What a revolting situation.
Religious fundamentalists are everywhere, pulling political strings and buying off politicians all the way up to the Oval office, to back up their campaign to remove our hard won civil right to reproductive freedom, and send us back to the good ol days when we were first and foremost, breeding machines . Don’t kid yourself that its only abortion that want to get rid of. (Or make impossible to access one way or other), it’s the morning after pill too, and birth control itself isn’t far behind.
If that’s not bad enough, (and it is), now we have groups like “Democrats For Life”, plus many “progressive” men within our own so called liberal party, who want to elect anti choice candidates all over the place, because it’s politically expedient. “Don’t worry”, they tell us, “Once we’ve got control of congress back, THEN your rights will be protected!” (WTF! Do we look STUPID? And we should trust any men in power with our reproductive freedoms…exactly WHY?) Face it: until those men can get pregnant (and as long as they’re getting plenty of sex,) reproductive rights for women will never be their top priority.
Sisters, it’s time to take control of our own lives and our own freedoms! (TOWANDA!)
Will those of us who really don’t want to become mamas have to give up sex altogether, in order to be absolutely sure we don’t get pregnant? ( or get some lovely STD??) Of course not!
There are other perfectly good options, such as becoming a lesbian, (hey, if you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it. I’m serious!) OR we can become skilled experts at the art of “self love”, (after a trip to the “toy store” where you will find a selection of designer penises that will knock you socks off!)
I know, I know, it’s not quite the same as getting it on with a handsome hunk after a nice romantic candle lit dinner, but think this one through with me, just for a minute! Just pretend that we had the unity to all say “Uh Uh. Not tonight. Not tomorrow night either. In fact, not at all, not until I know for sure and certain that “I” am in full control of whatever happens in my own body, as a result of having sex with you!” ”
How long do you think it would take those religious fanatics to back off if they weren’t getting any? How long would it take our “pro life Dems” to decide maybe they needed to rethink their stand on reproductive rights? And how long would our dear “progressive leaders” be willing to go without, before deciding it’s really NOT such a good idea to bargain away women’s freedoms for political victories?
Don’t be fooled, sisters. This whole damned thing is about control. It’s about re-asserting male control of women’s lives, by controlling our bodies and our reproductive freedoms. It’s about removing unwanted competition out there in the “real word” by women who have become entirely too big for their britches, who no longer know their “proper place.” as decreed by a patriarchal religious ideology that created by men, and from which men have benefitted for generations. They are going for a return to the ” good old days,” when a women existed to serve her man, her children, her family, her home, and her church, before ever even thinking of herself and her own needs. I came from those days. I lived in those days. I know what life is like in that kind of a world. You do not..repeat..you do NOT want to let this happen again.
So, if I was a fairy godmother..(wait a minute ..I AM!), I would be waving my magic wand like crazy right now, so that ALL women would “JUST SAY NO!” until all the puffed up arrogant, ignorant, misogynist males who THINK they are in charge, would have to cry
UNCLE!!” and then finally get on with accepting AND supporting what has not yet been accepted by far too many men: that women have a constitutional right to the exact kind of sovereign control over our bodies that men have always had over theirs. As well as all the other equal rights that are still being given lip service all too often.
TOWANDA!
(crossposted from OurWord.org)
I believe this is called the Lysistrata strategy.It worked for me!
Wasn’t Code Pink doing readings of that play about a year ago?
Or, er…not doing anyone’s parts, as the case may be. Haven’t had sex with any bio-men since the 80s, darlin’. I haven’t ruled it out categorically or anything, but the stars just never seem to line up right for it, and the possibility of pregnancy in any sort of political climate is always a major issue.
Forget the withholding of intercourse, let’s really hurt them. Any man who is anti-abortion must agree to be chemically castrated so that he will never be responsible for any unwanted pregnancy. And that way they also won’t have to worry about miscarriages and fertilized eggs going down drain.
