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Newsflash: Women Are People

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 4 2007 4:00 PM

Submitted by Bitch_PhD. Edited By Bitch_PhD.

TAGS: feminism, amnesty international, reproductive rights, abortion


The news that Amnesty International has decided to support abortion access as a basic human right is, hopefully, not news to anyone reading this. But I'm linking to it now because there's a statement in this article, about their affirming that decision last month in Mexico, because there's a really, really awesome pull quote from Amnesty's senior director for international legal issues that I think should be made into samplers, throw pillows, tattoos, bumper stickers, buttons, and tshirts and spread far and wide.

We can't as an organization look only at human rights issues that implicate men.



Bin. Go.

And that, my friends, is the problem with the "I'm not a feminist, I'm a humanist" argument. There are some human rights issues that are specific to women (albeit with indirect effects on men, what with men often being in relationships with women and all). To try to duck that fact by appealing to some argument that "humanism" is inclusive while "feminism" is exclusive or exclusionary, well, what you're saying is that only things that affect men count, and that things that affect women, and specifically women, aren't inclusive enough.

In other words, if there's nothing in it for boys, it's not important.

To which all right-thinking people will say: go to hell.

Bitch_PhD figures that the Catholic Church made it obvious a long time ago that they don't consider women fully human.

 

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Formus

Formus

Milwaukee, WI
May 2007

SEP 04, 2007 04:32 PM

I love the coathanger. I say we release a line of Bitch_PhD-endorsed coathanger clothing.

xazapdmytinu

xazapdmytinu

Fort Collins, CO
July 2007

SEP 04, 2007 04:35 PM



Bitch_PhD figures that the Catholic Church made it obvious a long time ago that they don't consider women fully human.



well, if you look at it in terms of genesis, women are really the only fully human creatures...they were made into a human from a human part right, whereas adam was made form dirt...there's all sort of intersting things to say right there! wink

I've always viewed the "Equal Rights" thing as really silly...sure, everyone deserves equal pay for equal work, but do people who are born with debilitating diseases deserve more or less than people who acquire them? To be fair to both parties in that situation you have to accord special rights to one party or the other, you have to consider NEW INFORMATION...that's what's great about abstract though is that you can consider parallel lines of thought without having to compromise, then you can incorporate EVERYTHING...

Simply speaking, Women have a uterus while men don't, therefore, women have a special right to make decisions regard their uterus...noone can tell them when they can or can't clip their toenails, right? The idea of equal rights is just pure laziness, it's an "Ideal" made up by people who don't want to actually make decisions.

bald_eagle

bald_eagle

Indianapolis, IN
November 2006

SEP 04, 2007 04:36 PM

Nice piece. I'm glad to see this declaration being affirmed.

And I hear you. Over half the population is inclusive enough.

Valeyard

Valeyard

Shreveport, LA
January 2005

SEP 04, 2007 04:49 PM

Well Said! At last a respected organization such as Amnesty International has finally realized what they should have realized YEARS AGO... that they need to support human rights issues for women. Feminism is something every organization and every person should support. Too bad that all to many want to keep things patriarchal and oppressive. Maybe if more organizations like Amnesty International take the lead in supporting the rights of women then we might make real progress...

Hunkpapa

Hunkpapa

United Kingdom
June 2004

SEP 04, 2007 05:12 PM

I'm glad Amnesty have decided to do this.

Sick

Sick

Minneapolis, MN
June 2003

SEP 04, 2007 05:16 PM

I agree that this is a good thing, but I'm a genuinely confused about some of the commentary.

Humanism: a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially : a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason

Isn't that general enough to include issues that are specific to women? Or isn't that what happens in practice? Or does it only include things that affect humanity as a whole?

And what if someone said, "What you're saying is that only things that affect women count, and that things that affect men, and specifically men, aren't inclusive enough"? Can we start a philosophy of masculinism? Or would that be sexist? I have a right to not have my penis cut off!

