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Sadly that sigh of relief was even more temporary than I had hoped, and its not like I had high hopes in the first place.  The proposed law which would make “reckless” behavior resulting in miscarriage a criminal offense in Utah went back to legislature, was superficially reworded, and has now been signed into law.  It’s a sad day for the women of Utah.

Guv signs revised abortion bill [Salt Lake Tribune]

The bill’s original version drew national headlines because it allowed criminal charges if the mother’s behavior was “reckless.” That raised concerns that a mother who fell on the ice or was an avid jogger and suffered a miscarriage could be charged with a crime.  Herbert balked at signing that language and the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, quickly revised the legislation to remove the word “reckless.”  Herbert vetoed the original legislation, HB12, Monday — his first veto as a governor — and signed the revised version, HB462.

“Intentional” Miscarriage Now Homicide In Utah [Jezebel]

In response to criticisms that the original bill could have sent a woman to prison for life for staying in an abusive relationship or falling down the stairs, legislators added the caveats that a woman may not be prosecuted if the death of her fetus “is caused by a criminally negligent or reckless act of the woman” or “is not caused by an intentional or knowing act of the woman.” So now a woman has to intentionally induce her own miscarriage in order to go to prison.

Utah Continues Reckless Efforts to Lock-Up Pregnant Women [huffington post]

Criminal laws, however, depend on application of intent standards and are enforced by police officers and prosecutors who have extraordinary discretion in deciding who will and will not be arrested. Because everything a pregnant woman does or does not do can affect pregnancy outcome, it is hard to come up with an example of a law that could be applied only to women who “truly” intend to end their pregnancies while ensuring that pregnant women who do not intend to terminate their pregnancies or risk harm to their fetuses are protected from police investigation, interrogation, arrest, and prosecution.

Choosing Abortion in Utah May Be Criminal Act [Ms.Magazine]

While it was revised to exempt legal abortion, the state’s existing abortion ban is so restrictive that it renders that exemption virtually meaningless.  Currently, abortion is illegal in Utah under most circumstances, per a state ban that NARAL Pro-Choice America calls both unconstitutional and unenforcable. Legal abortion is further restricted by mandatory delay and counseling laws, an abortion-refusal clause and laws inhibiting low-income women’s access.

Utah Criminalizes Illegal Abortion Charging Criminal Homicide [feministing]

This language isn’t really much better. Instead of recognizing that it could only be the most oppressive circumstances that would lead a young woman to have someone beat her in hopes of inducing a miscarriage, and therefore creating legislation that protects young women, they legislate against women.

The following is a guest-post from Cheyenne Smith, a college student from Texas majoring in journalism/magazine design. She’s also a slam poet and nationally recognized editorial cartoonist – a firm believer in the power of words and image (check out her work at tumblr).  She pays the bills as a barista and is trying to tackle the publishing world one rejection letter at a time If you are interested in cross-posting or guest-posting at feministhemes.com, please contact me with your ideas at misswizzle@feministhemes.com. We always welcome new voices!

March celebrates the leaps and bounds made by women over the last few centuries, and with good reason. America in particular showcases the advancements made in feminine culture giving today’s modern woman a pertinent place in society. And though our country designates an entire month to shed the spotlight on once less-fortunate females, there still remains leagues of frenzied feminists standing up in protest to such an event claiming their “inferiority” in a “male-dominated” world. To these women, I roll up my Rosie the Riveter sleeves and ask, exactly what rights do you think we don’t have?

History shows us that a woman’s character is inherently linked to the image she projects. Though housewives, sex symbols and pinups used to rule the scene (visually pleasing men from coast to coast), an up rise in alternative lifestyles and appearances has caused gender lines to virtually disappear. With androgynous fashion rocking runways and same-sex parents in full attendance at their child’s PTA meetings, society’s’ cookie cutter view of the “perfect woman” mutated from a Marilyn Monroe super mom into an ever-changing idea of all that a woman can be: a multifaceted working girl with brains, beauty and sass. Especially considering American media, society’s rejection of the damsel in distress allows for females’ former weakness to become their source of power. Sex feels so mainstream now that any woman with the right amount of entrepreneurship can still run a fortune 500 company – even in a pinstriped micro mini and stilettos. Face it, sex doesn’t just sell, it commands.

