I thought the talk on Wed. about the dangers of passing amendment 48 was horrifying. I am pro-choice under any circumstances. I've always thought it is ludicrous that politicians who are mostly male even care if a woman has a child or not. The decision a woman makes to get an abortion does not affect them in any way so I simply can't wrap my head around why they're concerned. I always figured amendments like this one would harm people closer to my own demographic. Unmarried women who aren't ready for a baby yet or have things they want to accomplish in life before they begin having children or anyone who doesn't feel they can handle a baby financially or emotionally or whatever the case may be.
But what Lynn spoke of really opened my eyes. I never thought this amendment would be used against pregnant women. During her talk I again found myself completely confused about why anyone besides the mother and father and their friends and family would care about the fate of their child. Why do doctors and lawyers feel so strongly about the infants chance at life that they strip the mother of her rights as a human being just to make sure the child makes it? After soaking in Lynn's talk and the articles we read it seemed like the moment a woman becomes pregnant she becomes a criminal or at least a suspect, who everyone assumes is not looking out for the best interest of her child. If this amendment gets passed, or even if it doesn't, whenever it becomes time for me to start having children I think I will be afraid that I won't be able to make my own decisions and will be forced to have a C-section or put in jail because I had one glass of wine during my pregnancy or something equally ridiculous. I think all the ideologies surrounding this amendment are completely out of whack and just plain wrong and women who become pregnant shouldn't have to live in fear of doing something wrong or worry that they won't get to make important decisions regarding their own body.
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I absolutely agree. While I know that, in some ways, I am probably more or less protected because of my class and race status, what about the women who aren't? It is important that we fight not only for our own rights, but for the rights of women as an entire group.
And, based on Lynn's talk, it would appear that, while poor women of color are targeted the most, any and every pregnant woman may be targeted and lose her rights. It kind of reminds me of that old quote regarding the Holocaust, where they came for the Jews, then the gypsies, then gay people, etc., and by the time they came for you, no one was left to come to your defense.
So-called pro-choice women who say that they government's 'only targeting poor, black women on drugs' need to realize not only how elitist and prejudicial that statement is, but also the fact that once they strip away the rights of 'other' women, it's only a matter of time before they strip them away from *all* women.
Adding on to Raishel's comment, I would also like to say I agree with her and that it is not right. By so called "extending" person-hood rights to innocent babies sounds like a good idea, it does not consider the potential repercussions of such an act and whom it will actually effect.
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