A Woman Knows...

You hear that a lot.

Women, for eons, have been trusting their gut, following their senses for their own survival, for their children's and family. Now we seem to have forgotten what's in our best interest. We seem to have lost our ability to be trusted with making the most fundamental decisions - decisions that concern our bodies.

At least, that's what the right conservatives would have you believe.

I know I said I wouldn't use my website for making political comments - but I lied. A woman's right to make decisions over her own body is something I cannot be silent about.

This republican presidential ticket can do more harm to woman. At a point in our history, we find ourselves once again in a precarious political position. I am ashamed to know that a woman can, bring down the proverbial hammer and nail on a womans right to choose, Roe v. Wade - on hard fought progress - Palin, the pentacostal feminist proud to call herself a Pit-Bull with lipstick, Barracuda -the first Republican woman nominee for vice president. That a woman can take women as a whole back to the hell before choice, before contraception - because she speaks for all women, since she is a woman afterall. The conservative members of our society would have women trapped, without a say as to what happens to us, reducing us to nothing more than vessels, incubators. They say they're for a culture of life - whose life?

We should think long and hard to what was won by the many women who came before us. The many women who lost their lives in an attempt to have some control over their bodies - women exercising defense of their bodies.

I would urge women to read Audre Lorde's Zami: a new spelling of my name. There's so much in literature addressing the history of female choice and reproduction. Women today are very disconnected from our struggles - of our mother's and grandmothers. If you come from money, or anything resembling lack of struggle, you can't know what it is to not have a voice over your body - even in 2008. If you are thinking of supporting the republican conservative ticket, I implore anyone who reads this, to think long and hard, read on the issue of women's reproductive rights, oppression and the many forms it take, the effects of poverty on women, before casting a vote.

Rapes, incest, depression, poverty, oppression, mental illness, male privilege - when these things are eradicated, maybe only then can there be anything that resembles dialogue where a woman's right to choose is concerned. Until then, everyone needs to leave choice alone - leave it between a woman and her god, her conscience. No one but a woman knows what is best for her own self.

This woman, Palin, one heart-beat away from being president should this party win, doesn't believe in abortion even in cases of rape or incest, would consider it maybe in cases where a mother's life is in danger. It's so good of her. Pandering to mothers of children with special needs 'you'll have a friend in the White House.' Hypocrites. Ask families with children with special needs how friendly this administrations policies have been to them. Parent's having to choose whether to keep the label of disability on their children - for the sake of keeping coverage and benefits. How dare they put parent's up to a decision like that. How dare they present an autistic child's one point improvement in diagnostic tests - one point. One point is not going to give an autistic child the ability to have gainful employment, the life skills necessary to make it on entirely on their own - how dare they. One point. That's what the rules say. one point improvement and benefits have to be cut. With friends like that...

Years I've dedicated to helping women in abusive relationships - in situations, in this day and age, in the United States of America, where they had no control over their lives - under the threat of harm, even death. Women raising children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, - and probably the most destructive and often invisible destryoyer of life - rage and self hatred. Where's the help? where are the father's? Gone. Had they had a choice, they cry when they tell me, they would not have had their children. But they were raped by their husband's, by their partners, forbidden birth control, forbidden to see doctors in many instances to receive care for fear the abuse would be discovered. This is the life of many women. Throw in poverty. It's a hell of a recipe. And this woman is going to be, potentially, in power - with an ability to tell all women prevention and health safety is not an option? Culture of life? Whose life?

This position that the conservative republican party takes, isn't a far stretch from that. Try sitting for twenty plus years listening to, helping, talking with women whose lives were affected by lack of choice. Then tell me you still feel the same. And not women with access to resources. To woman who are more like you, like me.

Even if non of the challenges and obstacles existed in a woman's life - if she merely didn't want to have children and took steps to prevent or terminate, because she chooses to, that is between herself and her god. It is no one elses business.

Ms. Palin said that she would consider termination if the mother's life were in danger, otherwise, she is pro-life. She will always choose life. I wonder what her daughter would say if asked what she wanted. Truly. If pro-life is so important, her daughter's life should matter more to her, the quality of her daughter's life and she should have allowed her to use contraception - because even in Alaska, teen pregnancy is a problema and clearly abstinence doesn't work - not even for a pentacostal, god fearing former pastor's daughter.

Not a man. Not a political party - not even the first woman vice presidential candidate, democrate or republican, not anyone elses beliefs has a right to interfere. This is something between each woman, her body, her conscience, her belief. Her god.