Oct 1


They’re still our issues

by Terry 01 October 2005


Time has a way of blurring the edges the past. Women of my generation, now past the years of our fertility, could easily forget those days when unintended pregnancy hung over our heads like the sword of Damocles, when birth control was difficult to obtain and health education was limited to a film strip in phys ed class about menstruation. When sexual harassment in the work place was not a crime but a daily occurrence; when rape survivors–not rape perpetrators–were put on trial. When high school guidance councilors directed females to secretarial and nursing programs instead of to MBA and MD degrees. When we remained “girls” even after becoming grandmothers.

We were the Second Wave of feminism, coming of age in the 60s and 70s to fight for the Equal Rights Amendment and equal pay for equivalent work, for the right to choose when or if to bear children, for the power to decide for ourselves who to love and for the opportunity to rise as far as our ambition and skills would take us. By strength of will and political resolve, we fought to make the world a better place to be women. And we succeeded on some levels that are now taken for granted.

It would be so easy to rest now and leave the battles to those personally affected by them. We could sit on the sidelines while our daughters fight to regain the ground women are losing daily in the courts and Congress. After all, we can no longer become pregnant–how does the loss of reproductive freedom impact us?

That’s why I’m grateful today that Sour Duck brought The Women’s Autonomy and Sexual Sovereignty Movements to my attention. Go read her entire piece for a great analysis and glimpse into its history and follow her links to more information.

From the WAM blog:

A new Frame for the New Millenium.
It isn’t really a question of whether a woman can have an abortion.
It’s a question of whether women are people.
We claim the personal and sexual autonomy that men take for granted.
The Third Wave just became a Tsunami~

A powerful statement, one I heartily endorse. But I must take exception with one provision in the manifesto: No Uterus * No Opinion. In a movement dedicated to embracing full personhood, we Second Wave’rs may lack functioning uteri, but not voices. We can and should be a part of this drive for self-determination. Our gender is not defined by reproductive capacity and biology is not our destiny. We are women, too, and what dehumanizes one of our sisters or daughters degrades us as well.

Personal and sexual autonomy are still our issues. I welcome to call to mobilize younger women, but the Second Wave does not have to be obsolete. As WAM says, women’s rights are human rights and that’s what binds the generations together. We’re stronger together than we are apart.

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7 Comments

7 Responses to “They’re still our issues”

  1. Sour Duck on October 3rd, 2005 2:56 pm

    Nice post; thanks for the hat tip. You make a good point about the “No Uterus, No Opinion” slogan used at WAM’s index page – Morgaine I’m sure would be very receptive to answering this question/comment. (I don’t know if she’s seen your post.)

    I’ll wait a few days and if you don’t post it, I will at the WAM site; I’m curious now! :)

    Take care.  (Quote)

  2. Terry on October 3rd, 2005 5:56 pm

    Thanks and you’re welcome. :)

    I couldn’t find a way to pingback Morgaine’s site – I don’t want to talk about her site without her knowing what I’m saying and having a chance to respond – so posting to her blog comments is a great suggestion. I’ll do that tonight. She’s got something great going with this and I’d love to see it take off.  (Quote)

  3. Morgaine Swann on October 3rd, 2005 7:56 pm

    Hi, Terry –

    There’s absolutely a place in the movement for older women! We need your wisdom and experience.

    The original saying is “No P*ssy, No Opinion” but that’s so strong that a lot of women would be offended by it. “Vagina” sounded too clinical, and the phrase “No Uterus, No Opinion” happened to be used on FRIENDS by the character Rachel when she was having Braxton-Hicks contractions, so I went with that.

    It’s certainly not intended to offend or exclude anyone – it’s intended to stop a guy cold when he tries to bargain away my inherent rights as a human being. There are so many issues we deal with as women that they just never have to think about if they don’t want to.

    I’m only a little younger that you are, probably, and who knows how long I’ll have a utereus literally, but even if it were removed I’d still say that “my uterus is not a baragaining chip”. You still have all the power you ever had as a woman, and that is what is important. Solidarity is our only option.

    Should I ask the question on WAM as to whether I should put the phrase back to its original form? How would you react if that had been there when you first visited?  (Quote)

  4. Terry on October 4th, 2005 8:40 am

    Morgaine,
    Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! I actually like No P*ssy, no opinion – it’s earthy and has a bit of shock value. That appeals to me. All women have got to mobilize and stand together on this. Keep up the good work!  (Quote)

  5. Sour Duck on October 4th, 2005 10:58 am

    I vote for asking the quesiton at the WAM blog – it would encourage discussion, be an interesting topic, etc.

    I believe one of the pitfalls of using that statement (“No uterus, no opinion”) is that it excludes transgendered women. This would be an important area for WAM to discuss, as it deals with progressive issues surrounding sex, gender (?) and sexuality. (Or is “gender” outside it’s purvue?) Also it might get a good discussion going, hopefully on civil terms, and this can lead to greater understanding.

    One of the biggest disappointments to me was when a feminist writer took a position that was hostile to transgendered women – it really surprised me, given how piercing her analysis was in other areas. Yet, in her objections she also brought up good points – from an “I’m dealing with this on an intellectual level only” point of view. Y’know – theory. :D ;)

    Morgaine – there is also another use of the “No Uterus, No Opinion” quote, and it is here. (The post direct is here).

    So you could say that in certain communities (Blogher community, feminist community, and transgender community) this slogan is a highly charged and politically loaded idea.

    (BTW – Terry, is there any way you could include a preview to your commenting section, so I can review a post before I “Say It!” ? :))  (Quote)

  6. Terry on October 4th, 2005 11:30 am

    Thanks for posting the link to your article, SD. I hope everyone will take the time to read it.

    You bring up an excellent point re the concept of gender. If we embrace the notion that gender is defined by self-identification, the same was racial identity and sexual identity, we need to be inclusive of that. Anyone who considers themself a woman is, in my opinion, a woman and deserves to be recognized as such. As Morgaine said, it’s a matter of solidarity. I’m looking forward to joining the discussion on WAM.

    Re comment preview – thanks for the suggestion! I generally get so few comments that I hadn’t thought about it. :) I’ll get that going tomorrow.  (Quote)

  7. Pat on December 11th, 2005 4:47 am

    Any organization that excludes one sex is sexist…. look in the mirror you are the sexist of this century!  (Quote)

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