Shifting attitudes on abortion rights among feminists
January 05, 2010 9:42:32
by Karin
Web Correspondent
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund
I recently read two articles relating to abortion rights. What was interesting to me is the theme in both articles is very similar - not only has abortion moved from being a political to a personal issue, it is also viewed very differently from two generations of women. The two generations are those who remember when abortion was illegal and those who were born after Roe v. Wade, and thus do not know what a struggle it was to gain the right in the first place.
The first article was from The New York Times. It discusses a generational divide that exists, as the writer stated, "not because younger women are any less supportive of abortion rights than their elders, but because their frame of reference is different." Because this generation has not known a time when abortion was illegal, they tend to have no sense of urgency regarding the topic. The article states "For many of them, the daily experience is: It's legal and if you really need one you can probably figure out how to get one."
Even the language is different for these generations (those over 30 and those under 30), according to the article. "women…who came of age when abortion was illegal, tend to view it in stark political terms - as a right to be defended, like freedom of speech or freedom of religion. But younger people tend to view abortion as a personal issue, and their interests are different…If you look at people under 30, that is not their touchstone, it is not wrapped up around feminism and women's rights."
The article quotes Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democrat of Florida and chief deputy whip of the House, as blaming what she calls "the complacency of her own generation for the political climate that allowed Mr. Stupak to prevail." Ms. Wasserman Schultz is 43. When older women have warned that reproductive rights are being eroded, she said, "basically my generation and younger have looked at them as crying wolf."
When the article's author discussed the issue with a 27-year old, she said "I think that a lot of younger women do take for granted the fact that they've come of age in a time of post-Roe v. Wade, where they have access to lots of different birth control options."
This sentiment is echoed in the second article, which is from the Associated Press. One (twenty-something) woman who was interviewed for that article stated that "People of my generation do not remember when abortion wasn't safe, legal and available and it's been a shock to think we might not have that right."
Whether it is a shock to think these rights may disappear is not always enough to spur this generation into action on the subject. These women simply do not feel the same sense of urgency regarding this topic. "For them, abortion is now part of a "reproductive justice" portfolio that also includes access to birth control and improving health care for poor and minority women…Newcomers to the women's movement, secure in the knowledge that abortion is legal, have embraced a broader range of goals under the feminist umbrella, from body image awareness and gay marriage to the raping and genocide in Darfur."
While I am most definitely behind these other issues, I fear a further erosion of abortion rights if we cannot engage the younger generations. I do not personally remember what it was like to not have access to abortion, but I do remember Roe v. Wade and the difference it made for women's rights in this country. It is difficult for anyone to imagine what life would be like if we did not have access to something that we may take for granted. But how do we engage the younger generation? How do we convey the same sense of urgency felt by those who remember the back-alley abortions, where countless women either died or ended up sterile, as a result?
According to Jenna Covey of the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund, "moving beyond abortion rights is essential to attracting a younger, more diverse range of activists to the cause…Abortion is no longer the No. 1 issue. It's about a spectrum of choices, not black-and-white single issues, that will re-engage women in the women's movement."
Is it enough to include abortion rights under a larger umbrella of reproductive choices, or is that diluting the message? When a person is removed from the pain of "before," it is a challenge to convey that sense of urgency. How can we feel "secure in the knowledge that abortion is legal" when it is constantly challenged? How can we feel secure when we have protestors harassing women who go to our clinics to have an abortion? How can we feel secure when the religious conservatives have a stronghold influence on our lawmakers, which impacts each and every one of us?
I don't think it is enough to include it in a "spectrum of choices". This is an issue that is constantly under attack, on both a political level and, for those seeking to obtain one, on a very personal level. It is not enough to say "it is legal and if you need one you can find a way to get one," because if we do not pay attention, very soon it may no longer be, and then we would have to start the fight all over again.
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