The Problem with Women’s Rights
I recently had my first public Facebook confrontation. I posted the above picture of Lola Kirke at the Golden Globes. It had gotten a ton of attention because Ms. Kirke chose to wear a strapless dress and dared NOT to shave her armpits. Later I learned that she even got death threats for doing such a “hideous” thing: using her star status to let people know she’s a real woman. To make matters worse, she had worn a pin on her dress as a commentary on what she felt about Paul Ryan and his efforts to cut funding to Planned Parenthood. When I shared the story, I said that I was sad that the headline was focusing on the body hair instead of her political standpoint on Women’s Rights. The comments started raining in.
I’m always open to listening and having an open conversation with anyone. However, what surprised me was that lots of people jumped in to attack Planned Parenthood and turn the conversation to abortion. And it was not only abortion, but “partial-birth” abortion. Also, the most staunch and confrontational about this point were men. This made me seriously consider: why do men have a say on our reproductive rights?
If a couple gets pregnant, the man has the choice to stay or go. As a woman, you have no option. That baby is going to grow in her and be part of her and her life; regardless if she choses to keep the baby or not. Taking in consideration the length of time and the social stigma that being a single mother brings, it is not surprising that lots of women and girls chose to terminate pregnancy. And that’s in a case where rape or violence is not involved.
Women’s Rights and Inequality
Many men could think that it is unfair to talk about Women’s Rights. Is there such a thing about Men’s Rights? The truth is that even if the world’s female population is 49.6%, and 50.4% in the US according to the World Bank, in governmental representation we’re a minority in this country. According to Rutgers, in 2015 only 19.4% of congress were women — 20% in the senate, 19.4% in the House of Representatives. There’s also a huge wage gap between women and men worldwide. If we compound on top of that the fact that mothers are subject to double standards in the workplace (in most career paths, at least), then the gap becomes bigger and the opportunities lower. So, is it that incomprehensible for some men that women want to have access and options to decide what to do with their bodies and their lives?
Rape and violence against women is also a worldwide problem. If a man abuses a woman and she ends up pregnant, isn’t it just common sense that she doesn’t want to be reminded of such action for 9 months and a baby? Each case where abortion is contemplated is unique and has its own story. It is not fair to treat and shame anyone for their decision. When abortion is not possible in the first trimester, there are many circumstances that need to be considered. It should be up to the physician and the woman to decide the best course of action. Not for anyone else.
On Planned Parenthood
Coming back to Planned Parenthood, what they do as an organization is to provide free health access to Women’s care. This involves sexual education and access to contraceptives, testing for std’s, pap smears, mammograms, pregnancy services and also abortion. Cutting funding for Planned Parenthood will leave thousands, if not millions, without access to care. As health care is not a social service in this country, what will happen to all those women and couples who will have nowhere to go?
And if people have no access to contraception, there will be a higher need for abortion. This is what conservatives and republicans are against… so, what is the option they give? I don’t understand the logic behind de-funding an organization that does what the government should do. If this administration gets rid of Obamacare too, where does that leave the poorest and most unprotected people in our society?
A Broken System
Wealth inequality in this country is on the rise, and the poorest families (about 10% of the population) are now not accumulating wealth but debt. Putting further financial burden on the poorest families cutting access to contraceptives and education services will make matters worse for everyone. The fact that some people, due to their religious believes or their personal interests, can’t see the problem is staggering. That’s why, in closing, I’m really stunned that the media and the people focused on criticizing Ms. Kirke’s choice. Honestly, by not shaving her pits she vehemently demonstrated how broken the whole system is in regards to how people perceive women’s rights.
Yes all day with this post!! I feel the same exact way as you do on the attack on women’s rights! I have signed petitions and sent emails to elected officials and hope to be able to join the fight in other ways soon. I don’t like to post on my blog on such touchy topics but I applaud you for doing so!
Thank you for your comment! I do agree on the touchiness of the subject, but it really shouldn’t be so! I think as women we have to come together and seize our own rights.
My personal view has always been, unless you are paying my rent, you don’t get a say on how I live my life or what I do with my body. On a more serious note, I would not choose to have an abortion unless the circumstances were such that I had no choice. That is MY choice and mine alone. Every woman should always have the right to make that choice for herself. It is between herself, her beliefs and her partner if they choose to decide together. The religious angle neglects to take into consideration the fact that not everyone believes the same thing. Some people believe in reincarnation, others disagree with life starting at conception and so on. Unfortunately, the keyboard activists are getting braver, more ignorant and much less informed. This will always be a fight for feminists.
I think that even if they pay your rent no one should have a say on your body! But I completely understand the point. I do believe that the only people who should have a say in women’s rights are women, but that’s not about to happen anytime soon. It is really sad how intolerance and religion get in the way of rights! Thanks for commenting.
That’s exactly why Lola Kirke decided to show up with unshaved armpits and a pin, because she wanted to provoke a conversation, which is exactly what happened. This needs to happen more often, all the time, and we should let the conversation go where it may- women’s rights, rape, abuse, reproductive care, abortion. These are all issues that loom large over any woman’s life and are rarely discussed in a civilized manner.
Fabiola, I just realized I never replied to your comment!! I think you’re totally right, and I do hope that the conversation could be done in a more constructive and civil way. My whole point was that the conversation that was sparked had more to do with her unshaven armpits and how awful it is for an actress to present herself like that in public rather than her stand on women’s rights.
Thank you Erika for your article and to touch on such subjects not all are aware of. Many would believe this only happens in eastern countries and other countries where people are less educated, seeing this happen in the west is a shame on humanity it shows how sexism is still a part of our culture,bizarre especially in the 21 st century. Me being a muslim born women in the west am aware of abortion rights my religion allows abortion when its a health risk or comes to rape. What I find alarming is many rights are now give due to its cause transgender rights even to the point a 10 year old child can determine what sex they want to be.
Thank you so much for your comment. I think it is important to start a conversation and listen to other people’s points of views. If we are willing to lend an ear to what other people say and live, then we can start developing empathy and understanding for other women and their stories.