Why I Am Pro-Choice.

As any of you who’ve read issue 8 of my zine will know, I used to be pro-life.  But now, I am staunchly, passionately pro-choice.  I believe every woman should have the right to choose what happens to her own body, which should include access to birth control, sexual education, sexual autonomy, when to have children, how many children to have, and how to birth her children.

Recently I’ve been really het up on the issue of reproductive rights – first by all this Tory shit and Theresa’s May (thankfully rejected) attempt to restrict abortion access; then by reading through the vast amount of anti-choice bullshit posted on the new PostSecret app, which served to remind me how ignorant and judgemental people can be:

I recently read a fantastic zine called “Jane: Documents from Chicago’s Clandestine Abortion Service, 1968-1973″, which reminded me exactly why abortion is so important to keep legal, and what difficulties women will face if abortion access is restricted.  While we’re not under as much threat as the US are, I think it’s still important to remember how lucky we are, and how precarious our reproductive rights are under a Tory government (Anne Milton MP commented that the government supports the ‘spirit of the amendments’, even if the amendments themselves were rejected).

Anyway.  Inside “Jane”, they printed the original information brochure that was passed out by the Abortion Counselling Service in the late 1960s, part of which dealt with the “social problem” of abortion.  It’s frightening how this brochure was printed 40 years ago, and yet many of the problems listed still exist in today’s society.  I could never make an argument as eloquent as this, so I’m posting it here for everyone to read. Enjoy!

“Women should have the right to control their own bodies and lives.  Only a woman who is pregnant can determine whether she has enough resources – economic, physical and emotional – at a given time to bear and rear a child.  … Cultural, moral and religious feelings are largely against abortion, and society does all it can to make a woman feel guilty and degraded if she has one.

The same society that denies a woman the decision not to have a child refuses to provide humane alternatives for women who do have children, such as child care facilities to permit the mother to work, or role flexibility so that men can share in the raising of children.  The same society that insists that women should and do find their basic fulfillment in motherhood will condemn the unwed mother and her fatherless child.

The same society that glamorises women as sex objects and teaches them from early childhood to please and satisfy men views pregnancy and childbirth as punishment for “immoral” or “careless” sexual activity, especially if the woman is uneducated, poor, or black.  The same morality that says “that’s what she gets for fooling around” also fails to recognise society’s responsibility to the often unwelcome child that results.  Punitive welfare laws reflect this view, and churches reinforce it.

Only women can bring about their own liberation. it is time for women to get together to change the male-made laws and to aid their sisters caught in the bind of legal restrictions and social stigma.  Women must fight together to change the attitudes of society about abortion … We are for every woman having exactly as many children as she wants, when she wants, if she wants.  It’s time the Bill of Rights applied to women.  It’s time women got together and started really fighting for their rights.  Governments have to be made to realize that abortions are part of the health care they must provide for the people who support them. 

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(note: any abusive/aggressively anti-choice comments will not be approved. You’re not going to change my mind.)

Here. In My Head. #8 out now!

HERE. IN MY HEAD #8: THE PLANNED PARENTHOOD ISSUE!
38 pages, 4.25″ x 4.25″ – £1.00

This issue was written for the zine anthology being published by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.  Inside, I write about blood, sex, abortion, religion, choice, shame, and growth.  It’s mostly a positive zine, and typically very honest and revealing.  I hope you like it! Black and white, with a hand-coloured front cover.  Want to buy a copy from me?  Just Paypal £1.00 to blatant_blitheAThotmail.co.uk, and I’ll send the zine out to you the next day, with no delivery charge.  If you would like me to include one of my free minizines, Twt, just leave me a note when you send me the money and I’ll put it in for you.  Don’t forget, you can read more about my zines on my zinewiki page - http://zinewiki.com/Catherine_Elms.

(note: I will not be able to send out orders until Wednesday, due to family stuff)

I had considered calling this issue #8.5, but I’m not sure how I feel about “half” zines. I mean, it’s still a completed issue of my zine, right? Just a different one. I suppose that my zines have all been very different, and of differing lengths and content, so I’m happy to give them all their own number.

I’m glad that I managed to get another zine out so quickly, and hope to continue this level of productivity for many weeks to come!  Despite finishing my degree, I haven’t been bored at all in the past fortnight.  I’ve tried to keep very busy with my music, zines, writing, and the Day Zero project.

1. 037. Make and send a secret to PostSecret - completed!

I've edited out the text I wrote on the back, just to be safe!

I’m really proud of it, but I can’t show anyone due to the highly personal nature of the secret!  I will let you guys know if it goes up on the international PostSecret page, so you can all have fun guessing which one is mine.

2. 078. Watch 20 films from IMDBs’ top 250 films that I haven’t seen yet - completed!  My favourites were:

     

3. 081. Identify 100 things that make me happy - completed!

4. 082. Make a list of 50 things I like about myself - completed!  This one is too personal and silly to share, I think. Sorry folks.

5. Spent last Friday causing feminist mayhem in Swansea city centre with the Swansea Feminist Network by taking part in Feminist Friday!  We covered a load of lads mags in newsagents with bags and feminist slogans – it was awesome.

