Yerevan, 29.March.2024,
00
:
00
ՄԵՆՅՈՒ
Unibank is now a regular partner of “Pan-Armenian intellectual movement” IDBank issued another tranche of dollar bonds Green Iphone on the best credit terms at green operator's stores UCOM Provided technical assistance to Shengavit administrative district AMD 9,808,684 to the "City of Smile" Charitable Foundation. The next beneficiary of "The Power of One Dram" is known Unibank offers a “Special” business loan with an interest rate of 8.5% per annum IDBank implements the next issue of nominal coupon bonds Flyone Armenia will start operating regular direct flights Yerevan-Moscow-Yerevan New movie channels in Ucom and good news for unity tariff subscribers Ucom offers discounts on a number of devices on the occasion of love holidays


Can You Be Feminist and Pro Life? Yes and No

Politics

Here's what Hillary Clinton should have said on The View this week.

Hillary Clinton is right: Of course you can be a feminist and be pro-life.

Hillary Clinton is also wrong: You cannot be a feminist and be pro-life.

"I respect the opinions and beliefs of every woman," Clinton said during an appearance on The View. "The reason why being pro-choice is the right way to go is because it is a choice and hopefully a choice that is rooted in the thoughtfulness and the care that women bring to this decision. So, of course you can be a feminist and be pro-life."

 

What Clinton seems to mean is that a woman who personally identifies as pro-life and says she would not have an abortion herself can still be a feminist, so long as she wouldn't restrict abortion rights for other women. What Clinton didn't say, but should have, is that a woman who makes her own reproductive choices (and carrying a pregnancy to term is indeed a reproductive choice) but doesn't want to force those choices on everyone else is, by definition, pro-choice. On the other hand, anyone whose views are in line with the organized, national "pro-life" movement – that is, they want to legally restrict access to abortion and contraception – cannot, as long as words mean things, be a feminist.

Part of the problem is how limited the "pro-choice" and "pro-life" monikers have become, and how much an individual's own explanations of their political views may diverge from the way political groups use the same terms. "Pro-life" has become shorthand for "I think abortion is icky" or "I would never have an abortion," but not necessarily "I think abortion should be entirely illegal" – which is the position of the mainstream "pro-life" movement.

Every major right-to-life organization in the United States wants to outlaw abortion almost entirely, including in cases of rape, incest, and threat to the pregnant woman's health and even life. National Right to Life argues that abortion even in the case of rape or incest creates a "second victim" wherein "the woman becomes the aggressor against her own child." They believe health exceptions to abortion restrictions are largely bunk, putting "health" in scare-quotes and complaining that in Roe v. Wade, the case legalizing abortion nationwide, the Supreme Court mentioned a state interest in fetal life, but that "legislation to protect that interest would be gutted by mandated exceptions for the 'health' of the mother." According to the Pro-Life Action League, "a child conceived through rape or incest does not deserve the death penalty for his or her father's crime." The group is even more dismissive of abortions to preserve a woman's health or life. "The Pro-Life Action League rejects abortion for the alleged purpose of preserving the health of the mother," the group says. They "similarly reject the 'life of the mother' exception," claiming that "abortion is never necessary to save a mother's life; and even if it were, it is wrong to deliberately, directly kill one innocent person to save another."

Other self-identified pro-life groups simply dodge questions of rape, incest, and the pregnant woman's life and health, knowing their answers would be politically unpopular. About 44 percent of Americans identify as pro-life, and 50 percent as pro-choice. Just 19 percent believe that abortion should be outlawed under all circumstances. Overwhelming majorities – 78 percent – believe abortion should be legal at least in some circumstances. Only 29 percent want to see the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade.

Today's American "pro-life" movement is about more than just abortion, and recent Supreme Court litigation around contraception has made that clear. No major pro-life organization in the United States supports increased birth control access, even though the study after study has shown that the most effective way to decrease unintended pregnancies, and by extension the abortion rate, is with affordable, accessible birth control. Many of them simply ignore the birth control question. Others, such as the Pro-Life Action League, flat-out say, "The Pro-Life Action League opposes artificial birth control (contraception), not only because it destroys the inherent meaning of the sexual act as a sign of permanent, life-giving love, but because of the disastrous consequences it has wrought on our society."

Most American women, including most of those who identify as pro-life, use contraception at some point in their lives. As a result, more women are in college and in the workforce than ever before, and far fewer are injured or dying from pregnancy-related causes. Unsurprisingly, 89 percent of Americans, including 82 percent of Catholics, say contraception is morally acceptable.

By contrast, the organized pro-choice movement believes just what it says: reproductive choice. That means the choice to use contraception or not, to carry a pregnancy to term or not, to parent or not. The organized pro-choice movement also presses for resources so that women can make a full range of choices. That means accessible and affordable birth control and abortion, but it also means health insurance so that a complicated pregnancy doesn't bankrupt a woman and her family and a robust social safety net so that women facing financial hardship can still choose to have children and provide them a stable home.

When you look at what Americans actually believe, strong majorities of Americans are pro-choice, even if they don't identify that way. Very few, even most of those who say they are "pro-life," are not actually aligned with the organized anti-abortion movement's policies and goals. So in that sense, Clinton was correct that there are women who no doubt self-identify as pro-life, but don't want to see Roe v. Wade overturned, believe women should have equal rights to men, and understand that in order to do that, abortion and contraception must remain legal and accessible.

