Tag:

women’s rights

Mitt Romney, Anne Romney, Paul RYan, GOP, Republican, presidential candidate

Throat Punch Thursday ~ Mitt Romney Versus Women’s Rights Edition

by Deborah Cruz 2012/10/11

Mitt Romney, Could this be our next President?

Mitt Romney where exactly do you fall on the topic of abortion? We know where you stand on the Obamacare tax but other positions you take are not so clear. It doesn’t seem that we can get a straight answer from you. You are pro-life except for when you are not and you are pro-choice except for when it’s inconvenient. You are not going to change anything except for everything in respects to women and our bodies. You, sir, make me afraid to be a woman in your United States.

This is not personal, this is politics and common sense. You seem like a likable enough guy. I’m sure that you may be a wonderful father, husband, friend and business man. You may be all that and more but you are not one of us; your female constituents. You have been lucky enough to not ever have to be one of the have nots in any aspect. That’s not a crime, it’s a blessing but it makes you out of touch with the average American people; the people of who you are supposed to be of and for and that frightens me to live in your United States of America.

This latest article has me more concerned than ever about the state of our country if Mitt Romney is elected president.

2012/10/11 10 comments

gender-based vioence, abuse, sexual violence, gender based violence, rape

Women's Issues

Gender-Based Violence ~ Is this what you Want for Your Little Girl?

by Deborah Cruz 2012/09/04

written by Deborah Cruz

Gender-Based Violence*Denial of care for women* The subjugation of women and deprivation of human rights and respect* Gender based violence is physical or emotional violence against women*Anything that doesn’t see the woman as a human being* Women are worth protecting and worth respecting* The old belief was that women are servants and used as procreation tools*

I’ve wanted to write this post for a long time but gender-based violence was something that I needed to mull over and give my full attention; the topic is that important. It is about life and death. It is human compassion. The scariest part is that this topic is not just happening in some far off land or third world country. Gender-based violence is happening right here where you live; maybe it’s next door, the next street over or maybe it’s happening in your own house. It has to stop. No woman deserves this.

Gender-Based Violence is not what I want for my little girls

The gravest threat to a woman’s life is violence inflicted upon her simply because she is a woman. How can you even comprehend or justify this sort of violence? You can’t. Enough time of being beaten down for it and eventually a woman will begin to hate herself because being a woman makes her a target for unimaginable and unprovoked violence.

Women between the ages of 15 and 45 are more likely to be maimed or die from male violence than from cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined. Often times, violent acts such as rape, female genital cutting, or extreme physical abuse are used to intimidate, humiliate and discredit women, denying them political weight in society and forcing them into silent, second-class citizenship. Beyond personal injury, gender-based violence also results in unwanted pregnancies, severe psychological trauma and an increase in maternal mortality.

Gender-based violence can take many different forms, and is constantly mutating into new forms, be it acid attacks, bride burnings, rape or domestic violence. Gender-based violence is often perpetrated by those closest to a woman; a family member, her partner or a friend; someone that she trusts. About one-third of all women globally face beatings in the home. In most countries, between 30 and 60 percent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a husband or a boyfriend. 30-60 percent! That means it is very likely that someone that you already know has been a victim of gender-based violence. The statistics for female murder by male partners are also astounding: Up to 70 percent of female murder victims were killed by their male partners, according to the World Health Organization.

In some countries, female genital mutilation is also a concern. Over 135 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation and 2 million more girls are at risk each year. “Honor” killings, in which a woman’s relative murders her for disgracing the family, can also be a concern in parts of the world. Women are treated like property and inanimate objects. For some reason, there is the assumption that women are put on this earth to serve only the wants and needs of others. I have news for you, we are human with feelings and thoughts and being dismissed, used to satisfy man’s sexual appetite and abused hurts us at our very core. It undermines our very sense of self.

