>I deserve the boot for going over my limit, and I will stop, but
liza! my human shield! :)
there is just so much more involved in carrying a pregnancy to term. maybe it's that i know so many poor women but many of them get diabetes, are confined to bed, get supremely nauseous for months, have a really hard time keeping their weight down because of a peculiar condition triggered by insulin resistance (but not full blown diabetes). I'd say about half.
even aside from the issues above, carrying around a baby in front of assloads of people i live with, work with, shop among, workout with, have fun with, and so forth would just mean that, once everyone observes that i'm not having a baby shower or doing other pre-partum kinds of things, and if they don't observe that then they're surely going to notice its conspicuous absence postpartum, given the opinion polls we're just not there yet.
the shock and horror if i, as a 29 yr old married woman, did not want to raise a child.
because, come on, as much as people might want to think about abortion as killing a potential human life, the tolerance for people who'd actually give up a kid is a lot lower than it is for the tolerance of someone who'd abort it before it's sucked its first molecule of oxygen.
and even if those attitudes magically change, why should i or any woman be forced to carry to term if I'm not interested in changing the condition of my body--and i don't give a rat's if it's because i'm a superficial bimbo and don't want stretch marks.
The day that I don't have to read listservs dominated by men who whine about fat cow pregnant wimmins, who mock and judge squishy jello titted broads with broods, who get grossed out by stretch marks, and who talk about how to identify women who've (i crap you negative) "calved" by examining the curvature of their hips, lower back, and tummy, is the day I'll start expending an ounce of thought considering this proposal.
oppression is a lot of interlocking bars that form a cage, Nathan, and this proposal is leaving out an assheap of 'em.
kelley