Bianca and Bernard
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2015
Some of the best articles I've found about women and their (lack) of reproductive freedoms
http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/i...e-regimes-women-and-religious-fundamentalism/
When we talk about fundamentalism, especially the political aspects of fundamentalism, we cannot ignore the fact that the roots of fundamentalist political behavior are found in patriarchal interpretations of religious beliefs and values. Fundamentalists claim to be upholding orthodoxy (right belief) or orthopraxis (right behavior).1 They believe that they are protecting and preserving religious culture, traditions, and established ways of life from secular erosion. In spite of their dedication to “the old way,” fundamentalists do this by crafting new methods of control, formulating new ideologies, and adopting the latest political processes and organizational structures for advancing their beliefs in the public domain,2 thereby making these religious movements quintessentially political.
The attempt of fundamentalist religious movements to control the reproductive lives of women stems from the structures of dominance that we find in most of the major world religions. This is particularly problematic for women because when fundamentalists act politically to block women’s access to reproductive health services, state and government officials–who more often than not are men who were educated within patriarchal religious traditions–are more likely to accept the fundamentalist perspective as representative of their tradition. Progressive perspectives, on the other hand, are seen as “new” and less legitimate. Policymakers frequently are able to accept the fundamentalist agenda against women because it is familiar and if they are men–the likely case–it preserves male privileges.
The degree to which fundamentalisms attempt to control the sexual and reproductive lives of women varies. For example, in Pakistan many women are killed by male relatives when they are suspected of “immoral activities.” These so-called “honor killings”–a gross misinterpretation of Islam–are intended to recover family honor and tend to be covered up by families and the government, making it difficult to determine how many women are actually killed. In the U.S.A., Christian religious fundamentalists have employed terrorism to prevent women from having abortions. Clinics that provide abortions have been bombed, some doctors who provide legal abortions and other clinic workers have been assassinated, and packages falsely claiming to contain anthrax have been sent to hundreds of abortion providers as well as reproductive rights advocacy groups. In Nepal, due to opposition from conservative Hindu religious groups, who while very small in number have great political influence,3 the government has imposed one of the most severely restrictive abortion laws in the world. Although the law is currently under review, Nepalese law makes absolutely no exceptions for abortion, and as a result, hundreds of women have served prison terms–including victims of rape and incest who have sought abortions.4 And although there is a law condemning dowry deaths in India, Hindu fundamentalist leaders are apathetic to the growing problem. In Ghana, according to the Trokosi tradition, virgin girls are enslaved by priests as a way of appeasing the gods for crimes committed by relatives.5 These are examples of oppressive–and brutal–policies upheld in the name of religion.
http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/i...e-regimes-women-and-religious-fundamentalism/
When we talk about fundamentalism, especially the political aspects of fundamentalism, we cannot ignore the fact that the roots of fundamentalist political behavior are found in patriarchal interpretations of religious beliefs and values. Fundamentalists claim to be upholding orthodoxy (right belief) or orthopraxis (right behavior).1 They believe that they are protecting and preserving religious culture, traditions, and established ways of life from secular erosion. In spite of their dedication to “the old way,” fundamentalists do this by crafting new methods of control, formulating new ideologies, and adopting the latest political processes and organizational structures for advancing their beliefs in the public domain,2 thereby making these religious movements quintessentially political.
The attempt of fundamentalist religious movements to control the reproductive lives of women stems from the structures of dominance that we find in most of the major world religions. This is particularly problematic for women because when fundamentalists act politically to block women’s access to reproductive health services, state and government officials–who more often than not are men who were educated within patriarchal religious traditions–are more likely to accept the fundamentalist perspective as representative of their tradition. Progressive perspectives, on the other hand, are seen as “new” and less legitimate. Policymakers frequently are able to accept the fundamentalist agenda against women because it is familiar and if they are men–the likely case–it preserves male privileges.
The degree to which fundamentalisms attempt to control the sexual and reproductive lives of women varies. For example, in Pakistan many women are killed by male relatives when they are suspected of “immoral activities.” These so-called “honor killings”–a gross misinterpretation of Islam–are intended to recover family honor and tend to be covered up by families and the government, making it difficult to determine how many women are actually killed. In the U.S.A., Christian religious fundamentalists have employed terrorism to prevent women from having abortions. Clinics that provide abortions have been bombed, some doctors who provide legal abortions and other clinic workers have been assassinated, and packages falsely claiming to contain anthrax have been sent to hundreds of abortion providers as well as reproductive rights advocacy groups. In Nepal, due to opposition from conservative Hindu religious groups, who while very small in number have great political influence,3 the government has imposed one of the most severely restrictive abortion laws in the world. Although the law is currently under review, Nepalese law makes absolutely no exceptions for abortion, and as a result, hundreds of women have served prison terms–including victims of rape and incest who have sought abortions.4 And although there is a law condemning dowry deaths in India, Hindu fundamentalist leaders are apathetic to the growing problem. In Ghana, according to the Trokosi tradition, virgin girls are enslaved by priests as a way of appeasing the gods for crimes committed by relatives.5 These are examples of oppressive–and brutal–policies upheld in the name of religion.