Many governments across the globe continue to turn a blind eye to this violence. To date, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not outlawed and more than 2.6 billion live in countries where rape within marriage is not considered a crime. Without legal retribution, assailants rarely face consequences for their actions and the victims are less likely to report the abuse. In many cases, women are concerned that they will be the ones punished if they report the violence. Other times, rape and sexual assault are so stigmatized that the victim stays silent even if there are laws in place. How can we in good conscious live in a world where victims of unspeakable acts are treated like the perpetrator?

Rape and these other abuses often work to keep women down. Women who have experienced such violence can suffer isolation and depression and have increased drug and alcohol dependency or even poor reproductive health. They may become unable to work or care for their families because they have become so broken from the abuse.

Gender-Based Violence Kills Hope

While laws are important to help combat gender-based violence, the main solution is to change the way people think. Two things lie behind gender-based violence: sexism and misogyny. And it’s not just the men: women too adhere to discriminatory social customs, and frequently are the ones to transmit to the next generation. For instance, women are often the managers of brothels in poor countries or the ones who demand that their daughters’ genitals are cut. Women have been abused and treated so badly for so long that they have began to believe that they deserve the treatment, accept that the abuse is normal and even become perpetrators of the gender-based violence against other women.

It’s happening all over the world; in every country and every city, even in 2012 in the United States. Pay attention to the news; women’s rights and reproductive rights are being pushed and pulled and torn away from women by politicians who need to change their views. If our leaders view us as second-class citizens, how can we expect the rest of the men in our lives to be any different? The government makes the rules and sets the standards by which all others follow.

Since these attitudes are embedded in culture, they will only change with education. We need to help by acknowledging these harmful and sexist attitudes and traditions and refusing to accept them any longer. By not ignoring the issue we are helping quietly sanction this violence against women.

As women, we need to stand up and speak out. We need to demand that we are treated with the same respect as men. Just because we have a vagina that doesn’t make us weaker; that makes us stronger because we have always had to work harder to prove ourselves to society. I am afraid what might happen if we don’t. Is the world you want to raise your daughter in? We need to change so that our daughters and granddaughters don’t grow up to know this devastation.

Half the Sky Movement is helping reverse this devastating trend by shining a light on these horrific acts of violence and inspiring victims to champion gender equality and safety. They are making a real difference in the world. You can see the PBS special and learn more on October 1 & 2.

We are humans* We are worth protecting* We are deserving of love and respect* We are the givers of life* We are more than just what lies between our legs*

Gender-based violence is unacceptable

Disclaimer: This post (and my sharing on social media) was inspired by my participation in a compensated program initiated by Women Online/The Mission List to raise awareness about the Half the Sky. All commentary and opinions are, of course, my own.

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2012/09/04 2 comments

rape, women's reproductive rights, abortion, women's rights, Todd Akin, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan

Politics Throat Punch Thursday

Will All the Politicians Kindly Back the Eff out of My Uterus?

by Deborah Cruz 2012/08/23

written by Deborah Cruz

What constitutes a rape? Apparently, some politicians are confused about this term.

During an interview the congressman and U.S. Senate candidate, Todd Akin, was asked whether abortion should be allowed in the case of rape.
Akin’s response was that it was his understanding from doctors that it’s rare for someone to become pregnant from rape. He said, “The female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down.”
He went on to say that punishment should be on the rapist and not the child.

How about the punishment be on the rapist and NOT on the victim of his rape? How about that Mr. Akin?

‘But I believe deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action.’

“Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin’s statement,” the campaign said. “A Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape.”

You know what I hear? Blah, blah, blah let’s backpedal ourselves away from this one as fast as we can. Are we changing our way of thinking? Hell no! Are we stupid enough to say we support this now? Hell no! We’ll put those bitches in their place after we are elected.

What gives a politician the right to pass judgment and decide when a woman can or cannot get an abortion? It’s legal. We don’t need your fucking permission. Good for you that you don’t openly oppose it but it’s not your business to oppose. I think it’s ridiculous that a bunch of old, fat, white men get the power to determine what all the women of the country get to do with their bodies.

When did it become government’s business to differentiate whether or not a rape is “legitimate” or not? “Forcible” or not? What the fuck does that even mean? Rape is rape, you asshole.

