I couldn't bring myself to write anything for International Women's Day because I was simply too overwhelmed thinking about the numerous ways in numerous states that female bodily autonomy has been attacked. If we are not being treated like children, having information withheld from us to prevent us from making decisions, we are being effectively called livestock; and our privacy and even our bodies are threatened to be invaded by the state. For this reason, I welcome Melissa McEwan's (and Shaker Ma'am's) petition for a Personhood Amendment for Women. This will be brought to Senators Franken, Murray, and Gillibrand. The proposal reads as follows:
A person identifying as a woman and/or having a uterus shall retain all of the full, basic, and fundamental rights of a US citizen as guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Congress and the States shall make no law that infringes upon a person's life, including but not limited to access to life-saving or life-improving healthcare, and/or medicines and procedures deemed necessary or beneficial by a medical professional and/or by the person having the uterus, procurement of which shall not by denied in and of itself by the presence of a uterus. Congress and the States shall make no law that infringes upon a person's liberty, including but not limited to autonomy over hir own body and the ability to make decisions regarding hir own healthcare. Congress and the States shall make no law that interferes with a person's pursuit of happiness, including but not limited to access to a full spectrum of reproductive options, freedom from forcible reproduction, and the ability to make decisions regarding family planning and family resources.
I am in total agreement with this amendment, and recommend that anyone who has a moment to spare and cares about the female-bodied sign their name to this petition. We need to let our elected representatives know that a woman's rights are simply human rights. We are people. If it must be spelled out and made law for it to be understood--then so be it.I am perpetually astonished and outraged that it isn't understood already.
No comments:
Post a Comment