Justice for All, Stay out of my Uterus (Baby Killer Barf Alert)

The Metropolitan ^ | 10/6/2005 | Zoe Williams

[curtisgardner]

By the time this column is printed, Justice for All's cultish tribute to the fetus will have left the grass of our campus. While the right wing whack-jobs are now gone from our fading campus lawns, the ghosts of their messaging haunt me.

What we saw when Justice for All came to Auraria was complete and utter disrespect. Not only were we visually assaulted by an enormous display of gory images with questionable validity and undeniable shock value; the women who make up our student body, faculties and staff had the essence of their freedom questioned. This is not something that just came with the Justice for All fetus-fest; it is an ever-present violation of the privacy and liberty of women that is found in the media, politics, religion, entertainment and social interaction.

The fact that women's sexuality, their safety during sex and their health decisions that follow sexual relationships are debated as topics for broad consensus in the first place is misogynistic. When males are granted the right to make health choices freely while women have the same privacy and freedom denied due to biological characteristics, the sexism that runs rampant in our society is blatantly clear.

Now, self-proclaimed "pro-lifers" reading this column may venture to dub me a hypocrite, as I am opposed to war and the death penalty, yet I support abortion. They will most likely question my support of human life. This is where the error lies. I am not "pro-life" and have never claimed to be. I am opposed to oppression and violations of peoples' self-determination.

I stand behind abortion rights because I believe that no one can serve as a better governing body over an individual than that person. I believe individuals have the ability to discern what they will and will not do, as they are autonomous beings. For this reason, I am also vegan, against the death penalty, opposed to state power and fully supportive of individual sexual decisions.

Honestly, I do not care what a woman's reason is for having an abortion, as I am not in a place to judge. Economics, family, sex abuse, power disparities in relationships, education and many other factors I have no ability to begin to understand, play into a woman deciding to terminate a pregnancy. I do not care how many abortions a woman has or for what reason; it is her body and her choice, bottom line.

Of course, I will discourage one from undergoing numerous abortions as a casual affair. I would also encourage an individual from casually having root canals and open-heart surgery. Regardless of whether I think their judgment leading up to such a choice was the best or if I myself would make the same choice, it is a person's right to do so.

One may ask about the self-determination and autonomy of a child. Once a child is born, I wish it nothing but the best. I would love to see every child have an education, food, shelter and medicine. However, I fail to see how a mass of cells the size of a kumquat, with no nerve endings, or a potentially viable fetus that is so deformed it has no chance of surviving (plus, it may kill the woman carrying it) can qualify as self-determined individuals. I fail to see how one can even consider the aforementioned cellular growths to be humans.

I warn all advocates for an end to legalized abortion right now: you will never succeed in ending abortion. People like me will fight back. We will break any law and violate every social norm to ensure that our sisters can receive safe and affordable abortions on demand, without apology, because it is their right.

I, for one, am tired of having my legitimate decisions scrutinized in the name of morals and governance. I am tired of hearing those that undermine my autonomy, be they men or women, dubbed "pro-life." I refuse to live in fear any further that women will lose the ability to decide to go through a life saving procedure. No government, church, political organization or private citizen will take away my rights to my body, my uterus, my sanity and my safety. I encourage other women to adopt the same standard.

This leaves me to ask a question I once read on a button to Justice for All and their cultish following led by megalomaniacal religious fundamentalist privileged males. If you cut off my reproductive choice, can I cut off yours?

[adgirl]

I love the irony that human beings are "just a mass of cells" but she's too squeamishly conscious of animal rights to drink a glass of milk.

[sassbox]

If this is the real headline, then the appropriate rejoinder would be, "Lady, given the moral situation, then be careful what you allow to be put in your uterus."

After seeing her (?) picture, I highly doubt that Zoe lets any organ that could impregnate her anywhere near her uterus. I am sure the feeling is mutual on the part of male reproductive organs everywhere. It is really ironic that some of the nastiest and most strident supporters of abortion are butch lesbians who will never become pregnant in the first place.

[winner3000]

(Stay out of my Uterus)

Too bad that babies being aborted cannot say: hey, keep those scissors out of my head...

