Over For Obama On Abortion
September 1, 2008
I’m intrigued by all of these attacks, but I’m interested in the one in response to why Palin doesn’t happen to be a “Feminist.” Somehow, over the last thirty years, the definition of feminism has devolved into a debate around two issues — abortion and whether the government should mandate statistical equality. Clearly, as a conservative, I am opposed to abortion and believe in as little governmental influence in my life as possible. Apparently, this makes me an “anti-feminist” — regardless of how irrelevant and outdated the “feminist” position on abortion is, and the fact that government paternailsm is, perhaps, the only surviving Patriarchal construct.
Apparently, because Palin is “anti-feminist” and cannot possibly be a role model for women or an example of how women can be motivated and successful in business and in family because she does not support “reproductive freedom” and unfettered, government-enforced access to abortion services. I would say most of the people involved in this debate have little to no firsthand experience with unplanned pregnancy outside of the testimonials they read on the Planned Parenthood website, since they seem to see abortion reduced to mere rights on paper and a clinic services offering at their local women’s health center. Many of us who oppose abortion do not do so because we have some religious conviction — no doubt constructed and enforced by a male heirarchy — that gives us a deep-seeded self-hatred, but because we’ve had personal experience with the issue: friends, family, neighbors, who have gone through the process of abortion. We know, from those experiences, that abortion is never easy; its not merely a procedure that you can do in an afternoon, go home and feel nothing. Women are emotional creatures, and not being idiots, know what abortion is and what it can do to a life, a family, and a future. For most women, the “choice” is not merely whether to keep the baby or not to keep the baby, but whether to go through with an unplanned pregnancy when they have no emotional support, no economic support and when it means they may have to pass up many, many opportunities in life. Society doesn’t make life easy on single parents.
So when people speak of someone’s position on reproductive choice being dispositive of their feminist credentials, I cringe a little. Caring about women should bea primary feminist concern. Support for abortion as a medical procedure and the way that its administered — without counseling, without assistance and often after little to no guidance about options — to us is unthinkable. And something tells me that, given her personal experience with abortion, that is probably what motivates Sarah Palin to also be pro-life.
The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.
Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin’s five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain…
…“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.
“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates.â€
Wow. First Sarah herself is asked, in the early stages of her pregnancy with son Trig, whether she would like to abort him because he had Downs Syndrome, and now her 17 year old daughter who could have very easily aborted her child without her mother’s permission, and who, like thousands of girls across this country every year is faced with a pregnancy which could, undoubtedly end her future without the support of her family, chooses to bring her baby to term. I’m pretty impressed. None of the other candidates in this race, regardless of their position on abortion, sex education and the rest can claim to have such personal experience with “reproductive choice” as the woman who is currently the Republican’s Vice Presidential nominee. She and her family are dealing with the very real effects of choosing life, of rejecting abortion. She and her family are taking responsibility and showing the rest of the country how its done.
I’m a cheerleader for Palin, no doubt. I don’t deny it. But even I couldn’t really predict this. How problematic is it going to be for someone like Biden to hit Palin on the issue of reproductive freedom? She can just easily say, listen…”both me and my daughter have been faced with the option to abort our children rather than suffering through the undeniable harships of raising a disabled child or being teenage mom. We were both lucky enough that our family supported our choices. I belive abortion takes a human life, but I also understand that women faced with unplanned pregnancy have more to think about than a mere religious conviction. Because I know about this firsthand, I would like to use the office of the Vice President to do everything I can do to help women who face these situations. I want to improve the quality of women’s health care. I want to make abortion providers give women comprehenisve information about their options and about their growing children. I want to help fund comprehensive sex education programs that take emotion and personal attachment into account, rather than just giving kids the scientific facts. I want to help out crisis pregnancy centers, which take care of women and their unplanned children when they have no one else to go. I want to turn the discussion of abortion in this country from a plain, boring discussion of court cases and laws, to a discussion about compassion and a discussion about how we can truly care for the women in our society who have to choose between their futures and their children. I feel I am uniquely qualified to speak on the subject, Mr. Biden. After all, I made the choice myself.”
