Abortion & menstruation
This week, I received a bit of career advice from a woman who is quite literally a rock star in the mom-blog world: The Feminist Breeder. She hipped me to the fact that there are two subjects that can cause her blog traffic to shoot through the roof, and since it’s been a slow week around here at Radical HQ, I thought I’d throw them in a post together, complete with mystery photos from Google Images.
1. Abortion
I’ve never had one, a fact that seems to confuse more than a few of the trolls who have crawled my way over the years. I’ve been careful, yes, but I’ve also been extremely lucky. My opinion on the matter has not changed since I became a mother to my two beloved children–quite the opposite, actually. As Dolly Parton once told Ricky Gervais, if you want to see the pretty rainbows, you need to prepared for a hell of a lot of rain. Just as one wouldn’t move to Seattle without an umbrella or twelve, neither should one enter parenthood without emotional, physical, and financial preparation. There are things in life that can turn out okay if you wing it, like punk rock, making a stir-fry, and writing a book, but raising a kid ain’t one of ‘em.
2. Menstruation
The only thing worse than menstruating is NOT menstruating (see #1), unless you’ve planned your parenthood, in which case not menstruating is a joyous thing indeed. Isn’t that picture bizarre? I think so. I’m a little bit bothered by it. I feel a cramp in my lower back and a deep need for chocolate…..
Web traffic, I eagerly await you. First, I’m running to Walgreens for Kit Kats and some Pamprin.
so does having a bump from the TFB herself
.
Meh, I had neither the emotional nor the financial preparation when I got myself good ol’ fashioned knocked up but somehow that turned into four kids and we’re rocking it out. Winging it is good for the soul, I always say. But yes, holy hell, yes, having kids strengthened my pro-reproductive-choice for sure for sure.
Sent her by Feminist Breeder
I would add to your #1
If you feel you are responsible enough to take off your pants in the presence of another pantless human of the opposite sex you should be prepared for all the potential consequences. IF there is a chance that you may have difficulty accepting the fall out of taking your pants off. Consider how to reduce the risk of NEEDING to accept the whatever that may come down the road weather that be in the form of a script for antibiotics to treat your VD or in the form of a tiny squirmy human being and a shit load of stretchmarks.
Indeed the only thing worse than menstruating is not.
Especially when “not” lasts for long enough that you strap on the baby you already have and go to the one pharmacy in town where you’ll never go again and buy a pregnancy test and seeing that “negative” is the biggest sigh of relief and the first time you’ve been able to sleep at night all week.
Not that I know anything about that.
You are absolutely brilliant writing this post! Certainly got me directed here! Kudos.
My mother and my beloved uncle would not be in this world had someone (2 someone’s) had and taken the choice to end a pregnancy instead of blessing a childless couple with their baby. Which means I wouldn’t be here either, nor my brothers, nephew, niece, and daughters. I don’t think abortion should be illegal (because I’m not one for governments mucking about with people’s bodies) but I also don’t think it’s an admirable or compassionate choice.
)
Have hated and not really minded menstruation depending on the changes in my body’s “menstruation style” which seems to change with contraceptive choices and after each pregnancy. Have had both the thrill of a missed period and the crap-why-am-I-a-week-late scare. Remember really interesting discussions in the “Expressing Women’s Embodiment” class I opted to take at university. One woman reported feeling very creative during hers. Others spoke of how in their house, no one ever talked about periods, even though the only male in the home was the father. Another that is discussed openly and nothing thought of it even if household males are present. Talked about menarche and it’s celebratory status in some cultures and our lack of recognition for it in ours.
Well, now, i’m heading to bed. Had you not specifically said you were trying to get reactions, I’d have kept my fingers off the keyboard. (I tend to keep quiet), but since you asked… Hope I’ve made your day in some way!
Sarah, I appreciate you getting those fingers moving. You did make my day!
I find it amusing that this is the introductory post to my experience with your blog
(You may thank TFB’s Facebook pimping of your post, btw). Absolutely love the first photo and agree that the second is a bit odd. Now to go read the rest of your writing…
Yes! Gina should add blog consultant & coach to her list of titles: mom of three, rock star, momblogger, doula, law student!
Hi I agree that parenthood should be planned however birth is a natural thing and complications can arise when least expected. As with us we had planned to have our baby however we weren’t financially ready for our child luckily we’ve been able to claw back and have had a lot of help from family and friends along the way in order for me to stay off on mat leave. In Canada we get 50 weeks. I ended up taking leave early because of an injury thus I wasn’t able to build up any sort of saving prior. However I was able to enjoy my pregnancy and we have saved money in other ways. Ie, breastfeeding, making our baby food, cloth diapers eventually. In my opinion abortion has it’s place. If the baby is a product of a rape I wouldn’t be able to live with a child that was born out of an act of aggression. In that sense I would look at abortion otherwise I would keep the baby every time.
Great Post…TFB brought me over here
Well I have never had an abortion although I am pro choice BUT I’ve been “winging” parenthood since I missed my period in August of 2001 right after graduating form HS. I was not prepared in any way at all…and after the initial 24 hours of shock, I was pretty excited about it. It became a joy for me and my guy who is still my guy 11 years 5 residences and three daughters later. Now I am quickly approaching thirty and we just canceled our vasectomy appointment….who knows…as un prepared as we were, I think maybe some people do well “just wingin it”. How can you really prepare for parenthood anyway? I think more financial stability would have made our lives a little simpler BUT maybe not….I will never know and I wouldn’t change a thing. I think if everyone who felt un prepared for parenthood got an abortion, the population would quickly plumet…hey maybe that’s what we need as a civilization anyway…who knows.
I have the implant, so I don’t have a period and there is only a .05% chance of pregnancy! It’s the best.
I mostly wing it as far as becoming a parent, but I also live in Seattle and don’t own an umbrella. I am not winging it in the how to be a parent section though. That, I think, does take some serious work to create outcomes I can be proud of. My parents mostly winged it, and none of us think it turned out all that great, except the part about me deciding NOT to be that kind of parent. I look forward to reading more from you!
Well, I’m here. Howdy. Off to subscribe.
I would like to say I think the fact you not only support abortion but apparently get your children to go to pro choice rallies with you is disgusting. You are telling your children it is perfectly fine to kill an innocent human being. You might believe that it is a woman’s right to kill her child because she doesn’t want it but it was also the woman’s right to have sex with someone and not be smart about it. Women should except responsibilities for their mistakes, it is not the child’s fault she got pregnant isnt anyone’s fault but her own, so the child should not be punished. Plenty of couples would love to have babies but can’t and there Are women killing babies because they don’t want them? That is pathetic! Abortion is legal up until the fetus is 18 weeks old, but at just 24 days old it has a heartbeat. How can anyone say something with a heartbeat is not a person?! I don’t understand how ANYONE can believe it is not ok to kill a baby after it has been born but it is perfectly acceptableto kill a baby still inside the womb. There is no difference between the two, both have fingers, toes, eyes, a nose and a beating heart! Abortion is nothin more than a disgusting legal form of abortion.
Ansley, I couldn’t agree with you more–abortion IS nothin (sic) more than a disgusting legal form of abortion!
I am a senior in a high school and this year we have to do a term paper. I am doing mine on abortion and a portion of it is about people who are pro-choice and pro-life and why they chose whichever one they chose. Could you give me some reasons why you are for abortion?
Abortion is wrong because the woman is making a life ending decision for another human being. No one says you have to keep the baby after it is born, just don’t kill it.