A few weeks ago, I wrote about a new feature I started on my personal blog called “Why I am a Feminist Today” and promised to share some of these posts on here. Here is a post I wrote last night that addresses only a few of the facts and recent events that remind me why I identify as a feminist.
Today, I am a feminist because:
– The privatization of drinking water is being taken to the extreme, with people in several states being punished by the criminal “justice” system for catching rainwater on their property and reusing it. I am a feminist because access to clean water is a human right and the government should not be able to control this natural resource.
– The funding of Planned Parenthood is being attacked across the country. Although this has been deemed unconstitutional, six states have attempted to pass laws to defund these health care centers. Countless excuses have been provided in an attempt to justify this gross violation of sexual and reproductive rights, ranging from arguments that this will somehow improve the economic crisis in the United States to the claim that Planned Parenthood “is an independently wealthy entity” that does not need support from the government. The most openly misogynistic quote, however, comes from Councilor Raymond Wieczorek of Manchester, New Hampshire, who opposes funding for birth control and condoms; he support this by saying: “If they want to have a good time, why not let them pay for it?”
- I am a feminist because I believe that all individuals deserve access to all of the services offered at Planned Parenthood; the government should never “balance the budget” by turning the health and well-being of individuals into commodities.
- Because I believe that all individuals have the right to explore and express their sexuality freely and consensually, without having to adhere to a state-sanctioned idea of what constitutes acceptable sexual behavior.
- Because I believe that access to birth and control in condoms is a human right, as it allows individuals to have control over their own bodies.
– As Poland attempts to completely ban abortion, approximately 47,000 people die each year because of an unsafe abortion. I am a feminist because I believe that abortion should be made safe, legal, and accessible to all pregnant people around the world.
– Because the odds of a rapist spending time in prison are only 1 in 16. I am a feminist because sexual violence is an issue that is not taken seriously, especially within the criminal “justice” system.
If you would like to share your own reasons, please submit them here.
