Why I can't be a Feminist/Lesbian part 1
Jun. 1st, 2009 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
isaacsapphireI’ve been having some difficulties defining myself. I’m kinda sexually attracted to girls, but if I am a lesbian, then I am a Feminist, because lesbian is a subset of Feminist. One of the key elements of Feminism is “a woman’s right to choose (to have an abortion)”.
I was going to keep my big mouth shut on this, but it's too late for that now.
There are a million good arguments why women should be permitted abortions; it’s her body, pregnancy is uncomfortable, inconvenient, dangerous. Children are economically annoying and pregnancy can be socially or professionally disastrous. Surely only a monster would insist that a woman carry the child or rape or incest to term. And of course no one wants an infant with Downs Syndrome or some other birth defect or an IQ of 80 or a high probability thereof or a girl when they really wanted a boy. All good, convincing arguments. I know there are even more.
But...
When does life begin? When does a human being become human? Does a little trip down a vagina make someone human? The original Hippocratic Oath involved the doctor swearing not to assist someone in suicide, take advantage of his position to seduce anyone, female or male (hehe). The physician also swore not to perform or council an abortion. Of course, this is all woefully outdated and patriarchal, I know.
There are multiple cases in current day, both legal and social, where a fetus is considered a person. For example, the murderer of a pregnant woman is judged to have ended two lives.
I did have an argument about how adoption is a nice alternative, but I’ve been told that girls rarely actually go through with it (which does match my own observations) and that it is a “quixotic” solution. So don’t mind this. I’ll just point out that the US adoption system is FUBAR and that we end up importing children by the thousands for adoption, so it’s not like there’s a lack of good homes for the babies if they were put up for adoption.
This entire issue is so filled with rabid idiots on both sides that I imagine a reasonable person would be embarrassed (at minimum) by their compatriots on multiple occasions, whichever side they took. Many pro-abortion folks are so crazy in love with abortion they ignore everything else, including statutory rape, incest, and less invasive methods of birth control in favor of it and act as if abortion is the only issue facing women, ignoring rape and sexual harassment. On the other hand we have pro-lifers who kill abortionists and blow up clinics (which is ultimately harmful to their own cause), or just those who offer no support of any kind to the women they insist should keep their babies, instead ironically socially censuring those who do.
My point is that an unborn person is a human being and should be given the legal and social respect and protection of any human being. On the other hand, if it’s ok to kill people for the crimes of their parents, being socially or economically inconvenient, the wrong sex, handicapped, stupid, or just annoying I know a lot of people who need killing. I’ll probably need a gun for that, but that’s a whole ‘nother rant.
I rushed a little on posting this, so it’s quite possible that there are still some kinks in it and it doesn’t really work as an essay. Call it a statement of personal belief, written too fast. I’m putting this up here in hopes that it will spur some discussion and that perhaps someone will point out some major flaw in my thinking. I have a very small list of beliefs that I’m probably not going to flex on and the humanity of fetuses is one of those. However, feel free to produce evidence to the contrary if you think you have a good case.
Please note: I’m a jerk. I’m a bitch. I’m a hard-hearted bastard. I’m a shame on my race, my species, and my sex. There, it’s been said already. Say something different. I expect to be flamed and treated like an idiot child. Surprise me.
I was going to keep my big mouth shut on this, but it's too late for that now.
There are a million good arguments why women should be permitted abortions; it’s her body, pregnancy is uncomfortable, inconvenient, dangerous. Children are economically annoying and pregnancy can be socially or professionally disastrous. Surely only a monster would insist that a woman carry the child or rape or incest to term. And of course no one wants an infant with Downs Syndrome or some other birth defect or an IQ of 80 or a high probability thereof or a girl when they really wanted a boy. All good, convincing arguments. I know there are even more.
But...
When does life begin? When does a human being become human? Does a little trip down a vagina make someone human? The original Hippocratic Oath involved the doctor swearing not to assist someone in suicide, take advantage of his position to seduce anyone, female or male (hehe). The physician also swore not to perform or council an abortion. Of course, this is all woefully outdated and patriarchal, I know.
There are multiple cases in current day, both legal and social, where a fetus is considered a person. For example, the murderer of a pregnant woman is judged to have ended two lives.
I did have an argument about how adoption is a nice alternative, but I’ve been told that girls rarely actually go through with it (which does match my own observations) and that it is a “quixotic” solution. So don’t mind this. I’ll just point out that the US adoption system is FUBAR and that we end up importing children by the thousands for adoption, so it’s not like there’s a lack of good homes for the babies if they were put up for adoption.
This entire issue is so filled with rabid idiots on both sides that I imagine a reasonable person would be embarrassed (at minimum) by their compatriots on multiple occasions, whichever side they took. Many pro-abortion folks are so crazy in love with abortion they ignore everything else, including statutory rape, incest, and less invasive methods of birth control in favor of it and act as if abortion is the only issue facing women, ignoring rape and sexual harassment. On the other hand we have pro-lifers who kill abortionists and blow up clinics (which is ultimately harmful to their own cause), or just those who offer no support of any kind to the women they insist should keep their babies, instead ironically socially censuring those who do.
My point is that an unborn person is a human being and should be given the legal and social respect and protection of any human being. On the other hand, if it’s ok to kill people for the crimes of their parents, being socially or economically inconvenient, the wrong sex, handicapped, stupid, or just annoying I know a lot of people who need killing. I’ll probably need a gun for that, but that’s a whole ‘nother rant.
I rushed a little on posting this, so it’s quite possible that there are still some kinks in it and it doesn’t really work as an essay. Call it a statement of personal belief, written too fast. I’m putting this up here in hopes that it will spur some discussion and that perhaps someone will point out some major flaw in my thinking. I have a very small list of beliefs that I’m probably not going to flex on and the humanity of fetuses is one of those. However, feel free to produce evidence to the contrary if you think you have a good case.
Please note: I’m a jerk. I’m a bitch. I’m a hard-hearted bastard. I’m a shame on my race, my species, and my sex. There, it’s been said already. Say something different. I expect to be flamed and treated like an idiot child. Surprise me.
