We live, I am trying to say, in an epidemic of male violence against women.
Katha PollittRead
We need to say that women have sex, have abortions, are at peace with the decision, and move on with their lives. We need to say that is their right, and, moreover, it's good for everyone that they have this right: The whole society benefits when motherhood is voluntary.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of women's autonomy in making decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
Katha Pollitt's quote highlights the necessity of recognizing women's rights to engage in sexual activity, make decisions about abortion, and move forward with their lives without stigma. It argues that when women have the choice and ability to decide on motherhood voluntarily, it ultimately benefits the entire society, as empowered women contribute positively to social well-being and progress.
In practice
In a discussion about women's healthcare rights at a conference.
We live, I am trying to say, in an epidemic of male violence against women.
I think the meaning of abortion is what the woman says it is: For a woman who wants a child but can't have this one, it can be sad; for a woman who doesn't want a baby, it can feel like a huge relief, like having your whole life given back to you.
Misogyny runs deeper than religion.
He is very fond of me, almost too fond. I could do with less caressing and more rationality. I should like to be less of a pet and more of a friend, if I might choose; but I won't complain of that: I am only afraid his affection loses in depth where it gains in ardour. I sometimes liken it to a fire of dry twigs and branches compared with one of solid coal, very bright and hot; but if it should burn itself out and leave nothing but ashes behind.
Suicide is unspeakable, and to speak it is somehow to bring it into a human, imaginable sphere, even if only in the moment of speaking. The need to tell is both a need to tell oneself and a need to be heard.... Telling and being heard are the first steps toward reconnection.
Those of us who are locked into ineffective expressions of anger suffer as deeply as those of us who dare not get angry at all.
I don't want to have a relationship with someone if I'm not going to work with them.
Women may fall when there's no strength in men.
I worked with John, but I had enough sense to walk just a little ways behind him. I could have made more records, but I wanted to have a marriage.
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