World News Korner

Sarah Palin angry that pro-choice group uses jewelry to remind women of the tragic days before Roe vs Wade.

Courtesy of Anti-Choice Barbie's Facebook page:

The only feminists who are truly 100% pro-women are those who believe in the worth and positive potential of every woman – even our littlest sisters in the womb! Which political party has the plank in its platform protecting the most vulnerable? Who fights for the basic sacred right to life of every woman or girl – no matter how small? So, D.C. "feminists" who would wear this symbol of death around their neck, who are the real women liberators? It's the pro-life sisterhood fighting to protect children.

The Palin links to Brancy's blog, which contains this tasteless comment:

I honestly can’t believe that someone would celebrate the destruction of babies (boys, and YES millions of girls) as a fashion statement for feminists.

You know the phrase “they wear their heart of their sleeves?” Well, I guess DC feminists love to wear death on their necks.

Of course the point is NOT to celebrate abortion, but to remind people of the fate that many young pregnant women escaped with the passage of Roe vs Wade.

But perhaps the President of the DC Abortion Fund can say it more eloquently:

It’s said that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Lately, it seems there’s been a lot of forgetfulness about the history of women’s reproductive freedom. The coat hanger has long been a symbol of the reproductive justice movement. The DC Abortion Fund – contrary to recent conservative media reports – has for many years given away a silver coat hanger pendant to our monthly supporters.

The pendant is nothing new or even particularly newsworthy. Anyone who wants a pendant today can sign up below to become a monthly donor for as little as $10 a month. If you do, please consider this my personal thanks. Welcome to a wonderful community of dedicated, compassionate abortion access supporters – we’re glad to have you!

The coat hanger is a symbol of the reproductive justice movement because lack of access to abortion causes women to go to desperate lengths to terminate a pregnancy, similar to those undertaken in the pre-Roe vs Wade era. At that time, consuming Lysol and household poisons was not uncommon to instigate abortion. Nor was inserting knitting needles, Coke bottles, and – yes – wire coat hangers into their cervices.

It might make you cringe to imagine just how desperate one must be to go to these lengths. But we don’t have to imagine. We hear from women every day who are that desperate, with no one else to turn to. With our help, they access quality, safe abortion care – no wire coat hangers needed.

The coat hanger is a reminder of women’s suffering when abortion is placed out of reach. It is a promise from reproductive justice advocates to never go back to the grotesque world our anti-choice opponents are striving for: a world WITHOUT safe access to abortion, where women might have to resort to horrific alternatives like a coat hanger. That’s why our supporters love the pendants and wear them as a point of pride.

While we were surprised by the conservative media’s ignorance of the history of the coat hanger’s symbolism, we certainly welcome the spotlight on our efforts to help women.

So thank you Sarah and Bristol Palin for focusing on this symbol, that you clearly do not understand, and providing the opportunity for the undereducated to learn more about the history of the American woman's ongoing struggle for control over their bodies.

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