Why do I have to write this? Why is it necessary to continually have to stand up and assert that a woman has the right to decide for herself over her own body and her own life? Because there are still too many forces out there that want to take that right away from us.

A week ago, I posted on Facebook a few comments on the “scandal” video  making the rounds in media about how Planned Parenthood was selling “baby parts”. And here I am again, this time on my blog, feeling the need to once again speak up about this.

I just read a piece on the New York Times Op/ed page by Katha Pollitt titled How to Really Defend Planned Parenthood. In her article she says, “We need to say that women have sex, have abortions, are at peace with the decision and move on with their lives. We need to say that is their right, and, moreover, it’s good for everyone that they have this right: The whole society benefits when motherhood is voluntary. When we gloss over these truths we unintentionally promote the very stigma we’re trying to combat. What, you didn’t agonize? You forgot your pill? You just didn’t want to have a baby now? You should be ashamed of yourself.”

How many times do we need to say this? A woman has to have the right to decide over her own body! To decide what she wants to be when she grows up; to decide what she wants to study and where; to decide if she wants to have sex and with who; to decide if she wants to marry or not; and in this day and age, when it is now possible, to decide if she wants to give birth to a child and be a mother!

The anti-abortion factions (I refuse to call them Pro-life because they know nothing about life) are not really about procreation! They are about putting women in their place, about controlling them, removing their adult status, making them dependent. There are still many places in the world where women are treated worse than the cattle their men own.  I can not change another culture, another society. I can only speak out about the industrialized, western world culture/society that I was raised in, that I live in. But to those in my society who would limit my right to decide over my own body, to limit my humanity, I say no!

And now back to the Planned Parenthood baby parts selling video. PP doesn’t sell baby parts. PP helps women. But those forces out there who want to limit women from being independent, fully functioning members of society will go to any length, twist words to say what is not meant, all to further their agenda. Their rhetoric would make George Orwell so proud or maybe just plain horrified.