And then there’s the famous quote from Barack Obama:
>â€I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.†- Barack Obama
Punishment, eh? Baby Trig might beg to differ about his life being a punishment for his mama…and Barack’s sentiment is a far cry from Sarah Palin’s, who supports her daughters decision and appears ready and willing to help her daughter through the trials she’s about to face…trials that lots of families across the country face every day. Palin didn’t send her kid off to a camp, or try to pass off the pregnancy. She did what any compassionate mother would do.
Of course, I understand the left will never see it as a boon — like Allah says, the left, who is normally so much for teen pregnancy, they practically allow kids to get firsthand knowledge on school grounds, will cackle with glee at the thought of a woman with a religious conviction having a pregnant kid and will undoubtedly come up with a marvelously convenient story about how Palin keeps her kid locked in a basement forcing her to have babies, dress in rags and polish her hoop earrings. Never mind that real life is informing how she feels about one of the most important issues — the dispositive issue — for feminists today.
Posted in Uncategorized
September 1st, 2008 at 9:26 am
[...] American Princess: Wow. First Sarah herself is asked, in the early stages of her pregnancy with son Trig, whether she would like to abort him because he had Downs Syndrome, and now her 17 year old daughter who could have very easily aborted her child without her mother’s permission, and who, like thousands of girls across this country every year is faced with a pregnancy which could, undoubtedly end her future without the support of her family, chooses to bring her baby to term. I’m pretty impressed. None of the other candidates in this race, regardless of their position on abortion, sex education and the rest can claim to have such personal experience with “reproductive choice†as the woman who is currently the Republican’s Vice Presidential nominee. She and her family are dealing with the very real effects of choosing life, of rejecting abortion. She and her family are taking responsibility and showing the rest of the country how its done. [...]
September 1st, 2008 at 9:32 am
Wow, nicely said. Governor Palin looks more and more like one of us, someone who is right there facing things that Americans face every day. I know the hard left will have a field day with this, but my gut feeling says that her honesty and her compassion, coupled with her unique experiences in life, will capture the fancy of even more regular folks.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:41 am
Hi there -
I have been lurking on your blog for a little while now. While I don’t necessarily agree with you on everything you said in your blog, I think you said it really well.
Melissa
September 1st, 2008 at 9:44 am
Ms. Zanotti,
The kernel of true feminism lies in the personal freedom and individuality we ALL have under the US constitution. Where it definitely DOES NOT lie is in ideological lockstep to any one political outlook, party, or single issue!
But the assinine assertion that your views preclude you from being a feminist???
Same old, timeless but tired, left wing meme…
If you’re down with their outlook, agenda, and talking points; then you’re a “good†person-regardless of how you actually conduct your life!!!
But, if you are their ideological or simply rhetorical opponent, will not abide their necessary lies, and/or will not buy into their arguments; you are a horrible, despicable, hate filled individual who only wishes to enslave, actually or ideologically, or otherwise disempower innocent “working†people everywhere-EVEN IF YOUâ€RE FRIGGIN MOTHER THERESA OR THE POPE!!!
All brought to you by the crowd that invented the modern era, much decried and hand wrung over, politics of personal destruction…
As first used on then Apointee Robert Bork, during the Reagan administration…
But, then again, I’m a member of VRWC and an evil RAAAAAAAAAACIST!!!
September 1st, 2008 at 10:01 am
I don’t think anyone could have said it better, Em. Amazing post.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:05 am
What ZP said.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:13 am
Breaking: Sarah Palin’s daughter is 5 months pregnant (UPDATED)
Sarah and Todd Palin issued the statement today:
“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us,†the Palins said in the statement. “Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news …
September 1st, 2008 at 10:24 am
My basic beef with modern feminism is that it requires its adherents to view babies as burdens and impediments, rather than as the precious new lives they are. It strikes me as the almost perfect perversion of human nature to turn women against their most amazing gift, that of being a vessel for new life. The demons below must dance and cackle with glee at modern feminism. To quote an old, female-targeted cigarette ad, “You’ve come a long way, baby.”
