Friday, June 22, 2012

Vagina, Vagina, Wherefore Art Thou Vagina?

The Real War Against Women

Actually I am quite well aware of my anatomy. The problem I have is why does everyone else think what I do with my vagina is their business? No I am not talking just about the “right,” which tells me what I can do and cannot do with my choices, nor the “left,” which tells me if I don’t follow their line of thinking then I am not standing up for well… my vagina. I am talking about everyone out there who thinks its their business about other people’s business.

I understand that the issue is truly abortion. And no there is no simple answer. The answer is one of science not of faith. As science improves and the ability of the baby to live outside the mother’s womb increases, society’s reluctance to back abortion on demand or any abortion at all increases. As science improves and we learn about the baby’s gestational nervous system and its ability to feel pain, society becomes less and less inclined to accept abortion as a solution.

Personally I am tired of those who self-righteously say..”..its my body.” Sorry but, it’s also that baby’s body.

Personally I am tired of those who self-righteously say..”..God has decreed…” Human beings are fallible and as such can always misinterpret God’s word… so I am loathe to believe anyone but my own heart.

No I do not have an answer for society. I have an answer for myself and that is all. I know in my heart what I would do under certain circumstances and I am grateful everyday that I have not had to make such a decision.

But people really need to get over the word vagina. For heaven’s sake… a  Michigan state representative was banned from speaking for two days because she used the word vagina on the legislature floor. Granted she said it for maximum obnoxiousness. There was no real need. Her point was spoken and well said actually up until that moment. But really gentlemen of Michigan… isn’t it time you grew up? Hey wonder what would happen if that legislator came back and used the word penis in discussing a father’s responsibility to pay child support? Of course there are many words used to describe those who don’t follow through on their obligations to take care of their children, and a slang variation of the word penis is just one of those words….

Meanwhile, if you really want to discuss vaginas and some cockamamie “war on women” its time to discuss the usurpation of a women’s sexual rights in the Moslem (Muslim) world. It is time to learn about female genital mutilation. This is the real “war on women.” Honestly I dislike the term genital cutting. FGM is the removal of the labia, the clitoris and the sewing together of the outer walls of the vagina leaving a small hole where pee can escape. It is not a paper-cut.

Not only can’t you say vagina in those cultures, but when they ripout a woman’s vagina and clitoris, they also take any sense a woman may have of sexual enjoyment. So worried about the sexuality of their women as it relates to their honor, men happily mutilate their women and the women comply. Of course, not certain that these women actually have too much of a choice in the matter really. FGM can lead to premature labor, fistula and higher maternal and infant mortality. Statistics say that 98% of women in Egypt have had the procedure. As an aside, funny how a man’s sexuality and actions do not reflect on his honor at all. Just saying.

In fact FGM is so prevalent in immigrant communities that European parliaments have outlawed the procedure. Activists are trying to accomplish the same here. But considering the Congress can’t even pass a law preventing gendercide I doubt anything will really happen.

Meanwhile, Americans can run around obsessed with everyone else’s vaginas except the vaginas of the women in the world who really need our help. Saying or not saying vagina is the least of these women’s issues. Seriously some people in the US need to get some perspective.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Foundation

Stop FGM Now

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