In this video, Kirsten Watson, wife of Superbowl Champion Benjamin Watson, explains how to respond to “My Body, My Choice” and reinforce the pro-life argument for the most vulnerable members of society. [3][4][5][6][7] Freedom of choice describes an individual's opportunity and autonomy to perform an action selected from at least two available options, unconstrained by external parties. In an alleged rape case, the victim in India phrased her argument in words Mera jism mera hai, mere employer ka khilona nahi (My body is mine, Not a toy to be played by my employer).[50][51]. Kirmani says those who oppose the slogan perpetuate a culture of rape, sexual harassment, child marriage, physical abuse, lack of healthcare, domestic violence, human trafficking, and bonded labour/slavery. Maybe you have seen written responses to the “my body, my choice” statements which reflect what these figures point out; biologically, a preborn human is not the woman’s body or a part of her body. Roe v. Wade 1974 – YOUR BODY, YOUR CHOICE… ", "The government does not belong in our bedrooms...It does not belong in our doctors' offices." If the “choice” ends another, separate human life, than the argument simply has no ground to stand on. Some of the criticism of "My body, my choice" in South Asia comes from the radical right in Islam. [52] Both men and women from "hardline Islamist organizations", such as Jamiat Hafsa, have protested against the South Asian version of the slogan, 'Mera Jism Meri Marzi'. Patriarchy has historically marginalized the women and pushed them towards the subaltern section of society. My Rights, My Choice"; "My Body, My Choice"; "We Have the Right to Be Heard"; and "Before I'm a Woman, I'm a Human. A preborn human is a complete, whole, distinct, separate, living organism. [23] Indian actress, Deepika Padukone, played the lead role and the film was directed by Homi Adajania. The supporters of the rhetoric contend that neither man is dominant nor woman is submissive. Compensation of wrong done by man. The use of the slogan has caused different types of controversy in different countries and is often used as a rallying cry during protests and demonstrations and/or to bring attention to different feminist issues. My Body, My Country, My Choice December 23, 2020 Globally Refusing Vaccines: 75% Of Israelis Refusing To Get Vaccinated December 23, 2020 Democrats, Take Your Power-Hungry Demagogues And Shove It! In June 2019, the Vatican City women's football team decided to withdraw from a football match with a Vienna-based Austrian women's football club, since Austrian women used the occasion to display the slogan "my body my rules" on their bodies, along with pro LGBT slogans as a mark of protest against the Catholic Church's position on abortion. [9] Rameeza Ahmad describes how the Pakistani version of "my body, my choice," "Mera Jism Meri Marzi," is important to feminists because it is important for women to know they have control over their own bodies. [46] During the April 2004 march in Washington, D.C., a pro-abortion March raised slogans like "My Body Is Not Public Property! Conservatives are now crying "my body, my choice" over wearing masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 but keep fighting the pro-choice movement. Anita replies that she wants women to have choices; still there is another life once big enough to live outside the womb. Even an arch portion of the society is not ready to comprehend the deep-down meaning attached to the rhetoric. Our religion gives us the right to choose our life partner, so why not society? On the other hand, the other body is recognized for its use in labor and exploitation which is generally associated with women's bodies in the working-class or with women of color. [60][61] Quartz India criticized the film for being hypocritical, since Padukone was advocating choice, while still adhering to patriarchal standards in other movies she stars in. [22], In March 2015 a short film, My Choice, as part of Vogue India's social awareness initiative. "My body my, choice" is a slogan that is meant to represent the idea of personal bodily autonomy, bodily integrity and freedom of choice.Bodily autonomy constitutes self determination over one's own body without external domination or duress. “My body, my choice.” It’s one of the most common arguments used to defend abortion. [54] The slogan is considered "vulgar" and sometimes, as anti-government in Pakistan by some critics. [69][70], In 2019, Gucci debuted a fashion collection based on feminist social movements. [13], Writer Zainab Najeeb contends that the slogan is neither a challenge to religious beliefs, nor should it been seen as scandalous. The argument simply doesn’t apply when someone else is directly connected to those actions. They have decided that their way of behavior and understanding is final. [12], According to Anjum Altaf, the ironic history of the term is during the 17/18 century process of capitalism replacing feudalism, the slogan 'My body, my choice' was imposed by oppressor men on oppressed men in an effort to officially regularize bonded laborers own bodies as private properties and extending property rights over them.