September 1st, 2008 at 10:28 am
I agree with some of your positions on abortion. I also do like Gov. Palin, though I disagree with virtually ALL of her policies.
However, it does not help the discourse to misquote Sen. Obama with the above quote. Please include the entire quote and the question, which was about HIV/AIDS. Obama’s response was not that he would want his daughters to get an abortion, but that he would want them to have good sex education so they wouldn’t get pregnant in the first place. The question was asked in a town hall meeting and the transcript can be found here: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/29/bb.01.html
The question I have to ask myself is this: is she sacrificing the privacy of her daughter for her political aspirations?
September 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
The Constitution gives every human being in the country the right to fight for their equality and the weapons to do it with. Any woman demanding her equality is a feminist. A part of equality is being able to form and hold your own opinions.
Palin is a perfect example of how to do this.
It’s there for the taking, but it won’t be forced on you.
Within every noble cause, many will twist the cause to represent their beliefs and try to say that you don’t belong to the cause if you don’t think like them.
September 1st, 2008 at 11:00 am
[...] And I couldn’t have said it better myself. [...]
September 1st, 2008 at 11:03 am
[...] From AmericanPrincessBlog: Punishment, eh? Baby Trig might beg to differ about his life being a punishment for his mama…and Barack’s sentiment is a far cry from Sarah Palin’s, who supports her daughters decision and appears ready and willing to help her daughter through the trials she’s about to face…trials that lots of families across the country face every day. Palin didn’t send her kid off to a camp, or try to pass off the pregnancy. She did what any compassionate mother would do. [...]
September 1st, 2008 at 1:06 pm
If I were the Dems, this is the way I would spin it: Governor Palin and her daughter were faced with a tough decision - a decision that millions of women in this country face every day - and they made the decision that was best for them, their lives. But the fact is, they had the decision to make. If Senator McCain and Governor Palin had their way, women would not have that decision to make. Pro-choice is not pro-abortion as many in the pro-life movement would have you believe. It is a position which believes the decision is one which should be made by a woman with the consult of her doctor, her family, and her clergy.
I don’t expect the Dems to actually be smart enough to take this angle. Because that would mean actually moving toward the middle on one of the issues where the chattering class believes there are only two positions.
Myself, I respect the decision made by the Palin women, and that’s the same position I’d have if they decided to seek an abortion or give the children up for adoption.
September 1st, 2008 at 2:43 pm
[...] American Princess: Wow. First Sarah herself is asked, in the early stages of her pregnancy with son Trig, whether she would like to abort him because he had Downs Syndrome, and now her 17 year old daughter who could have very easily aborted her child without her mother’s permission, and who, like thousands of girls across this country every year is faced with a pregnancy which could, undoubtedly end her future without the support of her family, chooses to bring her baby to term. I’m pretty impressed. None of the other candidates in this race, regardless of their position on abortion, sex education and the rest can claim to have such personal experience with “reproductive choice†as the woman who is currently the Republican’s Vice Presidential nominee. She and her family are dealing with the very real effects of choosing life, of rejecting abortion. She and her family are taking responsibility and showing the rest of the country how it’s done. [...]
September 1st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Em, you said a lot better than I could have. Unfortunately, I’m real worried about what the jackals at kos and the media are going to do to them.
September 1st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Great post, Em. As someone who has gone through the trial and emotional roller coaster of infertility treatment, I think every new life is a blessing. What is important is welcoming the child with love and supporting the parents, which the Palins are obviously doing.
I was pleasantly surprised by the clear way Obama told his supports to back off the story. I doubt they will, but he took the high road.
regards,
September 1st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
It seems Ms. Palin has inspired you lately. Another wonderful post. And I missed that Obama quote. What a gem.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Obama today: You know my mother had me when she was 18 and how a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be a topic of our politics.”
At Politico
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:46 pm
[...] Over For Obama On Abortion [...]
