Whilst pregnant I hated that I was policed – it was my informed choice to drink, eat cheese, eat rare meat based on what I’d read – not the choice of the uninformed to tell me what they thought I should do
.-= Muddling Along Mummy´s last blog ..Being the less loved parent =-.

@Mothership – Looking forward to seeing this post of which you speak!

@lovepeaceohana – Very well said. It’s all about trusting women.

@jen – Yep, exactly. And it’s a very frightening prospect!

@Heather – Yes, one has to wonder if the stress of being held prisoner didn’t perhaps contribute to her baby’s death, because obviously the ‘bed rest’ didn’t work.

@Irene – I don’t know about ‘priority’ but certainly ‘consideration’.

@Lost in France – Yes, bodily autonomy includes pregnant women smoking. We can’t FORCE someone to stop smoking, only give them all of the information, support and resources to help them quit. Same goes for pregnant women.

I disagree with your statement that women want equality but then get upset when we are treated the same. This is a common argument brought up in anti-feminist conversations. A lot of people seem to think that feminism can be simplified down to the buzz words of Choice and Equality, meaning that any choice that any woman makes is feminist (merely because she made it freely) and that obtaining equality with men means we must be treated exactly the same in every circumstance. Neither are true. Feminism is about seeking freedom from sex-based oppression, not women seeking to be exactly like men.

As for cesareans being lifesaving, of course they can be! No one disputes that. But 40% is not lifesaving, it’s harmful — to babies, to mothers, to everyone. The WHO recommends a rate no higher than 10-15% to keep infant and maternal mortality rates at their lowest. Doubling and even tripling that rate does not prevent more deaths…it causes them.

the second time around with a boisterous, clingy, 2 year old to look after at the same time I found even more annoying. i couldn’t possibly be strong enough to push a wheelbarrow of hay to a field for my horses but carry a 10kg child around half the day was fine.

The story about the woman confined to her bed is deeply disturbing. Taking away a persons rights like that and holding them prisoner, which in no way has been proven to help and I’m sure the added stress was very detrimental at this time, is preposterous. Utterly appalling.

That’s what I think is largely missing for most of these conversations: trust that women can and will make reasonable choices for themselves in their families. It’s writ large throughout the struggle for reproductive justice and I have a feeling we will make no headway in any of our endeavours unless we can first convince the rest of our society that women are indeed rational, thinking human beings capable of and entitled to sound, informed decision-making.