Clinton's answer, though, didn't tell the whole story, and its vague politician-speak obscured the dangerous reality of the organized pro-life movement in America, and their influence on the Republican Party. Despite the claims of groups like Feminists for Life, it is not in fact possible to be a feminist and support the agenda of the anti-abortion movement. If women cannot decide for themselves when they carry a pregnancy to term, they are not free. And ever since women have been getting pregnant, women have been coming up with methods to avoid getting pregnant, and, often, to end their pregnancies. For much of human history, these methods have been inconsistently effective and sometimes dangerous, although often not more than pregnancy and childbirth, which remain leading killers of reproductive-age women, most pronouncedly in places where safe, legal contraception and abortion remain unavailable.

Modern contraception and abortion are both overwhelmingly effective and overwhelmingly safe. This is new. And for women, it has changed everything.

Look at the trajectory of women's rights over the past several centuries. Gains were certainly made at various points along the way, but a revolution happened in the second half of the 20th century, pulling women out of the largely domestic sphere and into public life long dominated by men – institutions of higher learning, the paid workforce, elected office, organizational leadership, the mastheads of major publications. What shifted wasn't just feminists pushing for equality – although that helped too – but wide access to highly effective contraception and, a bit later, abortion. There is no question that the gains made by women across American society hinge on those methods for controlling reproduction. The pro-choice movement knows it and thinks it's a good thing. The pro-life movement knows it, too. They call these gains "disastrous consequences."

It's time to retire "pro-life" as a descriptor. It has little to do with embracing life outside the womb – when abortion is outlawed or made inaccessible, women are inevitably injured or killed by unsafe abortion, and the organized pro-life movement does little to assist children once they're born – and everything to do with barring women from the ability to safely and effectively plan their families.

It's also confusing. If you believe women should be able to decide for themselves whether to use birth control or not, and whether to have an abortion or not, you're pro-choice – regardless of what decision you, personally, would make, and regardless of your personal discomfort or moral opposition to abortion. If you don't think women should have those rights, well, then you're anti-contraception, anti-abortion and, by definition, anti-feminist.

That may be too much for Hillary Clinton to get into on The View. She is right, though, that pro-life feminists exist – but only because they don't actually embrace any of the values or goals of the political movement that monopolizes the "pro-life" name. There is a word for these pro-life feminists: Pro-choice. 

AraratBank places its 27th issue of dollar bonds Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia Ucom Launches Network Modernization Efforts in Regions of Armenia 5 000 dram bonus from IDBank for pension card holders World Bank Armenia has organized discussion on facilitating women’s wider engagement in sectors that have been traditionally male dominated in the countryIDBank as a Participant in the Conference of My Forest Armenia NGOIDBank issues the 1st tranche of dollar bonds of 2024In 2023, the SME Loan Portfolio of Ameriabank Reported More Than 30% Growth Amio digital cards with unlimited opportunities and 5% cashback Mining plays an important role in providing materials for energy transition and green economy: Roman Khudoli International Client’s Day at IDBank Termination of service of MIR cards. IDBank Three Sad Stories about Fraudsters Ucom showed high and stable growth in fixed and mobile communications in 2023 The number of Team mobile subscribers is over 1 millionOn the occasion of International Women's Day ZCMC employees were awarded 3,780,052 Drams to the City of Smile Fund: The Power of One Dram Will Go to My forest Armenia in March Global Finance Recognizes Ameriabank's Leadership in Sustainable Finance in Armenia How AMIO succeeded in gathering its team, partners and customers around a common goal What to Give on The Occasion of Women's Day? Idram and IDBank Half Price for Everyone and up to AMD 15.000 Welcome Bonus for New Customers. IDBank Ucom congratulates everyone with spring holidays with a special offer Doing Digital Forum Returns Featuring Brett King as Keynote Speaker We celebrate the successes of AMIO BANK and Ingo Armenia in 2023 ZCMC declares, that the Russian company GeoProMining LLC has never been and is not currently a shareholder of the Company, nor does it have any stake in the Company's ownership structureA Millionaire Wanted: New Draw from IdramUcom's fixed network is now available at Ashtarak Visa & Unibank Unique opportunities to Olympic Games fans thanks to Visa in ArmeniaThe renovated Ucom sales and service center opened at Komitas 30Privileged conditions with the Business Prime package Interview with Chairman of BOGG PLC Mel CarvillGet 5% cashback on your AMIO digital card! Get 5% cashback on your AMIO digital card! Book Giving Day in Khnko Aper Library. IDBankTransfer your loan and take benefit of the 1.5% low interest refinancing offer AraratBank Donates to Regional Libraries: BOOKS FOR ALLAmeriabank set to join BOGG, a London Stock Exchange (LSE) listed financial group as a standalone entity Which Book to Choose as a Gift for the Book Giving Day? A Piece of Advice from Idram and IDBankAMIO BANK will start the leasing process in the immediate future Fast Bank has received a Mastercard membership license Two new sports channels in Ucom's uTV channel list A bunch of smiles in the city. "Artsakh" branch of AMIO BANK has been reopened A network ready for the transition to 5G and qualitatively new television. Ucom signed official agreements with Nokia and MediaKind How to Celebrate Love Days? A Piece of Advice from Idram and IDBank Visa Travel card - your best friend of the road Ardshinbank announces agreement to acquire HSBC Armenia Fastex to Provide up to 5 Million $FTN to the “Olympionic” Sports Foundation AMD 3,665,972 to Armenian Mothers. In February, Cancer Awareness Month, The Power of One Dram will be directed to the City of Smile Ambassadors accredited to Armenia, Galaxy Group and Ucom leaders spoke at the largest event of the European Business Association Idplus Digital Fuel Cards: Everyone Makes a Plus