On “women’s issues” in the 2012 election.
A friend of mine recently commented on my Facebook status, which was a posting of the “Mitt Romney is bad for women” video that I reblogged from the Obama campaign’s tumblr. She commented, en quote that “women’s issues are privileged issues, in that they largely deal with reproductive rights, which exclude trans women” and that they overwhelm other political convictions of females.
My response:
I disagree that “women’s issues” are largely reproductive. Women’s issues encompass those that deal with fair pay, access to preventive healthcare, the ability to react properly to discrimination, harassment, and assault, and access to assistance to those women who are forced to work even after they have children, whether they are biological or adopted or whatever. This is something that I think trans females can certainly get behind. As far as other political convictions of female people: women weren’t even legally allowed to voice their political convictions at the ballot box until about 90 years ago. In order for females to have “other political convictions,” all of the aforementioned issues must be resolved first. If a woman is in the 1% and wants to vote for Republicans because she wants to pay lower taxes than she would under Democrats, fine. But first, that woman has to break into the 1%, or the 2%, or even the 30%. Women are still discriminated against tremendously in this country compared to men, and this discrimination is certainly not limited to “privileged” women. All women are placed at a disadvantage immediately just by being born (or turning into..that’s not the right phrase) female. They are discriminated in the workforce, they are slut-shamed, they are responsible for bearing and raising children, and, yes, they are given limited control over their reproductive systems. The ability to decide when or if to have children is a woman’s greatest strength and the greatest way for one to sidestep and avoid the worst discrimination that women have to face. Women might have limited control over whether their employer pays them fairly, or whether they have access to preventive care that might detect early signs of cervical or uterine cancer (uniquely female cancers), but they have, to an extent, greater control over whether or not they decide to have a child. And I’m not sorry that I think it’s bullshit that the area in which women have the most (notice I did not say all…rape happens) control over their lives faces the threat of removal. And I’m not sorry that I’m choosing to support a party that isn’t threatening to take away my control over my body and future.
@1 year ago with 4 notes#GOP #Mitt Romney #Obama 2012 #election 2012 #pro choice #social justice #women's health #women's issues #women's rights #stfu pro life #stfu conservatices #STFU conservatives
