in the world and for our mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. I think it’s especially important this time of year when the stress of the holidays threatens to take over our lives. Here are ten ways you can stay connected to life: 1. Meditate on a regular basis. (Sit in a quiet place with a straight spine. Breathe deeply and normally. Relax.) 2. Take walks. 3. Make contact with non-human nature—ground, sky, plants, rocks, animals. 4. Remember where you are—Earth. 5. Breathe consciously. 6. Make a list of everyone and everything you love. 7. Eat well and drink enough water. 8. Talk with your friends and stay connected with your community. 9. Remember that deeply rooted power relations don’t uproot easily. They change over the long haul and require the courage and persistence of the people seeking change. 10. Remember that the universe and all it manifests is vast. Trust the process. Have a wonderful holiday season. Happy...
Read MoreLife Choices Blog Tour—The Conversation
Our first Blog Tour for Life Choices came to an end today. A big THANK YOU to all the bloggers for their interest and support. Thanks also to Sentient Publications for bringing it all together. You can get to the blogs and their reviews/interviews by clicking on the LINKS in the SIDEBAR on the right side of this or any page of my site. I am heartened by what most of these bloggers have to say about Life Choices. A good number of them are young and all of them are passionate about feminism and about reproductive freedom; they’re also extremely knowledgeable about the issues. They’ve given me a good feeling about the way blogs and bloggers work and the importance of this form of participation in the social conversation. After all, I’m new to the blog world. There was one blogger whose review was mostly negative about both the book and me. I feel compelled to comment on some of what she said. I’ll start where she ends. She wrote, “Now is not the time to get in touch with our inner goddess. Now is the time to hurl bricks.” I can’t imagine a worse idea. Hurl bricks? You could hurt someone, even someone you don’t mean to hurt. Plus, her remark (“inner goddess” being a term of her own making) implies that spirituality and politics are opposed to each other and that you have to choose one or the other. I don’t think that’s true, and it’s not helpful to set up false dichotomies in the interest of sounding militant. It just isn’t necessary. To call meditation or the ancient ceremony of the vision quest “new agey” is ridiculous on the face of it, but you can’t really know that unless you educate yourself about what they are. I invite that reviewer and anyone else to do that. She also wrote that the stories in Life Choices about the women and their abortions “are touching, but out of place in an increasingly hostile political and social environment.” To me this shows a real lack of understanding with regard to the importance of women’s experiences with abortion. Out of place? Really? I don’t know about you, but the only social movement I want to be part of puts the stories of people in the center of its focus. History shows us that the most successful freedom movements are the ones that keep their eyes on the prize and don’t succumb to the tactics of the opposition. Last week I had the pleasure of sharing speaking time with a pastor from the Colorado chapter of RCRC (Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice). We were each asked to speak about spiritual issues and abortion at a Women’s Health staff meeting. It was an honor as well as a pleasure to be in such good company. This is all to be continued of course. The conversation is important and will go on for a long time. We all have to hang in there, take care of ourselves, and stay clear about how we want to move in the world. I’m grateful to anyone who expresses their thoughts about what’s in Life Choices. I’m grateful for it all. Happy...
Read More