Something I only just discovered through reading posts on Feministing: being in favor of "forced pregancy" is the new term for being "anti-choice."
I have to say, I am in favor of this term. It might seem over-the-top to some of you, but anti-abortionists are often over-the-top, and this is honestly an over-the-top issue. If you're a fan of this term you can buy a button from NOW.
So, are you a fan of this term? Or is it too much? Please discuss in the comments.
Here is an article on the new verbiage. Also, a search on Feministing for "forced pregancy" brings up lots of good results, if you've fallen behind on reproductive news.
UPDATE: "S" in the comments has mostly changed my mind on this. I still believe that the term isn't inaccurate linguistically, though it is obviously not the same as its common (perhaps more precise) usage. And I do think that, applied appropriately, it could potentially reframe the argument in a way that has always appealed to me. (That being the "making women have babies" thing.) However, S is correct that it's not really going to make the cause more sympathetic or change anyone's mind, it's aggressive in a non-productive way, and it is a slight to the form of forced pregnancy that S cites. So again, what do y'all think?
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Potent nomenclature
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3 comments:
As someone who has to open letters stuffed with graphic photographs of messy abortions nearly ever day, I must express my reluctance to embrace the “forced pregnancy’ epithet.
I understand the motive behind it; I’ve felt the frustration, anger and pain of having to deal with the wackjobs. For the love of God, I’ve received (quasi) death threats from them. But suggesting that the majority those who would identify themselves as prolife are participating in “the unlawful confinement of a woman forcibly made pregnant, with the intent of affecting the ethnic composition of any population or carrying out other grave violations of international law” is dirty, low-handed, and dishonest. It doesn’t solve anything or further any dialogue; it doesn’t even illuminate the hypocrisies of the prolife lobby (of which there are many). It’s just vindictive and petty. In fact, it’s exactly the kind of tactic that makes the prolife lobby so deplorable to me in the first place.
Instead of maliciously misrepresenting our opponents’ position, let’s encourage dialogue, understand and perhaps (gasp!) compromise. Let’s try to understand why a large part of the American population has reservations about terminating pregnancies, let’s engage the sensible ones in their ideas through civil and honest debate. There are several possible ways to untangle the ideological (and theological) mess at the center of the abortion issue (the articles I edit on a daily basis are evidence of as much), it’s time we start focusing on “solving” the debate instead of “winning” it. Throwing the word “forced pregnancy” around isn’t going to do that, it’s just going to reaffirm all those caricature and lies of which the prochoice movement is trying to rid itself. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that anyone who actually believes the majority of prolife Americans believe in “forced pregnancy” is the reason why we’re burdened with such a poor public image in the first place. We need to disassociate ourselves from those fuckfaces as much as the prolife lobby needs to get rid of the shitheads who call me on the phone just to ask me whether I enjoy killing innocent children.
Come on, Susan. We can do better. We can be better.
-S
Honestly, even though I am a lover (and firm believer in) words, the terminology on abortion is not going to change anyone's mind. At least not for DECADES. And I agree that even though my initial gut instinct was like, yeah, forced pregnancy wil get them thinking, I ultimately think it's just brewing up more trouble.
Oh, I thought it meant the new movement created by over 30-something women which involves "accidentally" getting pregnant and forcing the commitmentphobic wishy washy guy they are trying to settle down with to go through with it, like so many of my friends (present company excluded)have seriously entertained. I think that usage of the term is a lot more likely to experience popular success.
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