[13]. [61], The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is anti-abortion and has criticized the slogan. They, in most cases, might be the victim of the structural violence of patriarchy but they consider any antagonism to the incumbent structures as social deviance. The rhetoric stands for manifesting equal rights and freedom in true spirit. Only two countries namely Philippines and Ukraine were found to be in forefront with 81% women could ensure sexual and reproductive autonomy for themselves. In this video, Kirsten Watson, wife of Superbowl Champion Benjamin Watson, explains how to respond to “My Body, My Choice” and reinforce the pro-life argument for the most vulnerable members of society. So, ‘My body, my choice’ is the continuity of the consciousness that challenges and resists the manhood’s long rule. People rarely connect that phrase with the simple act of choosing what to wear or drinking alcohol or shaving body hair, but it should be a … Cerabino is not happy about it. There are many “pro-life” arguments and I put pro-life in quotations because I don’t believe that the people who call themselves that are really pro-life at all, I think they’re pro-birth which is completely different. But what about the bodily rights of the preborn baby? The Aurat March and slogans raised in Aurat March have defied the centuries-long rule of men and their hegemony. Moreover, the rhetoric is a conscious effort to offer to escape to women from all the injustices and inequalities being inflicted on them. It is an enduring and politically charged set of words. This whole process of social construction has long been cultured. Anti-abortion protesters replied with "Have compassion on the little ones!" Critics claim that the slogan fails to include the fetus as an entity that deserves a voice and a right to bodily autonomy as well. Recently, the slogan ‘My Body, My Choice’ was highly visible in protests against conservative states in the US seeking to mount new legal challenges to Roe v Wade case and banning abortion (and in some states making it a felony, and with no reprieve for rape or incest). 0. It is a cry of individuality. We must have the right to say that we can't tolerate sexual harassment and to say no to decisions regarding our marriages by other [family members]. However, I know that what I do with my body and the control I have over my body is one matter that is not up for debate or discussion. [63], 2018 UN Gender equality index indexes Zambia at 131 out of 162 countries. [15][16], In December 2019, Malaysian Deputy Education minister, Teo Nie Ching launched an educational video called "My body is mine" to educate kids about 'Safe touch and unsafe touch' as part of child safety education and save them from possibilities of negative child grooming and decided to include the subject in Malay school books in subject Pendidikan Jasmani dan Kesihatan (Physical education and health). [9] It is also the opposite to treating women's bodies like property, and asserts the importance of a culture of consent. [27] The slogan has been very controversial. Your right to know [53], Sometimes the criticism of the slogan is that it is too strident and inappropriate. [77], Variations and translations in other languages and geographies, Paragraph forked imported from Wikipedia article, African-American women's suffrage movement, International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25), International Conference on Population and Development, Sexual and reproductive health and rights, United Nations Commission on Population and Development, Xenotransplantation: Ethical, Legal, Economic, Social, Cultural, Personal Autonomy, the Private Sphere and Criminal Law, "Pakistani Women Are Proudly Declaring 'Mera Jism Meri Marzi' After Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar's Abusive Rant On TV", Background document for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) held at Nairobi summit in 2019, "Vatican cancels football match with Vienna over anti-abortion protests", "Hong Kong's fourth annual SlutWalk stands against sexual violence", "In Pictures: 'A long way to go' - over 100 people march in Hong Kong's annual SlutWalk against sexual assault", "Educating Childrens The Importance of Safety", "OP-ED: Our bodies, our selves – towards reproductive justice in South Africa", "My body, my mind, my choice: Deepika Padukone", "Deepika Padukone's 'empowering' video: Whose choice is it anyway? [29] Protesters carried banners reading "My body, my choice" in response to the government's plans to limit abortion access in the country. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Thus, "my body, my choice" does not include a right to attack your body by breaking your nose with my fist. My body, my choice is a feminist slogan used in several countries, most often surrounding issues of bodily autonomy and abortion. Conservatives are now crying "my body, my choice" over wearing masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 but keep fighting the pro-choice movement. [29] Erdogan has said, "They say it is my body, my choice. placards. My right to my body is constrained by your right to yours. To substantiate it, in the rural area of Pakistan, girls are forcefully married, without their consent, to the aggrieved family for compensation. In the Bangla language, the slogan is "shorir amar shidhhanto amar". The fetus is inside her body, therefore it is part o… The rhetoric ‘My body, my soul’ is the expression of that. According to UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem, it is long way to go for all girls & women to have autonomy in decision making and means to govern their own bodies.