Story Time

Have you ever known a woman with Endometriosis? Do you know that the scarring can cause infertility?

 

Have you ever known a woman with Ovarian Cysts or more severely Poly Cystic Ovarian Cysts? Do you know that this can also cause infertility?

 

What about fibroids? Have you seen a woman incapacitated with cramps? Or a woman who has been on her period for weeks? Months?

 

I have. We are your friends, girlfriends, your sisters, mothers, aunts, cousins, nieces, etc.

 

Have you ever known a woman who was abused? Raped? Molested?

 

I do. They are our friends, girlfriends, your sisters, mothers, aunts, cousins, nieces, etc.

 

You can freely lambast me for being a feminist. I believe in the right of a person to be healthy, content, and strong. I believe we have a right to be loved and safe. I do not believe we have the right to tell these people, these companions and relatives, people we love, that our individual spiritual beliefs will dictate that they should be denied this. This so called “War on Women” is part of a bigger conflict, much like the battle against equal rights for the LGBT community. It’s part of an annihilation movement. It’s an insidious pandemic spreading, quickly, and subversively; and we are letting it. Legislation in Virginia is perfect example of this. They very literally want to invade our vaginas. If this was vasectomies it wouldn’t even be a question, it would be dead on arrival. But it’s about vaginas, so legislatures are doing their best to push it forward, including congresswoman. They would subject all women, their including themselves, to an outright indignity, to further their religious ideals. And we are letting them. Would you really tell your sister or mother that she is no better than a brood mare? Would you be ok with such an offensive statement? How then does it not occur to you that, every time you support action against women and reproductive rights, you are screaming it upon high? How many times do you hear a rap song go on about hos, bitches, side-chicks, mistresses, etc? In movies how many times do you see a chick flick about a woman on a mission to figure out what’s wrong with her to snag the man? TV shows about the womanizer who lies to women like its eating candy, but it’s cool because he’s a dude? It’s not some joke. Conservatives often preach a return to the old days, hoping we forget that the old days were not that great. Marital abuse and rape were as prevalent as they are today but worse as there were few to no laws to protect these women; the risk of losing of a mother losing her children if she filed for divorce was huge. Imagine being in a world where you had to choose between taking a beating or abandoning your children to the monster slowly killing you. Sounds peachy right? It’s not some passing political trend. Equal rights and reproductive rights aren’t about infringing upon ones religious beliefs, they are about seeing beyond a holy tome and looking towards the best interest for the majority. Women and children die daily all over the world, including the US because of the patriarchal interpretations’ of holy books. I do not see the good in this. I do not see the righteousness of God in it. I see only the work of demons, laughing in our faces as their will comes to pass in the guise of a benevolent god. Rather than seeing the Devil in ourselves we project him upon the President. This plague is a constant. One that must end. As women we should have more respect for ourselves and each other, as men you should have more regard for those who brought you into this world and continue to nurture you after that point. This isn’t about infringing on ones religious or political beliefs, this is about doing the right thing. The annihilation must stop. I am not a proud American because our country is great; I am a proud American because I know it can be great. The nation was born from the blood and tears of those who were here before us, the promises made and broken. Let’s stop hiding from this, truly and really apologize for it, make amends. Let’s show the world’s societies that, no, we aren’t perfect and never will be, but we are striving for the best. A step towards that is respecting that one’s body, man or woman is theirs alone to command. Bibles, bullets, and hippies should never equate into the private sanctity of those