This post is part of Blog for Choice 2013, launched by Boston Students for Sexual and Reproductive Justice (BSSRJ).
In 2011, the I am Whole Life organization embarked on a new anti-choice
campaign. “Until Abortion Ends” featured “protesters” (often young) in videos,
photographs, Facebook posts—whatever, pledging to give up something they
“loved” until legal and safe abortions came to an end. Pro-choice critics like myself found
this campaign not only ridiculous because its “righteous” youngsters were
protesting a serious issue by giving up a piece of junk food, but also offensive
for it’s anti-women, anti-choice, and anti-reproductive rights bull. However, we could alternatively view
this campaign as a missed opportunity for feminists, pro-choicers, and good
people all around to bring recognition and action to some real issues still
facing women and many men today.
So for 2013, I’ve decided we should bring back the “Until [Insert cause]
Ends” campaign to focus on what we really care about. Some sample picket sign
ideas follow:
Until rape ends.
Until incest ends.
Until poverty ends.
Until forced marriage ends.
Until domestic violence ends.
Until child sexual abuse ends.
Until modern day slavery ends.
Until male child preference ends.
Until unplanned pregnancy ends.
Until abstinence-only education ends.
Until others’ control of women’s bodies ends.
Until politicians regulating reproduction ends.
Until unequal access to birth control methods ends.
Instead of protesting abortion, maybe the above suggestions
would be more worthy causes. A woman decides to have an abortion for a myriad
of complex reasons. Until all of
these reasons end, we will always need access to safe, legal, affordable, and non-judgmental
abortions. And until abortion ends, women will still have the choice and chance
to make their own decisions about their bodies and lives.
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