Women March after Inauguration of Donald J. Trump

On January 21st, millions of women organized and marched on Washington DC, as well as all over the world.  The event touted its focus on women’s rights and human rights but clearly, the US march focused on Planned Parenthood and the right to abortions in this country more so than the equal treatment of women. More directly, it pointed at the opposition of the newly sworn in President, Donald J. Trump (admittedly, that does not roll off my fingers easily, but that is a whole other post topic altogether).  I do not suggest that the other arguments made by the movement were not a portion of the concern and reason for the gathering, but rather, that abortion right takes the top priority in the agenda of the average twenty-first-century feminist.  Modern feminism is more about abortion than it is the original intent for women’s liberation during a time when women did not have the rights we have today.

Before we delve into the abortion issue mentioned, what is the March for Women all about anyway?  One can read the entire credo and purpose at Womensmarch.com.  According to their site, “The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”  The problem with this statement is in the last part of the declaration explaining the desire to protect the “most marginalized among us” and defend “all of us” part of this comment.  Really?  Are they considering the vast number of female fetuses aborted each year?  Do they not deserve to be defended?  Are they not part of “us?”  If the movement wishes people to take them seriously, then the rights of the unborn must also be part of their narrative, which we all know is not.

If the “right of a woman” is a human right’s issue, then the systematic murder through abortion of unborn women should deserve a place in their platform. Of course, we reach the point of that argument by which we arrive at an impasse between pro-lifer’s vs. pro-choicer’s: the definition of life and when it begins. Perhaps I will choose to write a separate post on that subject at a later date.  Aside from the fact that I believe life happens at conception, the above credo, as stated on their web page, provides the fallacy of their March intent in my opinion. They also negate their stance when they refuse to recognize, and peacefully celebrate, the women who consider themselves to be pro-life feminists. If it were about women’s and human rights, then pro-life feminists wouldn’t be harassed at the march and even, in some cases, refused to be recognized by the pro-choice activists. Who says you have to be pro-abortion/choice to be pro-women and a feminist?  Who says that the definition MUST include the belief in abortion rights to all women? The modern feminist, that’s who, especially since the primary objective was centered around Planned Parenthood, and the fear of President Trump federally defunding them.

The fact that Planned Parenthood played a significant role in the march is proof enough of it’s real intent, not to mention, it preceded the Pro-life March happening in the near future. If feminism is about equality and equal treatment for women, then why were pro-life feminists abused and ridiculed at the March? Because it’s all about abortion rights, not women’s equality. Modern feminists negate their message and lose the ability to make an impact on the world they wish to absorb their message when abortion is the primary basis for their activism.

For a large portion of my life I identified as a feminist unsing the definition of modern feminism that Men suck, are mostly the largest problem facing women (and the world), my body my choice, and that women receive the shaft in all areas and are held back by the ever-controlling and untrustworthy man.  A feminist reading this at this very moment may feel the steam rolling out of their ears and lightning flashing in their eyes, “How DARE you trivialize the movement!”  However, I hold my ground on that notion. I grew up in a feminist mentality and home. Not directly taught most of the time, but rather indirectly in most cases, my upbringing conditioned me as a young woman to see through the narrow lens that the mere reality of being born a woman I will endure the oppression or bias; we are, “women living in a man’s world.”

As I have matured and viewed the world through a more objective lens, I have since arrived at the understanding that the only thing holding me back, as an American woman, in any situation I find myself in is “me.”  Just because I am a woman does not make me a victim of the man. As an American woman, I don’t feel oppressed and that I have no voice.  I am not deprived the right to acquire property, make choices on my behalf, or pursue the career that I wish. I do not feel held back by the male population socially, economically, or personally. I am guaranteed the right to vote. I have ability and freedom to pursue a quality education and life in the manner I wish to acquire. I enjoy the freedom to be the individual I desire to be. Nothing holds me back but what I choose to allow to hinder me.  However, there are women around the world who do not have the rights and freedoms (and much more not mentioned) I have laid out. They lack the very basic right to education, to drive, to speak out. They lack the fundamental right to decide the direction of life for themselves. In some countries, it is socially accepted to systematically rape women. In some countries, women are property and have no rights other than what the male population or government allows.  Speaking out, in some countries, is punishable by beating or even death.  These examples are only a few struggles women across the world encounter.

 

In my sheltered, privileged American existence, I have a narrow lens on which to view the actual oppression women experience each and every day of their lives.  Where are the marches for THOSE women by the feminist movement?  Again, I hear the voice of the average feminist, “How DARE you!  That is precisely what our march was about!” To which I challenge the voices shouting, “Then why only when Donald J. Trump became president of the free world did you decide to strap on your “P@&?!” hats, “Nasty Woman” shirts, and “anti-Donald Trump” signs and march on capitals across the nation?  Why not organize a rally with the primary agenda showing solidarity to the women around the world to recognize and fight against the REAL struggle and oppression? Why make it about the man now residing in the White House?  Why demonized and exclude pro-life women fighting for the same human rights?

As modern American women, the majority of us know absolutely nothing of legitimate oppression. Legislation and our Constitution protect us from such tyranny.  I guarantee the majority of the women who showed up for marches around the world did so by their choice, stayed in a nice hotel or homes, arrived in clean, intact clothing, and full stomachs. They were likely encouraged by their fathers, brothers, and husbands to speak freely and without repercussion. They arrived and marched under the protection of their government to do so without being arrested or beaten for daring to have a voice.

Yes, there are still people in our society who would violate those rights, but you can’t legislate the evilness of individuals, and you can’t march the hate out of their hearts. In fact, spite and exclusivity of viewpoints spewed by a large portion of feminists towards opposing ideas of topics such as abortion grow the very thing they wish to eradicate.  If the modern feminist wants to reach the entire female population, without exclusion, and create a real unity among women as it has done in the past, then the focus must stop being on first world problems such as abortion rights and equal pay. It must realign to the priority of the women being oppressed across the world, instead of focusing on the narrow and self-serving aspects of the free American woman.