THE WOMEN'S STRUGGLE

(first 3 paragraphs recently revised - 7/1/99)

by Annie

Did you know that abortion was legal in most places in the United States until 1870s?

Many types of abortion and birth control have been practiced as long as medicine has been around. According to what I've learned from many anthropological sources, women have been the primary source of gathering plant food (while men hunted) since the days of the "cave man", and they became specialists in herbs and healing. They did many things, unknown to men, until the modern day doctor replaced the midwife. One could argue that the primary reason midwives lost their importance was the advancement of technology. Another was that doctors realized how much profit could be made from extending their services to gynecology and birthing. I will eventually add more on the negative effects of the modern American birthing process. For now, on with the issues of abortion and oppression.

After the 1870s, some MAN by the name of comstock decided to legally classify contraceptive devices and birth control information as obsene. They were not only barred from the public and mail but it also criminalized people for saying anything about the subject in public.

Until Margaret Sanger came along. She began as a nurse and immigrant mothers often used to ask her privately "what the secret was to stop having babies"... so...she published pamphlets, made speeches, and opened the first birth control clinic in 1916. A side note about immigration. When people migrate they are generally poor and seen as the lowest class without the "inherant rights" of "we the people" (because we all know that Americans are the only people in "we the people"... sarcasm is a wonderful thing). So immigrants are poor, forced into an unfair and harsh labor system and bring their own cultural values from home which are more often than not sexist. Many religions attack birth control, and of course many poor religious immigrant women aren't going to fight for reproductive control and freedom, even though to get out of their socio-economic standing they should not have as many children as they are culturally expected to. Children, although a blessing on agricultural societies where their work contribution is greatly needed, only deter already poor and low status families from gaining ground in a capitalist society like ours. I'm not saying that this is always true, but it is a common pattern. With that said, one can understand the importance of a woman like Margaret Sanger who took matters into her own hands.

(If you don't know about history... this was a bit after the civil war and the country started on it's path to industrialization, commercialization, pollution, and oppression. Maybe I'm being too hard on the country... The reconstuction years were about getting the south (confederates) back with the north (unionists) and civil rights for black men. After this industry became huge and the whole structure, lifestyles, and economy changed...)

If your for or against abortion, it doesn't really matter.... The time period allowed only older men to vote on issues like this (congress) and at a time when women's feeling were hardly recognized as strengths, I'm sure you can understand why this is a big deal.

(From an article about the middle class sexuality of married couples at the same time period)....

"many doctors objected to contraception because they believed that by uncoupling sexuality from procreation, the sexual appetites of men would be released, to the detriment of their health and the moral fiber of society"

In all reality, doctors probably didn't even know women had a sexuality....since all doctors were men. They lived in some dream world that women were inferior, weak, and not as capable as men in most areas. Early scientists, the men we study in school,, based their studies on the misconception that the differences between the sexes were flaws and strengths. Women were handicapped men.

When some women started being able to go to colleges with men, scientists said that women wouldn't be able to keep up with the work, that the increase in using the brain would affect their reproductive abilities, and that they were physically unable to carry heavy books, and use the stairs like everyone else (so elevators were added, which made them spend more money and make it seem like this huge inconvenience). If you've ever thought that the reason you go to school and sit next to the other sex is because our country is this great free place that is almost done dealing with discrimination... think again. The only reason our schools are integrated is so that during the war years when there was a decline in enrollment of males, the schools still needed to make money and they opened their doors to the women who were eligable.

Lovely, free America? Nope, greedy, capitalist America. Remember that next time you think about the rights of women and people in general. It's just one of many examples to show how the greedy basically rape who they can for money...and have the government right behind them smiling.

The issue of whether it should be legal or not isn't even valid in my opinion, because who should have the authority to tell a person what to do with their own body other than themself. The freedom to choose, to make our own decisions in our lives is what i thought freedom and democracy was about. The government should NOT have a say it this issue. Your own beliefs, needs, and wants should determine what is right for you and if someone tells you that you are going to hell or some other place for doing what you feel is you have to... just remember that they are only human and have no right to judge you. Especially those who hide behind the Bible. I don't care what Jesus said, what prophet you quote from, or what you think I'm doing wrong with my life... Please make sure you can walk on water and perform miracles yourself before you tell me i'm going to hell. I'd also like to see all those who criticize adopt all the unwanted kids they socially force into the world and see just how much easier it would have been to let well enough alone.

* NOTE: All the slogans are for sale at some link off of www.infidels.org, but i'm not sure how I got there in the first place. Go there anyway and support FREE THOUGHT!