Baby or Me?

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By Wislande Francisque

Choice was a luxury women did not have until recently. Woman did not have a choice to have an education, a choice to vote, a choice to choose their own sexual partner, a choice to express themselves whether it be through clothing or special talents and most of all woman did not have a choice on keeping their baby whether that child is conceive through rape or through love. Some women may have been able to settle for such atrocities but some though considered illiterate wanted a change, a voice. It’s difficult knowing that a child is a result of constant abuse, verbally and physically. Therefore we rebelled, demanding that we no longer be seen as weak and unreliable but as strong, bright and with a lot more potential than many can ever imagine. To some extent this effort succeeded, women now have the right to abort a baby in all fifty states.

After reading the beginning of this page, one may have the impression that I am applauding abortion. May I put your mind at ease and tell you that I am not disagreeing nor agreeing with abortion. However, I am acknowledging the choices that we have that wasn’t there before. Someone may abort their baby and find peace with it, someone else may abort their baby and live a life full of regrets and guilt. It all comes down to having the liberty to chose, to one question; who’s it going to be, the baby or me?

Let's Have A Baby!

By Nayancie Matthews

This is an old double standard dictated through in which men were rewarded for sexual prowess and women suffered a damaged reputation.

The world constantly silences and oppress women whether is be through a socially constructed gender identity or a genetically constructed sexual identity. This is an old double standard dictated through in which men were rewarded for sexual prowess and women suffered a damaged reputation. Most of all, if a relationship resulted in pregnancy, it was the woman who was left with the responsibility. This concept has been passed down through centuries. So when Texas decides to target women’s reproductive health through the Senate Bill 25 it comes as no surprise. The Senate Bill 25 allows doctors and care providers to without information regarding the fetus health condition. Therefore, if the doctor can detect that the fetus can possibly be born with a disability they do not have to disclose such sensitive information to you. One can only wonder who this bill is protecting, and/ or helping.

Women’s anatomical right should not have to be voted on by politicians, many of who couldn’t care less about women’s reproductive rights. Being a black woman I’ve seen many anti-abortion politician exploit black women to justify their points. PRENDA was a ludicrous, disingenuous bill that exploits stereotypes about black women to ban so called “race-selective” abortion. So when woman’s womb are seen by our patriarchal society as only a place for committing genocide and not bearing life and not acknowledging that it takes two to bring life into this world, it’s an issues. An even larger issues when looking at the fact that men’s reproductive rights are never put on the stand.

Pregnancy is a huge decision and  responsibility so when a women can not know the basic knowledge that a doctor could choose to withhold from her regarding her pregnancy it’s a huge problem. Nine percent of women suffer from post trauma depression after giving birth and  tends to rise with the more responsibility the woman encounters with the child. So withholding information that a woman can either use to prepare for a child or decide that she doesn’t want a child to suffer in this world with a disorder is completely up to her not the state.

Reproductive health is central to women’s liberation, to attain it one must address all the obstacles women face:  sexism, economic injustice, social stigma, violence, the list goes on. For women of color the list may include, but not limited to racism. We must treat women as whole, complex and unique human beings.