Anti-abortion feminism

Pro-life feminism is the opposition to abortion, based on feminism, which simultaneously upholds the rights of women and fetuses. Those who take this viewpoint assert that abortion is not a necessary right, but has instead served to hurt women more than it has benefited them.

The most prominent pro-life feminist organization is Feminists for Life, an international group established in 1972 in the United States.

Overview

Pro-life feminists believe that abortion rejects a fundamental aspect of womanhood, maternity, which from a feminist point of view should be embraced. Many work to make abortion illegal in all cases, including the saving of a woman's life, and to punish doctors who perform abortions.^[1]

At the same time, there are pro-life feminists who focus not so much on changing the legal status of abortion, but on making it obsolete by relieving its root causes at every level of society from the individual to the global—for example, from personally providing direct aid to pregnant women and adopting children with disabilities to campaigning for global access to antiretrovirals and for women's economic justice worldwide.

Religion

The Catholic Church promotes what it calls "New feminism", a theology summarized in the encyclical letter Mulieris Dignitatem]^[2] (Latin for "On the Dignity of Woman") that promotes equal dignity for men and women while asserting there are biological differences that need to be taken into account. Some who identify as pro-life feminists are Catholics who advocate this theology. Some are dissenters from official Catholic doctrine on such matters as contraception and same-sex relationships.

Other pro-life feminists belong to the full spectrum of world religions, or identify as freethinkers, agnostics, or atheists. Pro-life feminists claim that pro-life feminism is a stance grounded in values of nonviolence and reverence for life, born and unborn, that can be and often are shared by people of all faiths and none.

19th century feminists

Feminist pro-life groups claim to continue the tradition of 19th century women's rights activists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who considered abortion to be an evil forced upon women by men.^[3] In her newspaper, The Revolution, Anthony wrote in 1869 about the subject, arguing that instead of merely attempting to pass a law against abortion, the root cause must also be addressed. Simply passing an anti-abortion law would, she wrote, "be only mowing off the top of the noxious weed, while the root remains."^[4]

The Susan B. Anthony List serves as a central political action committee for pro-life feminism. The group works to elect pro-life women to Congress.

Famous anti-abortion feminists

Jane Addams (1860–1935)^[5]
Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906)^[5]
Michele Bachmann (born 1956)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XoVrVoOUI4
Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973)^[5]
Dorothy Day (1897–1980)^[5]
Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826–1898)^[5]
Angelina Weld Grimke (1880–1958)^[5]
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977)^[5]
Charlotte Denman Lozier (1844–1870)^[5]
Sarah F. Norton^[5]
Breda O'Brien (born 1962)^[5]
Graciela Olivarez (1928–1987)^[5]
Sarah Palin (born 1964) [1]
Alice Stokes Paul (1885–1977)^[5]
Susan LaFlesche Picotte (1865–1915)^[5]
Cicely Saunders (1918–2005)^[5]
Juliet Stillman Severance (1833–1919)^[5]
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)^[5]
Lois Weber (1879–1939)^[5]
Frances Willard (1839–1898)^[5]
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797)^[5]

References

^ The Nation. August 11, 2005. Katha Pollitt. Reproductive Rights. Feminists for (Fetal) Life: subject to debate. Retrieved on May 11, 2009.
^ Vatican. John Paul II, 1988. Mulieris Dignitatem, 'On the Dignity of Woman'
^ Kate O'Beirne, excerpt from 'Women Who Make the World Worse: and How Their Radical Feminist Assault Is Ruining Our Schools, Families, Military, and Sports' National Review January 23, 2006
^ "Marriage and Maternity". The Revolution. Susan B. Anthony. July 8, 1869. Retrieved 2009-04-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s Feminists For Life. Feminist History.

External links

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[1] The Nation. August 11, 2005. Katha Pollitt. Reproductive Rights. Feminists for (Fetal) Life: subject to debate. Retrieved on May 11, 2009.

[2] Vatican. John Paul II, 1988. Mulieris Dignitatem, 'On the Dignity of Woman'

[3] Kate O'Beirne, excerpt from 'Women Who Make the World Worse: and How Their Radical Feminist Assault Is Ruining Our Schools, Families, Military, and Sports' National Review January 23, 2006

[prolifequakers-4] "Marriage and Maternity". The Revolution. Susan B. Anthony. July 8, 1869. Retrieved 2009-04-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)

[FFL_History-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s Feminists For Life. Feminist History.

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