You’re more generous than I am, AndiF. I suggested to a (male) friend recently that we institute mandatory vasectomies for all men at puberty. Why make distinctions between anti-abortion men and others? If the anti-choice crowd can apply a single broad-brush policy to women, I’m sure a similarly undiscriminating approach to male reproductive health will be just dandy with them. Right?
And after all, a vasectomy can later be reversed to allow a man to father children. You know, after he’s proved himself deserving. There’ll have to be a waiting period, of course, and written permission from his wife or girlfriend. Maybe a fact sheet about the links between vasectomy reversal and testicular cancer. No insurance coverage, so poor men will be out of luck — but whoever said the poor have any kind of right to autonomy or self-determination?
And while we’re at, if Plan B emergency contraception can’t be made available over the counter for fear that it will turn young girls promiscuous, how about we revoke the FDA approval of Viagra and related drugs? Seems to me that reducing the number of dirty old men would serve that goal as well…the hell with science!
of that topic at my pharmacy grad-school class last week…Pretty sad, the teacher and I were the only ones who were really aware of what was going on, and most of the class was dumbfounded.
because a vasectomy doesn’t interfere with having sex. I want these guys to be eunuchs.
When I was 42, (1982) I was a recently “out” lesbian when I came up with a suspicions Pap smear. I wanted to have a hysterectomy. Doc says no..we can do a lesser procedure to get rid of the bad cells, and (get this!)you’re young yet: you might still want children someday.” Huh? I say no to that: it’s my body, my uterus, I’ve got two grown kids and sure as heck don’t want anymore, so give me my hysterectomy already!
Bottom line? I finally got it but only after agreeding to bring both of my adult daughters in to show that they “approved”. I wonder how many 42 year old men have to get their kids permission to have a vascectomy?
Interestingly, in 1977, in a small Indiana city (population 30K), I got a tubal ligation at 27, having no kids.
It makes you realize how much difference getting the ‘right’ doctor makes.
There ought to be some ethical standard that says that doctors don’t have a right to make decisions about a person’s reproductive future.
You’re damn right it’s all about control. Too many men, in their heart of hearts, want a world where each individual man has exclusive sexual access to all women; at some level they continue to compete against each other for women’s bodies. It’s other men who count; women are just booty.
The ones who work hardest to limit women’s autonomy, including the “liberal” men who’d blithely trade our bodily sovereignty for a few mythical centrist votes, are terrified of a world where women have real equality. When we finally have equal status, equal access, and, most importantly, enough economic independence to care for ourselves and our children, those men will never get laid, and they know it.
It’s going to be very hard for most women to just say no. We have to fight the male fantasy myths first. Remember when domestic violence was “home correction”, and nobody talked about it ? It was women having the courage to tell the truth about their lives that challenged the happy families myth.
It’s time to start telling the truth again, first to ourselves, then to the world.
There are only two good legitimate reasons for having intercourse with a man:
All the other reasons, even the nice ones like “I love him and don’t want to hurt his feelings”, or “I want him to hold me”, are the painful result of women’s second class status. No one, absolutely no one should ever have to trade sex for what she really wants or needs.
The first step is to TELL THE TRUTH. Our value in the sexual market place is determined by male consumers’ standards, and conforming to them reinforces our status as things–desirable things, but things none the less. Every time we lie to please them, we’re selling ourselves out, selling good men short, and increasing the pressure on all women to do the same.
Stop starving, playing dumb, losing at games, deferring, making up, dressing up, and pretending to be “hot” when you’re not.
Prepare to be poorer than you’d be with a man. Prepare to be attacked for stepping out of role.
Telling the truth has a very high cost for women, but I promise you one thing. When the man you choose tells you he loves you just the way you are, you can believe him.
Let me amend rule one:
Even if you’re panting with desire for that particular man, intercourse may not be your love-making of choice. There are plenty of ways people can successfully pleasure one another without it.