[42][43]. ", "It's Your Choice, Not Theirs! In French it is "Mon corps, mon choix" (My body, my choice). “If it’s my body, then I get to punch the person next to me” is not an argument that sane people will find logical. [10] Like men, women too need to have right to choose their religion or what they want to wear (or not wear) and that the message behind the slogan is very important. We ask the men not to use our bodies for their ghairat or honor. [20][21], Concept of My body, my choice (Mera jism meri marzi) was discussed in a March 2003 article in the Indian women's magazine, Femina. Thursday, December 24, 2020. [56] Writer Anjum Altaf says that critics' attempts to suggest alternative slogans to 'My body, my choice' don't realize that this amounts to mansplaining by subjecting feminist struggle to patriarchal approval what actually they are fighting against. [14], In 2011 Hong Kong started an anti slutshaming and anti victim blaming movement called slut walk. [57] Najeeb states that opponents of the South Asian version of the slogan 'Mera Jism Meri Marzi' believe it is about promoting prostitution,[57] and asserts that the slogan is a declaration of women's independence and bodily freedom. "My body my, choice" is a slogan that is meant to represent the idea of personal bodily autonomy, bodily integrity and freedom of choice. [9] In 2019, as the most restrictive abortion law in the United States was signed by Alabama governor, Kay Ivey, demonstrators used the slogan outside of the Alabama Capitol in protest. [33] According to Ursula Barry throughout human history the bodily autonomy of women has been contested. In this game, the women were equalized with inferior features like that of weakness and cowardice. [25][26], The slogan Mera Jism Meri Marzi was popularized by the Aurat March in Pakistan which has been observed on International Women's Day. [59] Rameeza Ahmad states that women everywhere have to face huge patriarchal injustices against their own bodies. [68], As part of the women's rights movement with the concept of "My body my choice", South Africans arranged photography and multimedia exhibitions. Editor’s Picks, Contact [61] The writer of the Quartz article, Gunjeet Sra, felt that the choices made only reflected those already approved by society. The fetus (unborn child) relies on the mother completely for its existence; 2. This marginalized section of society feels that they have strategically kept impotent to be ruled. My Body, My Choice The United States have been arguing the ethics of abortion for decades. If … Here is the back story. This is not the first slogan that has become hot-button. Lead Stories The race and class of a woman can determine whether her body will be treated as decoration and protected, which is associated with middle or upper-class women's bodies. There’s simply no justification to hurting somebody else just because you’re involved with it. My Body My Choice is the book I wish I had as a teen, before, during, and after my abortion. This contrasts to men's role as a moral agent, responsible for working or fighting in bloody wars. [73][74][75], Opponents of infant circumcision have used the slogan as a critique of the practice's alteration of infant genitals. Cerabino is not happy about it. [2] In the field of human rights, the violation of the bodily integrity of another is regarded as either unethical infringement and/or possibly criminal. The writer can be reached at [email protected], Home In this game of power politics, powerful decides the rules of the game. Many more simplistic slogans, in the previous Aurat Marches, have also been made controversial. In Florida, some people are using the slogan “My body, my choice!” to protest a government requirement about wearing masks in public. Company’s Financials One of the claims of the pro-choice movement is that the unborn baby is a part of the mother’s body and that in having ownership over her body the mother has a right to do with her body as she chooses. Barry emphasizes that women's freedom from violence is about the right to bodily integrity. [37] According to Needa Kirmani this slogan disturbs those foundations of the patriarchy which controls and exploit women's bodies against their own will. The pro-abortion marchers responded with slogans like "Pro-life, that's a lie, you don't care if women die", and "Not the church, not the state, women will decide their fate. They have fixed themselves. [34], According to Shehzil Malik, the slogan means that for all actions between people, actions require consent and that means that women need not experience their bodies getting groped, abused, harassed, or violated. They provide the explanations of phenomena in the way as their interests are vested in. The cognition allied with this rhetoric also contends for a gender-equal world with the least gender discrimination. [10] Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner writes that while it seems simple that women's freedom is linked to women's own control and decisions about their own bodies, in practice the slogan of 'My body, my choice' is too often changed to mean of "not really your body, not really your choice." The argument simply doesn’t apply when someone else is directly connected to those actions. This is a widely believed lie in our culture—a lie particularly fed by the abortion industry, and perpetuated by many in recent generations. [17][18], In 2018, multiple South African sexual and reproductive health and rights organizations came together to champion a social and community media initiative named #MyBodyMyChoice. Winter vacations: Punjab schools, educational institutions to remain closed from Dec 25, Govt gives one week ultimatum to petrol smugglers to end practice, Punjab decides to sell, lease land to raise funds for mega projects, Court summons Achakzai for ‘inappropriate remarks’ in Lahore rally, POL import bill contracts 22.8% to $3.946 billion in five months, Efforts being made to facilitate workers registered under EOBI: Bukhari, Over 1,300 PIA employees agree to take early retirement under VSS scheme, Minister assures Sialkot business community of all-out govt help, FBR explains turnover from disposal of closing stock under FTR, Families of Italian Covid victims seek $122 million from government, Unilever expands partnership with Burger