lifesavers vs. fetal symbols (was Re: uterine gentrification)

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Mon Aug 23 09:00:07 PDT 1999


At 02:58 PM 8/22/99 -0400, Yoshie wrote:
>Last but not the least, anti-abortionists don't care about the concrete
>reality of fetuses and abortions. The fetus is *just a symbol for them*
>(a symbol of 'lost innocence,' lost religious authority, lost patriarchal
>control over female sexuality, etc.). Otherwise, they would be protesting
>against & bombing fertility clinics as well, where unwanted eggs and
>fetuses are disposed of without them becoming targets of terrorism. Why
>the different treatment of abortion clinics and fertility clinics by the
>Right? Because the former symbolizes women's independence from such
>gender-making institutions as marriage & motherhood, while the latter
>epitomizes the ideology of biological motherhood at all costs.

Yoshie, what infuriates me in Rush Limabaugh and his cronies the most is not their idiotic views (that constitutinally guaranteed right to freedom of speech) bu the fact that they are trying to tell the reader what the so-called liberals think and what they are up to. Unfortunately, you use the same tactics against pro-lifers. I never supported their position, but I would be very reluctant to make blanket statements about what I think they think or are up to. I would presume that at least some of them are genuinely concerned about the life of the fetus - which is a profoundly complex and ambiguous ethical problem.

To reiterate my position, phrasing the problem as and _individual choice_ of being either for or against abortion (or death penalty) strikes me as a very simplistic way of addressing public policies. I think the left would benefit from re-phrasing this problem as a _social problem_ or a _public policy issue_ - that is, instead of pronouncing what the "politically correct" ethical choice on abortion or DP, develop an alternative social policy these choices attemnpt to address. That is, instead of being "pro-abortion" - develop a policy striving to give the woman a economic support (living wage, access to affordable chaild care and health care, housing etc.), reproductive health care as well as freedome of coercion (by family, partners, etc.) - which would solve the social problem that abortion now is used to prevent (a qualioty of life for women). In the same vein, instead of being anti-death penalty, propose a policy that reduce crime and violence (through economic opportunity, education etc.) and thus solve the social problem that DP is now used to prevent.

wojtek



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