With undeniable change in image comes an increase in power. Sure our salaries average out to 30 % lower than our male counterparts, but men automatically pay more for auto insurance – not to mention that filet mignon you ordered on last night’s date. Though the testosterone count sits lower, women’s hold on power in today’s world soars far beyond chauvinistic man’s expectations. Undoubtedly, men covet women as a source of power, but up until the late 1800s that power remained a source of fear that sparked the oppression of millions. One of the oldest games in the world, chess, exemplifies this “fear v. respect” relationship in its purest form. A 64 square board with32 pieces: two teams comprised of 16 male power roles- except for one – the queen. Able to movie in virtually any direction, the queen reigns as the most powerful piece on the board outranking even the king. For a once “gents only” pastime, the creators of chess sure acted upon the idea that behind every powerful man stands an even more powerful woman. Listen up ladies: don’t let men give you more credit than you give yourselves.

Between women’s’ suffrage and the right to choose, females proved totally competent in securing their authority in America. To hear young girls and grown women alike feign inferiority, using injustices of the past as an excuse to settle for less than their full potential in the future, completely negates all progress made by their fellow females. Next time you think you’re oppressed in a “male-dominated world” consider the shockingly low literacy rates for women in Afghanistan, the unmatched rape count in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and the sex trafficking lifestyles demanded of the women in Nepal. American women experience more opportunity, safety and privilege than any other group of females in the world, ad to take such an exalted state of living for granted is completely unacceptable. Once thought of as the lesser of two sexes, women should now hold themselves as not only equal, but elevated. After all, the male population’s signature Y chromosome is only an incomplete X, right?

Utah has a chance to pull its head out of its arches, and at least this bill has been slowed down, but we’re not out of the water yet, folks.  Keep spreading the word about how the Utah House and Senate hope to target women with their proposed anti-miscarriage law.

Utah Anti-Abortion Bill Citing ‘Reckless Act’ Is Withdrawn [The New York Times]

The original bill, which was sent to Gov. Gary R. Herbert, a Republican, for his consideration — and set off a firestorm of anxiety and criticism from abortion rights and women’s advocacy groups around the country — now goes back to the Legislature, neither signed nor vetoed.  The sponsor, Representative Carl D. Wimmer, a Republican, said he had removed a key clause that would have allowed prosecution under Utah’s criminal homicide laws for a “reckless act of the woman” that resulted in death to a fetus. Language will remain, he said, that makes a woman’s “intentional” actions, if resulting in the death of her fetus in an illegal abortion, a felony.

Quick Hit Update: Utah miscarriage criminalization bill withdrawn [feministing]

But don’t be fooled: the new legislation they create could still potentially criminalize women who have miscarriages or illegal abortions, and we can’t let that happen.

Good News: Utah Tones Down Miscarriage Bill. Bad News: It’s Still Murder [jezebel]

All this is in response to a 17-year-old girl who paid someone to beat her into miscarrying — the solution to which, clearly, is to throw her in jail. It apparently hasn’t crossed the legislators’ minds that improving access to safe, legal abortions — by, for instance, removing Utah’s parental-notification law — might prevent girls and women from resorting to such horrific tactics. Or, more likely, Utah still cares more about controlling women than about helping them.

In case you haven’t heard, the Utah House and Senate have passed a bill that aims to criminalize miscarriage.  This is discriminatory, sexist, hateful, repugnant bullsh*t, and a (very likely) signature away from becoming law.  The blogs have done a great job of raising consciousness about this issue, but I’m sadly not holding my breath for Utahns to riot enough to prevent this from happening.  Anyway, check out the posts because I can’t bring myself to come up with my own response to this crap.

I recommend starting out at RH Reality Check for the scoop.

From Jezebel

Utah’s new bill would apply throughout pregnancy. Given that 15-20% of recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage, 80% of those in the first trimester, Utah could have a lot of work ahead.

From Feministing

It [the bill] could create cases where women are prosecuted for having an unintentional miscarriage if there is any indication of “reckless behavior,” like drink alcohol and miscarry, or do any number of other things that could be deemed “reckless.”

From Amplify

Women in physically abusive relationships could be criminally liable for not leaving their partner, regardless of their ability to do so safely or securely. Women seeking lawful abortion may be guilty of criminal homicide if her physician failed to follow exact procedures set forth in the law.

From Feministe

The concern here isn’t really about fetuses or life or any of that. It’s about punishing women.

On the possibility of a female president: “I don’t see it happening because I don’t see one coming up the line in either party.”

On Hillary Clinton: “People don’t want to elect a feminist because they are not likeable. You have to be likeable to be elected.”

On the other hand: “Sarah Palin is the total package. She’s got a cute husband. She’s got a lot of kids.”

Keep it classy, Phyllis.  From Politics Daily via Jezebel.

