Some University of Illinois students have moral objection that the the student health plan they pay for will pay for elective abortions and went to some Student Senators who then wrote a resolution to ask university to have alternatives. This was a fall-out, I think, of the continuing attack at Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, or entities that make abortion referrals.
The proposal failed by a large margin, which was good. There were two groups of public watching the meeting; one of the pro-insurance-choice people was recording the meeting on a mini-cam. One of the public comment was from an alum who said that U of I was probably breaking federal law -- ie, the Hyde Amendment -- in that students getting Pell Grants are getting insurance that funds abortions. He um'd & er'd and didn't speak well.
Talking with 3 pro-lifers afterward, one of the two women was going on how abortion hurts women and I said it didn't hurt me. She, shocked, put her hand on my arm & all concern. She at least apologized when I took her hand away and said I hadn't given her permission to touch me. But she also said I seemed to have "tension" and I should visit Project Rachel, sigh.
The two women were at least trying to engage. The man was an ass (Science proves it's a human being, unique genetic material & all) ... but when he dismissed affirmative action as ... I forget the adjetive -- stupid or bogus? -- that's when I turned my back and left.
Then he left. Then the two women, they called me back, even though they had to leave also. It ended on a more respectful note.
My main point to them was that when any circumstance specifically separates out abortion or pregnancy for different treatment, that's reinforcing the idea that many people seem to have that women who are pregnant (or could be pregnant), are community property. Somehow, what a women is "allowed" to do is something that society gets to vote about them, it reinforces an idea that society owns women.
So I won't support sexism, even if it's superficially about "choice".
~+~+~
PS: It really gets me angry that a woman voluntarily terminating a pregnancy is considered so much more of a moral problem than the systemic sexism and classism of society. OK, they may say the other stuff is important also, but actions speak louder.
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