File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/marxism-international.9707, message 174


From: Zeynep Tufekcioglu <zeynept-AT-turk.net>
Subject: Re: M-I: Rights, etc. (To Rob, Carrol, and Others)
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 02:45:34 +0300


I guess I'm going to draw fire on this subject, so I should first clarify
that I support any woman's right to have an abortion for whatever reason,
even if just whim. No disagreement there, and I agree with Yoshie almost
completely.

But, the "purely technical" is a bit troubling for me. I personally can't
stand the idea of an abortion, I don't ever want to have one, I don't ever
want to be forced into one. I find the idea of a possible baby being torn
from a womb to be nauseating, to say the least. I don't care whatever anyone
else thinks about this, nobody should interfere with my decision.

Here's the problem with the "purely technical" approach. I've witnessed at
least one case and heard of more than one case, in which the father
"demanded" an abortion and got it, claiming it was purely a technical
problem and the women should not get hysterical and emotional over a lump of
cells. Instead of "purely technical", why can't be settle at it is a
personal decision of the woman? The "purely technical" is also a form of
social pressure, if I want to get "hysterical" over a lump of cells, it is
my right.

In Turkey, abortion is used as a method of birth control. It is widespread
and accepted. I'm not sure if Islam forbids it, I've never heard a claim
like that and the "official" highest religious officer in the country has
said it was okay to have an abortion. I know that women are struggling
around the world for access to proper health-care, including on-demand
abortion and I am not in the least trying to shift the focus from that
struggle to "the right to not have an abortion". I must repeat, I support
on-demand abortion, whenever, for whatever reason without any questions. 

I wasn't going to comment, but this is a source of disagreement with many of
my friends, but I have met a few communist women who had a very similar view
and they were bothered that they never managed to say this, for the fear of
being misunderstood. For me, it is not "purely technical", rather, it is
personal. I've often thought that my position might be a problem, it may
sound like "moralizing" about abortion and putting women in a difficult
position. I often keep my mouth shut whenever this subject is discussed. I
kept trying not to post on this thread, but I am now wondering outloud, does
Carrol and Yoshie think voicing this would have a negative effect on the
struggle for on-demand abortion, and that it can only be defended on a
"purely technical" argument? 

I am not asking a rhetorical question, I would continue to keep my mouth
shut if I think this opinion is damaging, which it may well be.

Zeynep



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