King to launch plant-based Whopper in Latin America, China, UK coronavirus variant likely detected in Hong Kong. We want a healthy body, nature and planet. My choice. [28], In 2012, an abortion rights demonstration in the Kadiköy district in Istanbul drew 3,000 women. If MY body means MY choice, then what’s the deal with mask mandates? Anti-vaxxers Stole ‘My Body, My Choice’ from the Abortion Rights Movement. The rhetoric counters rationally the social construction that has negated equality between man and woman. The underlying principle is that if it is a woman's body, she should be the one to make choices about and have the agency to access the health support she needs, and take well-informed decisions in relation to her own body, health and life. However, many abortion-choice advocates understand basic biology. Latest News [55] Others see the slogan as being only about "sexual independence", rather than about the whole sum of bodily autonomy. In Florida, some people are using the slogan “My body, my choice!” to protest a government requirement about wearing masks in public. While discussing choices surrounding reproduction, bodily autonomy is about freedom of one's own choices. Manhood and masculinity have remained in power for centuries. We ask them to stop killing us in the name of honor and give us the right to say no because we have the right to say no to anything that we don't feel comfortable with. [36] According to Barry, challenges facing women include sexual objectification, sexual harassment and gender based sexual abuse and violence. My body, my choice. ("My body belongs to me!"). Manhood and masculinity have remained in power for centuries. "[29], Criticism of the use of "my body, my choice" in the United States often comes in response to its use in abortion rights issues. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. "My body, my choice." “My body, my choice”: Inside Colorado’s growing anti-shutdown movement Frustration at the state’s restrictions boiled over last weekend But what about the bodily rights of the preborn baby? 751 likes. Bodily autonomy constitutes self determination over one's own body without external domination or duress. This enduring power-centric hegemony has imparted them with legitimacy to define and color things. We need to do is ask, “Whydo you consider the unborn child to be a part of the woman’s body?” The usual response is momentary hesitation, followed by one of three possible answers; 1. This culturing cannot be processed without power. The rhetoric contends for restructuring the system of patriarchy. The system of patriarchy has kept women marginalized, oppressed and at a lower ebb in the decision making process regarding their lives. My Body My Choice. [31], In 2017 Protest in Lusaka for Women's empowerment issues Zambian women marched with slogans like "My Body, My Sexuality. It is a cry of freedom. This page is created to spread awareness and advocacy. [30], In 2015, in the United States, the slogan was used as a hashtag, to indicate support for Planned Parenthood, which was in danger of losing government funding. In German, the commonly used slogan is Mein Körper gehört mir! ", When the 2015 viral short film, My Choice, starring Deepika Padukone, was released, it received a largely negative response on social media. The esoteric meaning attached to this rhetoric needs an academic insight to be comprehended. Quite the contrary, it was the oppressors who forced ‘your body, your choice’ upon the oppressed. [10] According to Sondra Horton Fraleigh a woman's body is not determined by limitations but is a lived experience created through one's free-willed actions and choices in inter connected continuity with one's mind. The slogan ‘My body, my choice’ symbolically dares the inferiority of women and challenges the attribute concomitant to manhood. So, the issue does not lie in the very nature of rhetoric and maxim scripted on placards. The comprehensive rhetoric that is being resounded actually shatters the corridors of oppression and slavery in which women have been chained. “My body, my choice.” It’s one of the most common arguments used to defend abortion. The initiative "call[s] for protecting and promoting women's rights to make decisions about their reproductive health, bodies and lives." This considered a fundamental right—irrespective of their sexuality, where they live, how much they earn, or their ethnicity. TAKE THE PLEDGE The society has been seen divided into two camps; one favor and other opposes the rhetoric. I know I would have … Terms & Conditions, Copyright © 2020 Daily Times Website Developed By Daily Times Developers. The rhetoric highlights the structural violence, injustices, and inequality inflicted on women of our society. This enduring power-centric hegemony has imparted them with legitimacy to define and color things. The slogan ‘My body, my choice’ symbolically dares the inferiority of women and challenges the attribute concomitant to manhood. After all, this is the argument behind the slogan “my body, my choice”. Here's what you need to know about infant circumcision", "Your Body, Your Choice: Fight for Your Somatic Rights", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_body,_my_choice&oldid=995696673, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 December 2020, at 11:49. [64], In writer Laurell K. Hamilton's novel Danse Macabre, the character Ronnie asks another character, Anita, "how you can be pro-choice and pro-life same time?" To comprehend this social injustice and inequality, feminists have raised many slogans including ‘My body, my choice’ to quell this structural inequality and injustice. The majority of those who are against this rhetoric don’t know the intrinsic