For weeks, if not months, there have been references in the media to a Republican “War on Women” that is manifesting itself in legislation that seeks to limit access to contraception and legal abortions. Additionally, there’s been a right v. left, liberal v. conservative kerfuffle surrounding comments made about whether Ann Romney is a working woman with a ‘real job’ or simply a stay-at-home-mom, as well as the recent Time magazine article that asked women if they were “Mom Enough” to subscribe to attachment parenting.
From my relatively liberal, feminist viewpoint, concerns over access to reproductive health are valid and I, too, fear what will/might/could happen if contraception and abortion become increasingly inaccessible. Yet, I know that for everyone who shares my opinion, there are others who find my interpretation of feminism distasteful. Last semester, I researched Concerned Women for America, which is a conservative women’s organization with membership larger than NOW (National Organization of Women). They too define themselves as feminists and as working for women’s issues, but this takes a very different form as they fight the conservative side of the War against Women.
I find this article interesting because it illustrates the simple fact that despite having certain biological similarities, women cannot be addressed as an ideologically-unified block. (As a caveat, I’m posting this article not because I subscribe to any of its viewpoints, but because I think it’s important to understand the arguments made by those on the other side of any argument).
I wasn't able to open the article, but I agree with you: we need to hear other women's point of views, especially because we are not a "unified block", we are not a homogeneous mass. In one of my classes a fellow classmate commented on the importance of disagreement. Although consensus is important and it's what we should strive for, true deliberative democracy has to have space of dissent, for dialogue. For conflict resolution processes to be effective, a process of dialogue needs to take place. We have to understand that one: change takes time, and two: that it will not always go the "way we want to". Regarding women's sexual and reproductive rights, I think that all women should have access to the same information and services, and to the freedom of choice. An important part of being or feeling empowered is that I can make choices. If I want to understand why others make different choices and open the possibility for transformation, then I have to be open to really trying to understand them and not impose my own perspectives on freedom, choice and feminism.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I liked the picture.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think that it might be a good idea to not separate us, from the others. I mean that women need to have a voice. However this should not be an argument at all, since every human beings need to have a voice, not only us. We have all the rights that everyone has.