Today is the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
In honor of Dr. George Tiller, who often wore a button that simply read, "Trust Women," this year's Blog for Choice question is: What does “Trust Women” mean to you?
Shall we?
Trust Women is not a plea or a request, but a demand.
A bitch ain’t begging or asking for what is mine by law.
None of my rights have been granted upon request or achieved with ease.
The same is true of reproductive justice.
Those who would deny others reproductive justice do not trust women.
They have encountered women.
Throughout history they have conquered, enslaved, raped, oppressed, shackled, sexualized, pandered, resisted and restricted women.
But they do not trust women.
The women among them do not trust themselves.
Those who would deny others reproductive justice lobby for anti-knowledge abstinence only sex mis-education programs that lack education about…wait for it…sex.
Why?
Because they don’t trust women.
They lobby for parental notification laws that deny teens the right to determine their reproductive health while pregnant then they turn around and lobby against funding the social service programs that teen will need once she’s been forced by law to give birth.
Why?
Because even though they don’t trust young women with reproductive choice, they totally trust them with raising a baby without adequate access to housing, food or continuing education programs.
They want multi-day waiting periods before women can have an abortion…mandatory ultra-sounds…doctors to be required to read anti-choice rhetoric and present that bullshit as facts to their patients…legal requirements for posters and literature to be plastered throughout clinics…they want as many restrictions to accessing legal abortion services as they can get.
Because they know that a right without access isn’t really a right.
They want hospitals to be able to deny rape victims the option of taking emergency contraception…pharmacies and pharmacists to be able to not fill contraception prescriptions.
Why?
Because they do not trust women.
The thing is, these anti-choicers don’t want to trust women.
Trusting women means respecting women and respecting women means acknowledging all of our rights and acknowledging all that would threaten those in power.
And this struggle is all about power…those who have it and intend to keep it and those who need some of it, must struggle to achieve some of it and then struggle more to keep what we get.
Trust Women is not a plea or a request.
Trust Women is what I demand.
Because this bitch ain’t begging or asking for a damn thing.
None of my rights have been granted upon request or achieved with ease.
The same is true of reproductive justice.
I won’t take one step back.
I won’t ask for what is already mine.
And I will not be denied.
Trust that.
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18 comments:
FABULOUS! I am in AWE!
And I will not be denied.
Trust that.
Oh, I trust that.
I also trust that you will continue to make that clear to any fool that doesn't.
Preach it, Shark Fu, from the highest pulpits of the United Church of Bitchitude and Latter Day Drunks!
We demand respect; we demand our rights. We will not back down.
None of my rights have been granted upon request or achieved with ease.
The truth has been spoken! The Republic is in deep shit if we continue down this path.
Wonderful post. Thank you, shark-fu...
Thank-you Shark Fu for you speak the truth that others fear to speak. I am standing with you!bi
Shark-Fu, you have such power in your words. The strength in your statements go so far beyond what I could express in my own thoughts. A demand, yes. A demand for freedom, for equality, for recognition and rights and trust that reach far beyond reproductive decisions and extend into every aspect of daily life. Keep speaking truth to power!
Damn...I am by no means a religous person-but AMEN!!!
After reading your post I came away with the thought that it is about control (it always is) and those that refuse to be controlled, and those that allow themselves to be controlled.
Thanks for the insight.
"Trusting women means respecting women and respecting women means acknowledging all of our rights and acknowledging all that would threaten those in power."
She shoots, she scores!
Oh, I love this post!
I really love this post.
Sorry about the double comment - I thought it didn't take. Doh.
No worries Rachel and thanks for reading!
Hell yeah, this post got me really worked up!
"None of my rights have been granted upon request or achieved with ease."
There are a lot of people on the left who could learn a lot from this single sentence.
Spot on woman!
I missed this as I was very under the damn weather friday.
Amen. Really. You said it best:
The thing is, these anti-choicers don’t want to trust women.
Trusting women means respecting women and respecting women means acknowledging all of our rights and acknowledging all that would threaten those in power.
Yes. They want to control us by telling us we can only have sex for reproduction. That if we have sex for pleasure, then we need to "man up" and live with the consequences. They want to keep us down with forced births, as if that's a good situation to raise a kid in.
Ack. Went on a rant. Didn't mean to hijack the comments.
Wandered over here from another blog (paigeworthy.com)... and glad I did.
I don't know what their problem is but somehow it doesn't seem to be about women at all. I don't think they give a second thought to women because women do not matter to these people. Kids don't matter. All that really matters is them running things they way they want them which is to say to maintain some mythical status quo, where everyone can pull themselves up from their bootstraps and achieve, because America allows this for everyone because its powerful and creates a level playing field. These people live in some fantasy world. I really don't get them at all. I also don't get why we keep even talking to them as if they are logical and rational. The court ruled its done. Let's be about the business of working on this economy and solving our other problems.
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