Christian Feminism, Voting, and Slacktivism

Sorry for the long break in updates, but I was dithering about updating for a while because I didn’t think I had anything interesting to say!  I know I have things to say, I just find it hard to push myself to write it all down, especially as I’m still dithering about what direction this blog should take.  :/

I came back to Nottingham last week, and after a few intense days of essay work, things are going well.  I’ve finally handed in my last essay of year 2 of my degree, and am now in the process of revising for exams and sorting out my dissertation title for next year – eek!  I’m really nervous about next year, because there’s just so much work to do.  As well as my 12,000 word dissertation, I’ll have to write 9 essays over the year, do an oral presentation (ARGH), and sit a little 1-hour exam.  I’m also concerned because one of the modules I’m taking – Determinism and Free Will – looks really difficult, and I really don’t want to do it, but since the department offers so few modules I have very little choice in the matter.  Eep.
I’m very worried about my dissertation too, naturally.  I’m going to write it on feminist theology, but at the moment I’m still trying to decide what area of feminist theology to look at because it’s such a big area, and I haven’t studied it academically before.  I’m considering discussing something about whether it’s possible to be a Christian and a feminist, an issue that I’ve personally struggled with for years.  As a liberal, pro-choice, third-wave feminist, I disagree with a lot of things that go on in organised religion.  On the other hand, I do believe in God, and I want (need?) to worship Him properly, and sort out exactly what I believe in.  The whole situation makes me feel very uncomfortable.  I am particularly annoyed about the hypocrisy of the religious right, who call themselves ‘pro-life’ and argue that they want to ban abortion in the interests of preserving life, and yet try to deny us contraception (that would prevent pregnancies, and therefore prevent abortions) and decent childcare and support for mothers (that would give women an incentive to keep children)!  I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but I hate how they only care about life while it’s still in the womb.  It’s ridiculous.  I know the religious right is more of a  pervasive force in the US than the UK, but it still goes on over here.  The number of anti-choice MPs in this country is quite high – the Lib Dem candidate in my constituency in Nottingham is anti-choice (a fact I found out after voting for him, although he didn’t get elected anyway).  Over Easter,  I saw a bunch of anti-choicers put up posters at the side of a busy road in my hometown Llanelli, reading “ABORTION IS MURDER”.  I was very annoyed, but since I was driving past in the car I couldn’t do anything other than glare at them and rant to my mum.

</ abortion rant>

Yes, as mentioned above, I voted in the General Election!

(very disappointed that my constituency has a BNP candidate, although I’m delighted that there aren’t any BNP MPs yet)

It was the first time I’d ever voted, and it felt awesome.  I’m disappointed by the outcome of the election, of course, and surprised that the Lib Dems didn’t get more votes and seats – I swear 90% of my Facebook friends voted Lib Dem, but I guess a bunch of students does not a movement make.

A few hours after voting, I met up with one of my friends, and I found out that she’s a Tory!  We had a long conversation about politics, wherein she explained to me a lot about the Conservatives that I didn’t know, and all of a sudden I realised that I knew nothing about politics.  She asked me why I voted Lib Dem:

“Well, uh, I did a quiz that matched me to the Lib Dems… and I agree with their policies… *blush*”

It was embarrassing.  When I asked her why she voted Conservative, she started talking about specific policies including Trident (is it just me, or does it sound like something to do with toothpaste?), benefits, pensions and crime.  All of a sudden, my mind went completely blank and I completely forgot why I hated the Conservatives so much.

“I, uh, heard that they weren’t very supportive of women… there was this, uh, survey… in the EU, about women, and loads of Tories voted against it…um…(What is wrong with me?)”

“Actually, they’ve got all-female shortlists!”

“Oh.”

It was awful.  Not her fault, of course, she was awesome about it all.  She even criticized David Cameron for being a weak leader, something that she thought would be a problem if the Tories came to power.  I just felt so small and stupid for not knowing enough about politics to have a proper conversation with her.

I don’t mind being ignorant about things that I’ve never been involved in, like economics, but I consider myself to be a somewhat political person.  Not that I claim to know a lot about politics, but I am a feminist interested in women’s issues and LGBT issues, and I thought I was making an informed decision when I voted.  Now I think I barely know anything about politics.  Is it better to cast an uninformed vote, or not vote at all?  I don’t know.

Having said that, my self-doubt creeps in when I’m talking about anything, including feminism, theology, and music… so I’m not sure how much I know really.  I need to get more involved with politics and find out what I can do to help advance feminist and egalitarian causes in politics, rather than sitting at home scowling about it all.  I’m sick of being a slacktivist – signing internet petitions and joining Facebook groups might be a start, but it’s not exactly very pro-active.

I could rant about this all day, but I think I’m getting boring now.

Zine Update: I’m currently working on Here. In My Head. #5, and have just finished the Spring issue of Artemis, which will be available to read online and in print by the end of the week.  I’ve been getting lots of lovely compliments about Here. In My Head. #4 – thank you all so much!

Music Update: You remember I mentioned that I am being featured on the compilation CD “Sanity is Slavery”?  Well, machineKUNT have released a number of “Sanity is Slavery” pre-order bundles, which you can check out here.  If you’ve got the money, a donation would be awesome, as it’s a great cause.  I’m also in the process of building a nice new website with the help of my lady of awesomeness Sarah – we’re hoping to get it finished by June.

101 Things Update: As well as voting, I read Jane Eyre, one of the ten ‘classic books’ that I want to read, and I read Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Person’s Guide To Why Feminism Matters, one of the ten feministy books that I want to read.  I really enjoyed them both, and am planning to write a review of Full Frontal Feminism and a few other feminist books for the next issue of my zine.  I also wrote a better CV and distributed a few copies around at home in my attempt to  find a summer job.  I failed a few too, including regularly updating my blog and paper journal.  Pah.