The definition of rape:

A criminal offense defined in most states as forcible sexual relations with a person against that person’s will.

That means someone had sex with a woman (I know it happens to men too but for the sake of this argument, I am going to refer to the victim as a woman) and she didn’t consent. She could have screamed bloody murder and yelled no as loud as her voice would allow. She could have fought and scratched and gouged his eyes out. Or she could have been on a date with a cute boy that she liked and said no but her date decided to go on any ways. She could be married and told her drunk husband no and he forcibly had sex with her. She could have been at a frat party for the first time, drank too much and been left behind by her friends, passed out and been taken advantage of. Or she could have been with her boyfriend of 5 years and said she didn’t want to have sex and he tied her up and did it anyways. She could have been in her home, minding her own business when an intruder broke in, grabbed her walking up the stairs, walking to the university library or on her way to class and forcibly had sexual relations with her. She could be a little girl who has a perverted uncle. If a man forces a woman to have sex against her will…that is rape.

Rape is not love. Rape is not sex. Rape is not something that she asked for. Rape is not something that she deserves. Rape is a weak person doing an angry thing to hurt an innocent person. I don’t give a shit if she was dancing on tables, walking around with her vagina hanging out of the bottom of her skirt, her breasts exposed and she was flirting with you. If we say no, it means no and if you have sex with us anyways, you have just committed rape.

Apparently, the male politicians in this country have taken it upon themselves to declare war on women’s reproductive rights.

Do they really believe that women can will their bodies to not be pregnant or be pregnant? What are we sorcerers? This isn’t a movie. Take a damn biology class boys. If that were a true statement, then we would not have so many women who desperately want children but can’t have them and we certainly wouldn’t have the multitudes of women who are destroyed by the loss of their babies. But apparently if it’s a “Legitimate” rape our body knows to shut it down. Fuck you Mr. Akin!

I know Romney and Ryan are distancing themselves from Akin but the problem is that his opinion is not the minority in the Republican house. He just happens to be the moron who said it out loud in an interview. The government, democrat and republicans alike, have made it their mission to tell us women what we can and cannot do with our bodies.

Now, they are going so far to try to tell women whether or not the rape they survived was actually rape at all.

Need I remind you of the trans-vaginal ultrasounds in the case of all abortions, Georgia State Representative Terry England comparing women to farm animals and trying to pass legislation that is a baby dies in utero women should have to carry it to term or let it pass on its own, NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg mandating that women get a “talking to” before they can choose formula over breastfeeding because obviously we need the guidance of a man to teach us what is best for us.

Let me tell you what, I don’t even go to a male gynecologist because I believe that unless your legs have been in those cold stirrups and you’ve had the experience of a speculum being shoved uncomfortably into your cervix then you have no idea what that feels like. I don’t care how many damn books you’ve read about giving birth or how many babies you’ve delivered, if you have not pushed a 15-inch head from your uterus through the birth canal and out of your vagina then you don’t know what it feels like. Stop pretending you do. I don’t know what it feels like to be kicked in the balls and I don’t pretend to. I would never pass legislation that required men to suck it up, rub some dirt on it and carry on. Why? Because I don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about because I don’t have a penis and balls.

It seems the United States government is making it’s disdain for abortions and those women who get them, for whatever reason, very clear. I am in no way pro-abortion. I could never get one myself, especially since having children but I am pro-choice. Every woman has the right to choose what is best for her and her body. We are not animals. We are not children. We don’t need your advice. We don’t need your punishment and we certainly do not need your permission.

Where does this stop? Today it’s abortions in the case of rape, next they will take D & C’s and D & E’s off the table. These are medically necessary extractions of fetal tissue from women who have lost their pregnancies but what’s to stop some random male politician who isn’t a doctor from deeming it unethical or immoral? Then what happens? Then women start dying in droves because contrary to Akin we can not dictate what our uterus will do with a pregnancy.

Women, this is your call to action. We have to vote to preserve our rights over our own bodies. We deserve the right to choose what happens with our own reproduction. Stand up and vote in November. Get up early before you take the kids to school. Do it while they are there. Do it on your lunch hour. Hire a babysitter. Do whatever you need to but vote because the alternative is to give your reproductive rights over to the Akin’s of the world. To not vote is to allow rape to be quantified.

