"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For,
indeed, they are the only ones who ever have."
Margaret Mead
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2004 6:05
AM
Subject: [ozmidwifery] re: abortion
etc
I am extraordinarily disappointed that for some women the devotion to
the
care and wellbeing of women extends only to those who 'fit'. I accept
any
woman's right to belief in how to manage their own lifestyle and the
choices
therein, therefore I think it is absolutely okay to disagree
with
abortions. However using language of violence (belonging usually
to the
domain of men) to propagate a viewpoint through its emotive intent
is
narrow-minded, shortsighted and I feel illustrates the simplistic
social
viewpoint of women and the framework that enables the judgement of
their
supposed choices. There is no room in this for compassion or
humanity. As
the saying goes you have to walk a mile in a persons shoes
before you should
deem to understand therefore judge them.
It is
(disappointedly) interesting that violent language is the very
nature
of the obstetric reasons for intervening in birth i.e. forceps to
stop the
baby being battered against the rigid wall of the perineum,
uncontrolled
mutilating tears as a reason to cut a woman's vagina and
perineum, etc etc.
There is no way in my mind that it is women centered or
woman focused to
describe the complexity of the choices; reasons and
emotions around abortion
in such simplistic demeaning and judgmental
ways.
Vegetarianism and abortion, I find that incredibly ridiculous!
Is
it better to go back to forcing women who still have little sexual
autonomy
in todays society to birth children that for what ever reason are
not
'wanted' or whom will place a particular burden on the woman. We can
always
say yes but I would do ..., hwoever it is not you or me, it is no
ones
place to make such chocies and live with those choices but the
woman
herslef. Violence is perpetrated against women and children all over
the
world, lets not equate abortion in this, lets make the world a better
place
for women and children to be born into and to live.
Like anything
in life there are no easy answers
"This is a complicated and muddled world
where unplanned pregnancues may be
wanted, where wanted children may emerge
from unwnated pregnancues, where
the offspring of wanted pregnancies may be
rejected, where infatuation with
infants grows cold and where children may
be wanted soley to meet their
parents pathological needs." Juliet Cheetham
1977
I think if we can sit back and say the world is good, women are
truly able
to make choices that do not stem from the social and cultural
contexts' of
oppression; sexual and generded inequality and expolitation,
patricahial
interest etc etc then maybe we can sit in judgement of drug
addicts, and
choices such as abortion, until then vioence is perpetrated
through language
and judegment. Unfortunatly it is, as it seems always,
women who bear the
brunt, blame and gulit of peoples belief that they know
better and sit in
judgement.
I have had to make hard choices in my
career - do I really want to be with
womEn or not. It means I often have to
leave my own sense of morality and
values where they belong in my private
domain, this does not mean that I am
compromised, it does mean I can help
far more women and maybe leave a little
of me with them...
For
anyone who knows me knows I love quotes so I will finish here with
a
couple...
your pain
is the
breaking
of the
shell
that encloses
your undserstanding.
Kahil Gibran
men are disturbed not by things
that happen
but by
their opinion of the things
that
happen
Epictetus
Before enlightenment
chopping wood
carrying
water
After enlightenment
chopping wood
carrying
water
Zen
Proverb
Belinda
