From: garvin+@cs.cmu.edu (Susan Garvin)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Re: Feminists For Life...Huh?
Date: 8 Oct 92 15:17:09 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

In article <3907@ra.nrl.navy.mil> lebow@psl.nrl.navy.mil writes:
>In article <1992Oct8.021141.23687@nas.nasa.gov> dking@raul.nas.nasa.gov (Dan
>King) writes:

##So why don't you explain to us how a group that claims to be pro-women 
##has an agenda that will use force of law to prevent women from exercising 
##a right they currently have.  This is a right that currently 1.5 Million
##U.S. Women choose to exercise every year.  While some of their points
##are indeed valid about abortion, I fail to understand why they insist
##on using the force of government to attempt to eliminate that option.
##It at least seems to me that there are many other ways to reduce 
##abortion that would not require harming so many women.  How is forcing
##1.5 million women every year to do continue pregnancy's against
##their will, pro-women?  I have asked people who claim to represent
##FFLA, and I have yet to see and answer.
#
#Dan-
#  I can't understand why you haven't gotten an "answer" from FFLA people you
#have asked.  

The two men who represent FFL on the net are exceedingly reluctant
to answer questions about the organiziation.  (I can understand it,
since they call themselves "feminists", but their words reveal
that they are not.)

#One's position on every other women's issue, eg.pornography and
#violence against women,  sexual harassment, the 'glass ceiling' 
#in employment, 
#etc. are left intact regardless of one's belief on the rights of the unborn.  

Of course, the fundamental tenet of feminism, that discrimination
based on sex is wrong, is not left intact.  No man is required
to sacrifice his health, his income, or his life for a fetus.

#Members of FFLA sincerely believe that the unborn fetus shares equal rights
#with the rest of society and should be accorded the same protection using the
#same "force of government" to use your phrase.  They take on all other feminist
#positions as well as an anti-capital punishment stance which I find wholly
#consistant.
#

No, FFL members want to give fetuses more rights than the rest of
society.  

#FFLA members were jeered at and physically accosted during a recent Take Back
#The Night rally here in Washington, DC.  This just doesn't make sense to me. 
#Why do people have to resort to such vilification of others in an attempt to
#bolster their own position?  While I have sensed frustration coming from FFLA
#members I have never seen the type of vitriolic posturing that can appear from
#the "establishment" feminist organizations. 

I think that it has something to do with the fact that TBTN marches
and rallies are meant to be anti-rape events.  Many FFL chapters
fail to recognize this, or do not think that rape is an issue
worthy of their consideration - they appear with their standard
bloody fetus anti-abortion signs and attempt to co-opt the
rally for their cause.  (One might note that the "establishment"
feminist organizations do not attend TBTN events with "Keep
abortion legal" posters.  I think this reflects the fact that
their agendas do, in fact, include issues other than abortion.)

I'd give more credibility to FFL if they were able to work
with other feminist groups on issues that do not involve
abortion.  I've seen no evidence that they are willing
to do so.  The TBTN events are a good example of their
single-mindedness.

Susan
Newsgroups: talk.abortion,alt.abortion.inequity