meaning of ‘My body, my choice’. The rhetoric has been used in symbolic terms. [64] In Zambia a youth collective called 'Africa First' takes lead in creating social dialogue awareness regarding youth sexuality and abortion and stigma around the issue. [49], The phrase Mera Jism Meri Marzi, meaning My Body, My Choice in Urdu and Hindi, has some variations too, like Meri zindagi, meri marzi (My life, my choice) meri zindagi mere faisale (My life, my decisions). It will not be an exaggeration to state that the rhetoric ‘My body, my choice’ resounded more and more in the recent week. Therefore, the Aurat March and all the slogans related to this, struggle to make a gender-equal world, where the woman is considered as an equal human as that of man. [29], Emma Watson has worn T-shirts with the slogan, "my body, my choice" to bring attention to the need for funding of rape crisis centres in England and Wales. Pinterest. “If it’s my body, then I get to punch the person next to me” is not an argument that sane people will find logical. But one photo stands out: A young woman holding a small American flag and a white poster showing a crossed-out surgical mask and emblazoned with the words " Feminists usually defend an individual's right of self determination over their bodies for sexual, marriage and reproductive choices as rights. [65] Feminist Coven and Sistah Sistah Foundation have arranged women's rights Marches around the same themes with slogans like 'keep your policies off my body' to contest rape culture and raise their voices on issues like education and reproductive health to equal political and economic representation. "[67], Author Jess McCabe introduces a glossary of concepts related to the slogan 'My body my choice' which includes Abortion, Bodily autonomy, Contraception, First nations, Forcible sterilization, Gendered, Heteronormativity, Institutionalized culture, LGBTQI, Prenatal testing, Pro-choice, Reproductive justice, Selective abortion, Sex positive feminism, Sexual consent, Social model of disability, Social mores, Social justice; in her book 30-Second Feminism: 50 Key Ideas, Events, and Protests, Each Explained in half a minute. If it is presented so, it is because of the social fabrication. [24] My Choice not only refers to reproductive rights but also a range of women's rights issues relating to South Asian women, such as freedom to choose clothing, movement, love sex and marriage. 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The woman’s right to choose what she does with her body by either carrying a pregnancy to full term or terminating her pregnancy is always a hot topic in the political world. It is a cry of independence. ), making way for 'mera mazhab, meri marzi' (my religion, my choice) in an allusion to forced conversion, and 'mera wajood, meri marzi' (my existence, my choice). Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Safe, Generates Immune Response. ‘My Body My Choice’ – Jaweb. [8], According to Suzannah Weiss, the slogan, "My body, my choice" is a feminist idea which can applicable to women's reproductive rights and other women's rights issues. "[47] In 2014 Amnesty international campaigned with slogan "My body, my rights". [62] The slogan or "attitude" of "my body, my choice" has also been criticized by anti-abortion advocates as being an essentially "self-centered" choice. [38] Emma Fraser asserts that it is by a lack bodily autonomy society declines that women do have mind beyond their bodies and that amounts to cruelty with women. For example, women's bodies have been objectified throughout history through the changing ideologies of fashion, diet, exercise programs, cosmetic surgery, childbearing, etc. Feminists say this...No one has the right to abort a fetus in a body. This extreme concentration of power has authorized men to decide the fate of girls and women regarding their life, education, life partner and patterns? We have all heard the endless sermons about respecting one’s identity, to the point where it became normalized to dress and parade a child as a drag queen , simply because we needed to respect that child’s individuality. "[32], Issues commonly associated with notions of women's rights include the right to bodily integrity and autonomy; to be free from sexual violence; to vote; to hold public office; to enter into legal contracts; to have equal rights in family law; to work; to fair wages or equal pay; to have reproductive rights; to own property; to education. 27. [34] According to Barry, the right and access to abortion manifests one of the last struggles to achieve women's bodily autonomy. [66], My Body My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights was written by Robin Stevenson and published in 2019. [12] The document further elaborates that everyone has the right to make their own choices about their own sexual and reproductive health, which means that every one should be able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the right to self-determination to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. [41][42], According to UNFPA's 2019 State of World Population Report, which could avail key information on status of Women's status of decision making role only for 51 countries; out of the countries where information was available only 57% women either married or in relationship could make decisions regarding sexual intercourse with their partner, contraception use and health care. "Hundreds Protest Alabama Abortion Ban: 'My Body, My Choice! [39], "My body, my choice" also intersects with class struggles, which are also concerned with "a refusal of biopolitical control and the assertion of the right to live self-directed lives autonomous of the demands of the powerful.