Rakesh wrote: >Diane, have you had a chance to read Rickie Lee Solinger's criticism of >framing the fight for abortion rights in terms of choice (there was a >favorable review in the NY TImes review of books a few weeks ago).
Plus two excerpts from the amazon.com reviews: > From Publishers Weekly; Feminists need a paradigm shift, argues Solinger > (Wake Up Little Susie;, The Abortionist), away from the post-Roe v. Wade > concept of "choice" and back to the '60s concept of "rights," based on > the approach of the civil rights movement, which argued that all citizens > were entitled to vote, for instance, regardless of class status. > From Booklist: Historian Solinger argues cogently that the post-Roe v. > Wade decision to articulate the women's movement's goals in terms of > "choice," not "rights," had fateful consequences for women and for the > movement. Rakesh, I apologize for not being able to get this post out before you unsubbed...and I will certainly miss your posts. But for what it's worth, I have always felt uncomfortable with the movement away from "rights" to "choice" during the 1980s. But I'm sure it is no surprise that this post Roe v. Wade shift during the 1980s occurred when the so-called "conservative feminists" surfaced (or were created) to "redefine" the issues. I just heard a Christina Hoff Sommers (author of Who Stole Feminism?) lecture the other day where she said in virtually the same breath that she is a feminist and women are no longer oppressed in the US. Hmmm? As far as I know, the definition of feminism hasn't changed: a movement that works toward achieving equal rights for women and men. But when I look at the demographic composition of upper agenda setting elites, e.g., Congressional Committee chairs, I see a distinct absence of women (or color). Well, if relations are not oppressed along gender lines, how would this oddity come about? What is the probability that this would happen on its own? Anyway, I think it was the anti-feminist sector that attempted to "steal feminism." And I do agree with Solinger that it was a mistake for feminists to move away from the rights argument. But it's of course not too late and "NARAL" stands ready to enter as the "National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League" -- hey notice the rights there! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Best, Diane
