3 responses so far ↓

• 1 Kristen from MA // Sep 8, 2008 at 12:50 pm

  Spark? For me, ‘trigger’ is a more appropriate word.

  When I mention this odious organization, I always type [sic] after its name, as these people are most certainly not feminists. Feminism is all about NOT forcing woman women to conform to one role, one image, one identity. This group does try to help those who would abort for financial reasons alone; they don’t acknowledge the fact that some women simply don’t want to be pregnant, give birth, or be mothers. Either at that moment in time, or EVER. To them, woman = mother, which offends me to my very core.

  And don’t even get me started on the way they dodge the issue of contraception. Grrrrrr…….

• 2 xJane // Sep 8, 2008 at 2:32 pm

  Well, I’m glad that it sparked/triggered discussion; that’s what was intended.

  One of my sisters is a member (my cousin and I can tell her car b/c she’s got a “Peace Begins in the Womb” bumpersticker) and she’s not the best at describing their positions to me without resorting to religious arguments. I have found no evidence to the fact that they are feminists in any sense of the word. You are correct that it seems as though, “to them, woman = mother”. While I support some of their positions (including providing real options for women who want to bring their pregnancies to term), there does not appear to be any acknowledgement that some women might choose to be just a businesswoman (not a businesswoman and mother). I find this problematic.

  Wikipedia defines feminism as “concerned with the issue of gender difference, advocat[ion] equality for women, and campaign[ing] for women’s rights and interests”. However, FFL seems to be advocating only one thing: forced birth for pregnant women. I don’t see any advocation for protection from abusive spouse, for education of low-income women (at home ore abroad), for women in positions of power (in business or in government), or even much advocation for equality (they claim to be supporters of the ERA but the only evidence they put forth is that one of their members wrote it). I especially don’t see advocation for equality for homosexuals (or anyone else on the gender spectrum besides married het women). All I see is antichoice rhetoric (including complimentary views regarding end-of-life choices) as spoken by women. Just as ownership of a vagina is not necessary to be a feminist, neither is it sufficient.

• 3 Kristen from MA // Sep 9, 2008 at 7:12 am

  Just to be clear, I agree that no woman should ever have to choose abortion for purely financial reasons. That’s what makes the Bush/conservative policies (re: economics and reproductive health) so egregious. Talk about hypocrisy!

  I didn’t know about FfL’s [sic] involvement in end-of-life issues (though I know that Patricia Heaton was quite vocal during the Terri Schiavo fiasco). I haven’t clicked on this group’s website, because a.) I won’t give them the traffic, and b.) I’d probably have a stroke. Reading the interviews is bad enough!

  Anyway, it’s unfortunate that some people need to insert themselves into matters that should be private.

  (BTW, I’ve never seen that particular bumper sticker, which is probably a good thing. Grrr!)

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