We could even include both feminism and masculinism under the broad category of humanism, if they promised to play nicely.

(Ok, I just looked it up. It's actually "masculism," and it already exists as an ideology.)

Nokturn

Nokturn

United Kingdom
April 2006

SEP 04, 2007 05:33 PM

It's quite a surprise this hasn't happened sooner but credit to Amnestry for taking up the charge.

But since humanity already includes both men and women I don't see why the abortion issue can't just be a human right.
Otherwise we'd just start saying... I don't know, that the right to not be called up into a child militia is a male right because by and large it's only boys who are called up.
Afterall, poverty effects only poor people, who also do not make up the sum total of humans, but this does not make the right to not be subjected to it anything other than a human right.
I think false dichotomies tend to cause more problems than they solve.
Amnesty's slogan is 'save the human'; that seems pretty inclusive of all humans to me, regardless of the fact that specific issues do not affect all humans equally.

Frenchinhaler

Frenchinhaler

Carrollton, MO
March 2005

SEP 04, 2007 05:35 PM

As above I'm not quite clear on the clarification between feminism/humanism, seems to me that it would include both men and women specific issues. I'm not debating the value of feminism I'm just not getting the distinction thats being made. Can someone lay this out straight for me?

Admiral_Pants

Admiral_Pants

Austin, TX
May 2004

SEP 04, 2007 05:41 PM

Bitch_PhD said:
Newsflash: Women Are People



Source?

shapeshifter23

shapeshifter23

San Francisco, CA
September 2005

SEP 04, 2007 06:28 PM

"[People] are controlled and separated by issues that strike at the core of [their] emotions... The 'pro-life'/abortion issue has been PURPOSELY ORCHESTRATED in the United States by different factions within the government to create a lack of harmony. Divide and conquer, and you own the people... Whenever people oppose people, THOSE IN CONTROL benefit, even down to the issue over abortion..."

- Barbara Marciniak, in "Bringers of the Dawn"

And on and on it goes. We'll be forever locked in polemical struggle with one another over abortion, immigrant rights, gay marriage and all the other issues of polarization and controversy, while the powers that be carry on with their rape of the planet to squeeze the last drop of resources from the biosphere and lord over all the peoples of the earth...

FormerlySid

FormerlySid

Providence, RI
June 2007

SEP 04, 2007 06:43 PM


There are some human rights issues that are specific to women (albeit with indirect effects on men, what with men often being in relationships with women and all).


I hope that by relationships you meant beyond the usual amorous or just physical. I am surrounded by women in my career and my life. I have sisters, mother, aunts, mother-in-law, a btichin' wife, nieces, neighbors, bosses, editors, staffers and even a best friend that is female. As a guy I am not just interested in "women's issues" because I like to fuck a woman but because they shape my world and make it all worth it.

TheFuckOffKid

TheFuckOffKid

NEWSWIRE

Australia

SEP 04, 2007 06:52 PM

Admiral_Pants said:

Bitch_PhD said:
Newsflash: Women Are People



Source?



Amnesty International have decreed it.

Admiral_Pants

Admiral_Pants

Austin, TX
May 2004

SEP 04, 2007 07:01 PM

TheFuckOffKid said:

Admiral_Pants said:

Bitch_PhD said:
Newsflash: Women Are People



Source?



Amnesty International have decreed it.



Aaaargh blagul libruls Clinton.

DCruz

DCruz

Montreal-nord, QC
November 2006

SEP 04, 2007 07:02 PM

+1 to Women Are People and +1 to abortion as a basic human right !

TheFuckOffKid

TheFuckOffKid

NEWSWIRE

Australia

SEP 04, 2007 07:31 PM

Admiral_Pants said:

TheFuckOffKid said:

Admiral_Pants said:

Bitch_PhD said:
Newsflash: Women Are People



Source?



Amnesty International have decreed it.



Aaaargh blagul libruls Clinton.



Get A Brain! Morans!

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