Feminism: Texas and Rape

[Content Note: Rape, Reproductive Coercion]

The majority of Texans oppose the abortion ban that Wendy Davis is attempting to filibuster today.

A minority do not. A minority do not care that the ban will require, among other things, women to bear their rapist's child. A minority do not care that many states in the US allow rapists to sue for visitation and custody rights in an attempt to further harass and control their victim. A minority do not care that by preventing abortions in the case of rape, they are guaranteeing that many wanted babies will never be born because some Trying To Conceive (TTC) women will decide not to get off their birth control after all.

This minority view wrecks all my shit. I should not, in the year of our fjord 2013, have to justify myself if I do not want to bear my rapist's child. THAT IS BULLSHIT.


And there the conversation pretty much ended. Although I may have missed some tweets because this conversation was hard to compile by virtue of the fact that the user blocked me after this. WHICH IS HER RIGHT TO DO SO. (And I want to emphasize that I don't want anyone harassing her over this twitter discussion. Harassing someone on my account is not good feminism.)

But I find it interesting that someone can simultaneously be baffled why I might not want to raise my rapist's child and might be horrified at the state forcing me to do so, while still obviously understanding the need to end a conversation so badly that they permanently block someone off from all lines of communication. In both cases, consent and autonomy are key. Yet they only seem to recognize that need in one case. I find that interesting and utterly tragic.

To be clear: Women should be allowed to choose to bear their rapist's child. But they should also be allowed to choose not to.

If you have the time and ability, please support Wendy Davis with your words here. And if you're a man and a feminist ally, please don't be silent on this issue, if you have the spoons to speak. As a woman, I need to know that you support us in this fight and that you care -- and other women do, too. Thank you.

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