Thursday, July 7, 2016

If You are Against Abortion, You Endorse Male Privilege




Let me preface by saying my title is an opinion. It is my opinion. And I will try and persuade you that it is a good opinion. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who are against abortion who are actually very intelligent feminists. But I still believe they are idiots.

In order to never, or hopefully never, be faced with the decision to abort a child, I underwent voluntary sterilization. That's right, I got my tubes tied. Well, to be more specific, burned to pieces. Because while I am in favor of abortion, I don't know if I could go through it myself. Which also  helps me to understand what a difficult decision it is for women who face it. I am still struggling to come to terms with my inability to reproduce, and I've gone through a sort of mourning, but I'm glad I will probably never have to think about abortion. You see, I probably shouldn't have have two babies to begin with, having a swallowing disorder, below average sized pelvis, and short stature. Both of my pregnancies ended with complications, and both of my children suffered physical deformities. I love them more than anything, but my selfish choice to be a mother brought them unnecessary suffering, even as limitedly sentient new infants, it was still painful for them.

I'm sorry ladies, existence shat on us. We evolved to bear the burden of sexuality. For hundreds of thousands of years, women have become pregnant, more often than not forcefully, born a child, nursed and weaned that child, and then have done it again. A man has no obligation or responsibility once the sperm leaves his body. Ethically, morally maybe, but biologically, he is not required at all. His part is played. And a woman's is just beginning.

Women have been effectively enslaved by men's sexuality. And when brute force was no longer enough, religion took over. After sex a man can walk away scott free. A women is one of a few things : pregnant, emotionally traumatized, physically traumatized, ready to go again. Pregnant means a choice, abortion or 18 year commitment. Emotionally or physically traumatized refers to rape and abuse. And ready to go again means consensual and probably protection and/or birth control used.

Again, men can just walk away. I'm not saying men do not suffer from abuse, they certainly can and are abused sexually. But the result for them is never a pregnancy. Maybe STDs or PTSD, but never pregnancy. They just are biologically incapable of growing a baby within their body. I think that is common knowledge though, so we'll move on.

Evolution has also selected for larger males and smaller females. Humans are not the only animals with this gender dynamic. We see is across the great apes and many other animal species. Sometimes the males stick with their female or harem of females to help rear and care for offspring, and sometimes they are no where to be found. Elephants, for example, are matriarchal, and have family groups of females and offspring while males rove. Lions have harems, but still the females typically raise the offspring. Geese, have mated pairs and both parents care for their offspring equally, both males and females incubating the eggs once lain.

Humans, well, we started out very much like great apes. With hunting/gathering males bringing in resources for harems of females caring for offspring. We created societies in part to help care for offspring, which gave males more responsibility past donating sperm, consensually or not. We created morals to dictate what was ethical in terms of child care, which included males being present during the rearing of their offspring. However, this did not alleviate the biological burden for women in anyway. Women still bore and nursed the baby. And a man could, and would, walk away.

Abortion, the termination of pregnancy, is not a new concept. In fact, women have been receiving abortions for thousands of years. Safely? Not really, but yes, abortion has been around.

Abortion is a threat to male superiority. It takes away a man's ability to effectively impregnate a female and see that pregnancy to fruition. It takes away his control over the female body. It removes his authority over female sexuality. And that makes men scared.

Let's be honest, we are biologically programmed to value our own existence. We are biologically programmed to value human life above all other life. We are biologically driven to reproduce, because a species can only continue if offspring are produced. That is intuitive. But, do we really need to be slaves to our biology? And women, do we really need to be slaves to male sexuality?

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on the research and production of female birth control. However, we aren't we pursuing male birth control just as vigorously. Why? There isn't enough interest to pursue the research. And, oddly enough, many research companies say it is because there just isn't enough money. Why? Because even in protection, women bear the burden. If a woman becomes pregnant, and it is unwanted, it is typically her fault. She should have been more careful, she should have been on something, she shouldn't have been messing around, its her responsibility now. And men? Probably should have worn a condom. But no big deal, its not like he's going to get pregnant.

A man has no obligation or responsibility in a pregnancy. He should, but the focus is on the woman. She is a horrible person for considering abortion. She is irresponsible, and that's how she got pregnant. She just wants to have sex without consequences, that is why she is considering abortion. Even in cases of rape, a woman is more often than not told to carry the child and either raise it, or give it up for adoption. Even if she has been abused, she would be considered a terrible human being for thinking to abort.

