Sleepycatz

Suffer-age

Amanda, at Pandagon, has been spreading the word about a feminist blogger (BB), who being denied prompt access to emergency contraception (EC) has found herself pregnant and now is seeking an abortion. I have worked in and around the EC access movement for years, and fortunately, here in Illinois, we have an enlightened governor who has mandated that pharmacists fill any EC prescription.

Many women are denied access to EC on a daily basis. What has made BB’s case so extraordinary is that it finally brings into the open the hatred and vitriol many of these women are subjected to. Unfortunately, BB’s experience is not rare. Women seeking EC are often denigrated by physicians and pharmacists, and even themselves, for engaging in the act of sex, and then seeking to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. BB has had to endure taunts and vicious name calling, and even physical threats, for simply seeking quick access to legal contraception. Because she wasn’t able to access the medication quickly enough, she now is undergoing further degradation due to her decision to terminate the pregnancy. BB has summarized her feelings and experience in a very powerful post.

BB’s experience, like that of so many other women, should appall and anger all of us. For centuries women’s sexuality has been framed as the moral barometer of society. And women, who God forbid, acknowledged that they had sex — or worse, that they enjoyed it — have been beaten, burned, scalded, and shamed into submission. As we march backwards towards the middle ages in this country, there is a growing movement to reduce women, and their bodies, to property once again — either as physical property of a man, or as the symbolic property of society. This is nothing short slavery.

Even as a teenager, I found it ironic that men and boys who seem so preoccupied in their desire for sex are usually the first ones to scold women who engage in the activity. Those who condemn BB do not view her as a human being, but as an object to which some moral certitude can be applied. We can scarcely comprehend what anguish, rage, and uncertainty BB has had to contend with throughout this tragedy, but we should all be grateful that she, unlike many others, has been able to share parts of it with us. I urge you read the links in this post, and offer BB your well wishes.

This entry was posted by steve on Sunday, October 8th, 2006 at 3:19 pm and is filed under Injustices, Misc. Ramblings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.