From Feministe:
40 vs. 4000
“On February 17th, anti-choicers started the “40 Days for Life” campaign, where they show up at abortion clinics and harass patients and employees even more than usual. Now there’s a great (and informative) response: 4,000 Years for Choice. The conclusion: Women have, forever, been trying to control their reproductive capacities and determine for themselves the number and spacing of their children.”
From the site 4000 Years for Choice!:
“Ever wonder about the history of abortion and contraception? When did women first begin to desire control over their reproduction? Are these practices new? Or, in fact, quite old?
Despite the existence of much academic scholarship about this history, most people believe contraception and abortion methods are recent inventions that occurred as a result of the 20th century women’s liberation movement.
In addition, the polarized pro-choice/pro-life reproductive rights debate has been caught between two specific symbols; the hanger and the fetus. 4000 Years for Choice deconstructs these myths and invites viewers to discover a radically different history of the roots of reproductive choice.”
About the campaign:
“4000 Years for Choice is responding to the pro-life movement’s occupation of women’s reproductive health clinics through a national postcard campaign. Beginning on the 37th anniversary of Roe v Wade (January 22, 2010), one postcard a week has been sent to clinics across the country, specifically to those identified in the 40 Days for Life campaign, as well as women’s health clinics in my home state of Illinois and a couple of others that I am personally connected to and want to honor.”
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This was timely for me. Mr Radical and I were recently driving on a highway when I say a pro-life billboard. It said “Pray to end abortion so more [big city] babies can live.” I read the billboard and then commented to Mr. Radical-”yeah, so there can be even more cars clogging up traffic, just what this city needs”.
I’m reminded of a Doug Stanhope line “I’m pro-abortion. Talk someone into it.” I know I’m veering from politics into comedians again but man, Stanhope is one of my faves. His political, overpopulation, religious bits are full of truth and laughs. I had the pleasure of seeing him in person last year and he was amazing. Drunk as a skunk, as my parents used to say, but still amazing. His Fetus Photo bit is appropriate for this post.
Where was I? Right, abortion history. I studied it a bit in college and it’s pretty interesting. Personally, I think modern women should learn some herbal abortion techniques since controlling what goes in and out of our vaginas is considered controversial.
The site also has a contraceptive/abortion timeline which is informative. Here’s some snippets:
“1000s – In the Middle Ages, artemisia was known as the “mother of all herbs” and used to cure female ailments. The Bishop of Rennes in France wrote, “it stimulates menstra, and whether drunk or applied, stimulates an abortion.”
300s BCE – A colony in northern Africa called Cyrenne became rich from exports of silphium, a plant well-known for its abortive and contraceptive qualities. It was said to be a gift from Apollo. After six-hundred years, overharvesting drove it to extinction.
1850s BCE – The Petri Papyrus, a medical text from Ancient Egypt, listed three different vaginal contraceptive methods; gummy substances made from honey, sodium carbonate, and crocodile dung.”
Posted by Vixen in Activism