This is in part thanks to a little something called religion. Humans are a funny species. Very arrogant too. We think we are from divine origins, and therefore have dominion over the entire planet and everything on it. We think our lives are more sacred than any other animal, and have an insane need to preserve our own species. To a point, right? We are perfectly okay exterminating anyone who doesn't agree with us, but we have to preserve the unborn conceived of rape.

Why? Why are humans so hellbent on absolving abortion? We have effectively conquered the entire planet. Raped the natural world. Expended almost all of our fossil fuels and resources. Driven hundreds of thousands of species to extinction. We happily slaughter animals for our clothing and consumption, but won't bat an eye at a child naked and starving in the street. But oh ho ho, we will picket and protest outside of Planned Parenthood.

Men and religion have enslaved women, and it needs to stop. Women have a right to their own body, and this includes a decision to bear a child or not. Of course, none of us would be here were it not for our mother's sacrificing their bodies. But if we didn't exist, we wouldn't know the difference. I believe we have a moral obligation to endorse abortion and make it save and available to any woman who desires to have one. Our planet is over populated as it is, take religious morals out of the equation and begin to understand we have a responsibility to limit and control our population growth. We have, maybe, 100 years left of fossil fuels. We have maybe 100 years left of resources to sustain, poorly, our current rate of population expansion. Wars will be fought over food. More and more children are going to die in infancy. More and more mothers are going to watch their babies starve.

So prochoice aside, I honestly think we have a moral obligation to endorse birth control, abortion and sterilization.

Back to men enslaving women. Abortion is a threat to our current way of life, a chauvinistic way of life. Where men are the primary breadwinners and women are still encouraged to stay home and raise children. Where a teen mother is mocked in the halls for her bad choices and no one even thinks about the teen father. Where a girl impregnated by her abusive father is encouraged and counseled to carry her child to term. Where women suffering from miscarriage are turned away from medical intervention on religious grounds. Where a woman who is not prepared for the financial or emotional burden of raising a child is mocked and harassed as she walks from her car to the clinic door. Where a woman is blamed, and a man is applauded.

Its wrong. It needs to stop. Bottom line, men's control over women would be turned on its head if we embraced abortion. Patriarchy would die. Sexuality would finally start to be more of a shared burden. With less placed on the woman's shoulders. Women would finally be able to be in control of their own bodies the way men are. We do not say men have an obligation to raise their children, but we do say a woman has an obligation to carry a pregnancy to term.

I do however, have a solution. If abortion cannot be accepted, we should implement this practice. The father of any pregnancy that would have resulted in an abortion should be castrated. This removes his ability to create more unwanted pregnancies and ensures he has no control over his body or his own sexuality. And as a castrated male, he will be more able to care for the child that would have been aborted because he will be unable to create more offspring to be responsible for.

I also propose that we stop research and development on female birth control immediately, and divert all dollars and time to the research and development of male birth control. While a woman can only become pregnant with one man's offspring at a time, a man can effectively father as many babies as he can ejaculate. It makes more sense that his sexuality and his propagation be controlled.

Further more, birth control, abortion and sterilization should be made available and affordable to anyone who wants them. And get rid of the 30 day waiting period for female sterilization, because it does not exist for men. Yet another evidence of male privilege.

It's time to stop being so egotistical human race. It's time to stop being so selfish. It's time to stop being so naive. It's time to stop being so misogynistic and chauvinistic in our moral and ethical codes. We're not anything special. We just were more successful than any other species. But that doesn't make us divine. Or give us an inherent right to life. It certainly does not give men power, or dump  the burden of passion on women. Take some responsibility men, and women, stand up for the right to govern your own body.

Do you have to like abortion? No. Do you have to get one? No. But does that mean you get to keep others from receiving one? Absolutely not. Your ideology should not be imposed on others. The practice of abortion is voluntary. Making it legal and affordable does not force you to have one. It does not change what you believe. But making it illegal does harm those who would need or want to receive one. And you continue to have privilege over them. And that is wrong. Your religion, your ideas, your insecurities, do not trump another person's. Their abortion does not harm you in any way. It does not affect you, your ability to work, your ability to interact, earn money, raise children, have sex, or be happy. But you saying they cannon have an abortion, or they are a bad person if they do, does harm them. Wake up.


***I would like to take a moment to thank all of the wonderful men who father children. Who are monogamous partners and try to be involved in every aspect of their child's life. Fatherhood is just as important as motherhood. I do hope you realize that is not my argument here. My argument is that women have been at the mercy of men's and their passion, and that the biological burden of reproduction is on the woman. I would like to see this change. And I would like to continue to see men like you caring for and rearing offspring in virtually every way a woman can.**

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