Rape is Rape

Also, I am guest posting at Scary Mommy today and would love if you would go check out Some Things Change Your Forever. You will understand why women’s reproductive rights are so very close to my heart.
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2012/08/23 21 comments

virginia ultrasound law, government, abortion

Health

Virginia Ultrasound Law~ The Government Mandated Rape of America’s Women

by Deborah Cruz 2012/02/28

written by Deborah Cruz

Virginia Ultrasound Law ~Women have rights too

Virginia Ultrasound Law~The last time I checked, forcibly penetrating a woman’s body with a foreign object without consent was considered rape.

The unlawful compelling of a person through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.
Any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.

I just read the article about Virginia’s proposed ultrasound law. We’ve all known that Virginia was anti-abortion. The Virginia Ultrasound law mandates that a woman seeking an abortion be given a transvaginal ultrasound for no medical reason before being allowed to have the abortion procedure itself. As a woman of childbearing age, I am flabbergasted. As a mother of daughters, I am outraged. Apparently, under new Virginia legislation, in an effort to reduce the number of abortions performed in Virginia ( and shame women), the state is trying to implement the law that will require any woman seeking an abortion be forced to first surrender her dignity. Forced, not asked, to submit to a transvaginal ultrasound. To lay quietly on a cold medical table and accept her punishment like the villainous whore that Virginia government believes her to be, as she is violated to the full extent of the law. I wonder, will they brand her too?

This clear violation of human rights is government sanctioned rape. I understand why these men in power are trying to implement this law. Obviously, these assholes think that women are such overly emotional and low intelligence creatures that we don’t fully comprehend the weight of abortion. That we make a rash decision and if we could only be forced to look at the face of our unborn child or hear it’s heartbeat, we would crumble, fall to the ground and see the error of our wicked ways.

Do men not understand what a hard emotional, physical and spiritual decision abortion is? It is not one that any woman enters into lightly. It’s not like changing your panties or deciding what to have for lunch. It requires deep thought and due diligence and I’ve never known a woman who has had an abortion on a whim.

First of all, I’ve had a transvaginal ultrasound with my first pregnancy at 8 weeks due to some unexplained bleeding. I remember lying there frightened, holding back the tears as my eyes stung from the pain and violation that I was enduring. It is humiliating to lay there as some technician or doctor, fondles around inside your vagina pushing and prodding. It is a very dehumanizing experience.

A transvaginal ultrasound looks like a giant dildo and to get an accurate reading, it gets moved around and shoved internally pretty far. It should only be done in cases where the baby or mother may be at risk. No one should ever be forced, by the law, to endure this humiliating and extremely uncomfortable violation in the name of a slap on your wrist.

Virginia Ultrasound Law; More than an Intervention

Women are not children. We do not need a man to teach us how to behave or to force us into submission. We have thoughts and feelings. The implementation of the Virginia Ultrasound law takes away a woman’s basic human right.

Why do men think it is their God given right to force women to bend to their will? Should we have our choices taken away and be punished for being sexually active? Because we have a vagina does that make us subhuman? Are we less important or vital than a man?

The government is supposed to be for the people and by the people? Do those “people” only include those who have penises between their legs? I’ve got news for you, the people with the vaginas, we vote too? We are the people. We are the people who create the people. Without, we ‘people’ there would be none of ‘you’ people!

I find this Virginia Ultrasound law to be unconstitutional, shameful and appalling. Government has no business between a woman’s legs. Either side you fall on the abortion debate, do you think government should be able to forcibly administer a transvaginal ultrasound? What next, administering unnecessary colonoscopies for women who want to have their tubes tied? Forcing women known to engage in fellatio to submit to an endoscopy? What’s too far? How do we stop the Virginia Ultrasound law from setting a precedent that government can mandate what we do with out bodies?

The Virginia Ultrasound law rapes the American People

2012/02/28 12 comments

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