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September 1, 2008

Abortion & Birth Control, Part I

Let's face it, abortion is a highly personal and intimate topic of conversation, especially considering the details, yet is it bandied about like a barbed political football and used as weaponry more often than an educational tool. There are two fiercely vocal opponents who sit across the coliseum from one another and you can bet your sweet ass never the twain shall meet. I have been considering posting on abortion for years but have instead engaged in an internal debate over such a post's appropriateness and/or my willingness to have my views on such a personal topic aired publicly. After all, if a woman chooses to have an abortion, it's her private choice to do so and it is her business alone. What does talking about it achieve? Will people be less likely to come hear me sing? Will I sell less records if I am vocal about my views? Will I become a target? What right do I, as a singer-songwriter, have to discuss such a highly private, yet politically polarizing topic.

Well, damn. I could sit on my hands and continue to debate the issue till the proverbial cows come home or I could open the conversation and get the ball rolling. I have been a political junkie for much longer than I have been a singer-songwriter and I have been female from the first pitch. On more than one occasion I have stood on stage and grabbed my boobs in the course of telling a story about something (more often than not, a story not actually involving breasts). I guess in light of the recent Bush administration's quiet attempts to limit birth control or family planning of any kind, it is time for me to stand up for ALL of my body parts.

On July 15, the New York Times reported on a leaked internal Department of Health and Human Services draft proposal that ostensibly had to do with non-discrimination hiring policies. Sounds innocuous enough, right?

Part Two coming soon....

Posted by bethamsel at September 1, 2008 1:49 PM