Lately I’ve developed an affection for TV shows that aired on ABC between 1989 and 1993. Doogie Howser, and the Wonder Years have been faves for some time, and nostalgia has led me to add thirtysomething and Life Goes On to my Netflix queue. Most recently, however, I’ve fell in love with a show I’ve actually been hunting down for years: Homefront.

Homefront aired on ABC from 1991-1993. Its short run means it was rarely syndicated and no one has gone through the trouble to release it on DVD, so creative googling and luck are necessary to hunt down VHS recordings. It was rather critically acclaimed during its initial run but failed to pull in the ratings necessary to guarantee renewal. It seems a very similar story to my favorite show on TV these days, Friday Night Lights. Kyle Chandler stars in both, but whereas Homefront died due to lack of viewership, Friday Night Lights had the advantage of being produced in a more flexible era of television, allowing it to live 5 (short) seasons–for which I am eternally grateful.

But back to Homefront. It’s an evening soap that revolves around a town, River Run, Ohio, at the end of WWII. The first episode begins with the young soldiers returning home from overseas and begins to explore the early post-war era.

Read the rest of this entry »

CBS doesn’t want America to think about Choice, so we have to do it virally.  Here are some awesome counterpoints to the anti-choice rhetoric that is being crammed down our throats with Doritos and beer this SuperBowl Sunday, starting with Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards explanation of the meaning of Choice:

For a multitude of reasons I will not be watching the SuperBowl today, but welcome any tips on who the winners and losers in advertising are this year.

Obvious Child starring SNL newbie Jenny Slate is kinda like the alternate ending to Juno.  If Juno were a young adult in NY instead of a high schooler in MN.  And her boyfriend was kinda cool instead of Paulie Bleaker.  And she got the abortion.

At only 20 minutes, the short leaves you wishing for more, but it does a lot in that 20 minutes.  Most importantly, it presents abortion as a non-terrifying, non-shameful, individual choice.  Which, you know, legally speaking it is, despite the stigma surrounding it.  The condom broke, and Donna had a choice.  She made it.  And (shock of shocks!!!) her friend supported her, her mom supported her (and shared with her daughter the story of her own abortion), and her partner supported her.

What if instead of shaming issues surrounding sexuality and sexual decision making, from female masturbation and orgasm to the spectrum of sexual attraction to the reality of reproductive health options, we saw them presented non-judgmentally like this on a semi-regular basis?

For other reactions on the short, check out all my faves: Bust, Bitch, Jezebel, and Feministing.

Obvious Child from Gillian Robespierre on Vimeo.

Special note: Happy 200th post to us!  It’s been a fantastic (and challenging) exercise to develop and maintain my own little feminist scrapbook here and it’s been a pleasure to share it with you.  Here’s to 200 more!

“We call on opponents of a woman’s right to choose to end the practice of inflammatory rhetoric and tactics that inspire this kind of violent action from the most extreme factions of the anti-choice movement. No other abortion provider’s family should have to endure the tragedy of seeing their loved one killed for providing an essential and legal health service to women.”

- Nancy Keenan

The president of NARAL Pro-Choice America in response to to a jury’s conviction of Scott Roeder as guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Dr. George Tiller.  From here.

Always ready to piggyback on social events, PETA was on top of things this week with their 2010 “State of the Union Undress.”  It’s offensive, objectifying, and irritating so I’m not embedding, and I’m not even linking.  If you really want to see it, you’ll find it, but the screencap should give you a clear enough idea of their theme:

Choice lines include (emphasis theirs):

“A hopeful country looks on while a new leader strives to arouse in us our passion for a better future.”

“As the health care debate rages in Congress, we have urged Americans to take matters into their own hands [actress caresses own breasts] with a healthy vegan diet.”

“While the deficit goes up, our fight for animals goes on … and when necessary, our shirts come off.”

“It has always been our policy to show people as much as they need to see in order to make them … stand at attention.”

Yeah, this goes on for a while.  PETA has used innumerable tasteless and despicable tactics in the past to make their points (badum-cha – you activists aren’t the only ones who can manipulate the double-entendre), so I can’t say I’m surprised. The site includes both a safe-for-work and uncensored version of their “speech.”

It also includes links to the 2008 speech, which featured a white model, presumably because we had a white president at the time, and a link to their Slideshow of Naked Campaigns Worldwide.  Classy.

‘Cause you know, nothing says “I believe in the equal status of all creatures” like objectifying women in the name of animal rights.  Pathetic.

Shoutouts to Emily of Jukebox Heroines for the tip!

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