http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/poland-women-abortion-strike-protests-black-monday-polish-protestors-industrial-action-a7343136.html
This past October, women all across Poland took to the streets to protest the proposal of a new law that would effectively ban abortions through the country. What has now become known as "Black Monday," the protest was inspired by a similar demonstration which took place in Iceland in 1975, where women across the country boycotted their jobs in order to stress the important roles that women play in everyday society. Though Poland already possess some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, the proposed law would further restrict access to abortions, as well as criminalizing non-sanctioned methods and reasoning for having an abortion.
Similar to the activism of women in America with the recent March on Washington, other women around the globe also face discrimination and restrictions imposed on what many would consider to be their civil liberties as women. Though women have slowly moved toward equality throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, there are still many issues even today that impede the progress of feminism and equality for women.
I really appreciated the connection that you made. I think that you could have gone further and discussed the Pro-life March that happened right after the Women's March in Washington D.C. After discussing this issue with a few of my conservative family members, they were more behind the Pro-life movement more than the Women's March because they disliked the vulgar comments that were being made by celebrities involved in the movement. This in many ways could be connected to the differences in Martin Luther Kings protest methods versus Malcolm X. This is some food for thought that I believe that the leaders of the Women's March should have taken into account. Although they did garner a lot of attention, it was mostly from the liberal media. If they wanted to reach out to conservatives to see what they wanted from their perspective, maybe they should have had more well spoken speakers who would have attempted to bring more conservatives to common ground. I believe every protester has the right to say what they believe however, if you want the opposer to come to your side, an argument has to be made not just a complaint. I still believe that the Women's March was a success but for liberal women, not for building bridges.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that women are still facing inequality when it comes to the right over their bodies. In many ways, when society or government officials discuss women's issues it sounds more like taboo. However, men are basically given free range. I liked how you made this into an international connection. The mixture of religion and government is prevalent in many predominately Christian nations and this truly interferes with helping citizens. I do not think that governments should be completely hands off when it comes to abortions, for those who would abuse the right. However, I strongly believe that if a woman is forced by the government to take on the responsibility to carry and birth a child they do not want, this is wrong. Women should have the right to choose. At her recent talk with Fredonia students, Jane Elliot told the crowd that she was pro-life because she never had an abortion, but that did not mean she was going to stop another woman from having one if she wanted to. I believe this is how society should look at abortions. They are private and should not be interfered.