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:41 am
Web Smith said, “It’s there for the taking, but it won’t be forced on you” in reference to equality for women, but I believe that statement also applies to abortions.
KG has it right, the Palin women have had the CHOICE of whether or not to keep their babies. Ultimately, their family is supportive enough, and they have enough money to support the babies, but it’s not the same for all 17 yr old pregnant girls.
It’s wonderful that Bristol is choosing to keep the baby and marry the father, but girls who have been raped don’t have the option of marrying the father and providing a two parent household. They also have to live with a constant reminder of an extremely painful experience, which is why I believe that women should be allowed to CHOOSE whether or not they want to keep the baby.
Abortion rights aren’t about forcing every woman to abort, it’s about allowing another option for some women who would not be able to give their baby a loving, supportive, or financially secure place to grow up.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:28 am
I hate this argument, because it confuses the problem. The problem isn’t the baby. The problem is the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. If you change or at least help the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, you can change whether abortion even becomes necessary. We as a society have gone out of our way to focus the debate on “choice” on the child, when in reality, no woman makes the choice to keep or abort a child in a vacuum. If you work to change those parameters, you will work to decrease the number of abortions, which is my and many other people’s goal. Being pro-life does not mean that you don’t want people to have viable options. It means you want them to choose the option that is best for them…and for the child, who is also deserving of the dignity afforded to all human beings.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
“Support for abortion as a medical procedure and the way that its administered — without counseling, without assistance and often after little to no guidance about options — to us is unthinkable.”
And this quote here tells me you yourself aren’t very familiar with what happens in clinics like Planned Parenthood, which do offer counseling and extensive options. So instead can’t we agree to disagree on this topic? To many women who actually have had to deal with teenage pregnancies and the choice to abort, birth, or adopt - the revolving argument itself, that is NEVER resolved, just adds to the stress. And yes, damn right an unplanned pregnancy can - and often is - considered a punishment. It isn’t your place to judge a woman for feeling that. Just as it isn’t my place to judge you for feeling differently.
Can we move on, please?
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
If you think that Planned Parenthood offers counseling and extensive options, clearly you haven’t been to one lately.
I don’t ever think anyone should agree to disagree on the topic of abortion. I think everyone should respect each others opinions, search for common ground and solve the f#$%ing problem, actually.
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Perhaps it is the way in which the right has framed the debate that causes so much misunderstanding about this issue.
It’s not about abortion. It’s about choice.
No one is pro-abortion, not even the staunchest member of NARAL. We are pro-choice. This is the essence of the American dream, isn’t it? Having the power to choose - our own religious observance, our own government.
Having a choice is also the essence of feminism - choosing to work (and being compensated equitably there), choosing to have a family.
In a perfect world, abortion would be unnecessary. But that’s not where we live. However, we live in a world where pregnancies can be planned so as to provide the best possible life for the children as well as for their parents. We live in a world with this knowledge.
But when the political right-wing attempts to limit access to this knowledge, it makes abortions more, rather than less, likely.
Misinterpreting Obama’s statement doesn’t help your argument. The punishment he refers to is the situation, not the child itself. The same difficult situation you describe at the end of your second paragraph, above.
Ultimately, Sarah Palin wants to deny other women the choice she herself had the luxury of making (she has described it as a choice, which one can assume means she considered the alternative). And as governor of Alaska, she has cut funding to groups like Covenant House, which provide a home for pregnant teens. Of course, this was before she knew her own daughter was pregnant. Perhaps her decision might be different today? Perhaps she might be more concerned about pregnant teenagers who don’t have as supportive a family as Bristol Palin.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Actually I have been to Planned Parenthood - for various reasons in my social work career and as a friend who has sat through the counseling sessions with a woman grappling with these very issues. Have you? In what context?
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Lara, not all Planned Parenthoods are created equal. The staff at the one(s) you’ve been to may not be up to par, but at least they’re TRYING. Which would become completely illegal if pro-lifers had their way.
September 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Murder is always a choice.