Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Womb Control ...

The right-wing extremism that continues to spew itself forth from the BushCo government in the United States is now being reflected in the CDC's recommendations.

While much of what is "recommended" is mostly common sense - things that amount to "looking after yourself", but the motives seem a trifle suspect. Why is it so important all of a sudden that a woman keep herself in a "nearly ready to be pregnant" state for her entire reproductive life? Something about this strikes me as shades of Margaret Atwood's Republic of Gilead, where any woman capable of bearing children is obliged to do so.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Got it! Because I do not plan to become a breeding factory, I must still work out, swear off alcohol and ensure that I take vitamin suppliments just in case the government has a sudden need for 'breeders'. Thank you, but this is ONE MORE woman who will pass...

Rosie said...

I am ardently pro-choice, but the recommendations they are making are just normal recommendations that health canada makes for all people. Folic acid is good for you regardless of pregnancy or pre-pregnancy status, and smoking and alcohol (except for the occasional glass of wine of course ;) are generally bad for you. Just because its recommended people stay a healthy weight and eat 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day doesn't mean they will, or even have to-hence the term recommendation.

In fact, by making these recommendations, women of lower socioeconomic status might someday get better access to health care in the states. Even though I'm not a uterus with legs, I still have to get the ol' pipes checked yearly for health's sake (you know, cancer, infection etc).

By making the recommendation, even if it only helps out a few mothers a year, thats that many more healthy babies that will be out there compared to ones that spend months in the hospital, or in long term care due to neural tube defects and fetal alcohol syndrome. Its a win-win situation.

Maybe, just MAYBE, this could lead to better pollution regulation.....to protect our ovaries, ya know? (A girl can dream). If you think about it, the left can totally have a hidden agenda here. Promote it to help the "fetus" when it actually helps normal people get better access to totally necessary health care. That would get the hardcore righters signed on in a heartbeat.

Now I am off to have a beer or maybe even two, ending the would-be life of yet another unfertilized egg........

MgS said...

You are correct that much of what is in those recommendations is "good maintenance", and I give the CDC credit for at least making recommendations founded in the known science.

I have a bigger problem with how this implicitly suggests that a woman's primary value is in her ability to produce babies. The growing push in the United States (and somewhat in Canada as well) to roll back civil and human rights is disturbing and worrisome. Why is women's health always presented in terms of the ability to get pregnant? Women have health needs outside of pregnancy and childbirth.

Rosie said...

i totally agree.....i was being a bit tongue in cheek.

THe thing is, is that unfortunately, no one cares about poor women. When they don't have access to birth control, they have to "keep their friggin pants on" according to Wonder woman at north american patriot. Because poor women can't have sex. So the fact that this may actually open the door to better health for these women is a positive thing, even in teh context of their uterus.

To the male (and female apparently) right, women ARE walking incubators. I don't know if that will ever change (I hope it does). MAybe us reality-based folk should be reproducing more to repopulate the world with more reasonable people!

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