[B.O. Plenty]

Perhaps Ms. Williams would benefit from some helpful, wise and constructive instruction and criticism from another viewpoint.

Her e-mail: williamz@mscd.edu

[sageb1]

"Do adults have an obligation to take care of born infants or not?"

Only those whose caregiving salaries are paid by the state.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"Justice for All, Stay out of my Uterus (Baby Killer Barf Alert)"

How about changing the title to:

"Justice for All, Stay out of my Pocketbook"

[luckymom]

"Life for the guilty, death for the innocent."

Now, there's the start of a great bumper sticker...

Anti-Death Penalty=Life for the guilty
Pro-Choice=Death for the innocent

[sageb1]

"I think this Metropolitan author will receive many rebuttals to her rant."

So do I. Let's start with us.

Zoe Williams, williamz@mscd.edu

[sageb1]

Weird...content of post didn't show up. Here is her email addy. - Zoe Williams, williamz@mscd.edu

[kpp_kpp]

"However, I fail to see how a mass of cells the size of a kumquat, with no nerve endings, or a potentially viable fetus that is so deformed it has no chance of surviving (plus, it may kill the woman carrying it) can qualify as self-determined individuals."

I wonder if that means she is against aborting "masses of cells" with nerve endings... or at least even undeformed viable fetuses (what is that around 22 weeks now?)

[HungarianGypsy]

The following are beautiful pictures of the unborn babies (fetuses) that she wants to have the freedom to abort!
http://www.pregnancy.org/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment1.php Went to the first link. My children loved looking at the pictures of the developing fetus. My three year old kept saying, "That's me!" LOL! Probably because I told him that's how he looked when he was in mommy's belly.

[sanemom]

Thanks, here's my e-mail to her(with thanks to other posters for their thoughts):

Dear Zoe,

Abortion is legal for any reason until the end of the second trimester, and for virtually any reason until full term. Perhaps you need a few biology classes, they aren't masses of cells the size of kumquats.

By the way, even the first mass of cells contains the complete genetic code for a unique human being who will never be replicated. Sad that you think of him or her as disposable simply because he or she doesn't look like a person. Sadder still that you respect the autonomy of cows so much you won't even drink milk, yet unborn humans can be ripped into small pieces without anesthesia simply for having the misfortune to still reside in the uterus. Those are some pretty screwed up priorities, IMO.

Sincerely,

Mother of three, two of whom were born at a gestational age when they could have been legally aborted in all fifty states for any reason. If you like I'll send you some photos or video of my yawning, crying, stretching, thumb-sucking, reactive to pain, soothed when held by their mother, "masses of cells the size of kumquats". Or maybe you could spend a couple of days in a neonatal ICU so you can at least have some clue about your subject matter.

[Gay State Conservative]

"Zoe"...Greek for "life"

"Zoe" (also) equals:60's hippie dope smoker saying..never in a million years would I maintain the oppressive status quo by naming my daughter "Mary",or "Elizabeth",or "Gertrude" or "Irene"

[Arizona Carolyn]

You pretty much echo my thoughts. With sex comes responsibility... Nothing is full-proof and you need to be prepared to take on full respomsibility for your actions. If you are not prepared to take on and raise a child -- don't have sex.

[Question_Assumptions]

Only those whose caregiving salaries are paid by the state.

And how does the state get that money?

[Lesforlife]

I tried to write the editor of the Metropolitan but they seem to have
a form restricting contact to only posting upcoming
calendar events.

[Niteranger68]

Isn't that the whole point? If women chose not to copulate (and I fully understand the existence of rape - I'm talking about casual, consensual sex), then the vast majority of abortions would not occur.

Harsh, but true. The pro-abortion supporters must believe pregnancy is a disease that any woman can catch and abortion is a cure they are being denied. Forget the fact that they had a "choice" not to do the nasty (rape and incest excluded). But, as a check, ask them what they think about "choice" when the father wants the child but the mother does not. The conversation will shift to "reproductive rights" from "personal choice" faster than you can say RU486.

[Niteranger68]

I think it was Cynthia McKinney, the infamous congresscritter, that shouted out at a pro-abortion rally that she was there because "My mother didn't have the right to an abortion"!

Isn't is sad when Cynthia McKinney actually makes a good point?