Amy Kooiman

University of Wisconsin Green Bay

4/25/08

Lady's Liberty

The legal, ethnic, medical, and social issues of a woman's reproductive rights have influenced many laws, social lives, and even the American history. Whether the woman chooses to repel against getting pregnant, decide options in her pregnancy or intimate life, or giving birth, many justified cases and arguments on these subjects have been made across America. Because of the many views on reproductive rights, many lose focus on what rights women really have.

The first priority issue, according to the Center For Reproductive Rights ( Center of Reproductive Rights, 1999), focuses on abortion. Under the Right to Privacy Law, which protects against governmental interference, is backed up by the ground breaking Roe v. Wade case which entirely legalized abortion for any reason until the fetus is capable of living outside the mother's womb at about 24-28 weeks into a woman's pregnancy. After her third trimester, reasons to abort is to protect her from poor health, whether it be physical or mental. Popular cases that might affect the woman's health might include physically, in which she is at risk of death because of complications, or mentally if she had been raped and could not cope with giving birth to a rapist's child. If not the woman's health, the baby itself might be physically or mentally handicapped. Any health case would have to be excusable by two or more doctors (United States. Cong. Senate, 1973).

Secondly, contraception is a way in which a woman would be free from having to make a decision on abortion at all. It also allows her to decide the number and spacing of her children. It is the Government's duty do give the freedom of Family Planning. The dominating factor on contraception includes the World Health Organization which ensures that governments do not violate the right to conception and emergency contraception. Such cases might include religious and conservative organizations that work to stop or limit the right to emergency contraception by inaccurately characterizing this method as abortion; however, the World Health Organization ensures that this method is save and legitimate. Additionally, the Eisenstadt v. Baird case resulted in the freedom to obtain birth control ( United States. Cong. Senate, 1973). Such methods have dramatically decreased the the number of unwanted pregnancies as well as the number of illegal and unsafe abortion practices in America. In fact, governments are now improving access for information, services, and various methods of contraception to men and women.

The International Human Rights Framework, according to the Center For Reproductive Rights includes several other reproductive rights. The basics also include the right to marry and have a family, freedom of gender discrimination, sexual assault, torture or degrading treatment, privacy, and to support the scientific exploration on reproductive health. Every freedom and method to enhance the reproductive health moves society toward a more safe lifestyle. If the right to legal methods, especially contraception and abortion, people would be using unsafe methods, “do it yourself” techniques, or even receiving methods by non-professionals. These reproductive rights ensure the safety of every citizen. Because they have given positive results in freedom and safety, several activists work to secure these rights through legislation and political activism, according to authors from the Center of Reproductive Rights (Center of Reproductive Rights, 1999). By educating her audiences, Anika Rahman developed policies in which several different countries would have to monitor protection to promote these rights. The development includes a roundtable for different countries which would ensure rights, educate, promote, and promote good health to several citizens.

Bibliography

United States. Cong. Senate. ROE V. WADE, 410 U.S. 113 (1973). 22 Jan. 1973. 20 Apr. 2008 .

"Reproductive Rights." Reproductive Rights. 27 Apr. 2008 .

Rahman, Anika, and Barbara Klugman. "Roundtable Report From IPPF: "Reproductive Rights and Implementing Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme, Including Women's Empowerment, Male Involvement and Human Rights"" Center for the Reproductive Rights (1999). Lexis Nexis. 27 Apr. 2008.

Amy Kooiman

University of Wisconsin Green Bay

4/30/08

Pain in Beauty

The beauty industry affects people's thoughts about each other and themselves through ways women are expected to look. These influences cause women to think negatively of their bodies for the sake of wanting to look like their flawless idols. Because of these pressures the entertainment and beauty industry brings, everyone's freedom has been forgotten.

A congratulations card at baby showers are the first time one is expected to look a certain way. If one is expecting a female, the card will not only be typically pink, but will also have feminine items on the card, such as clothes or female accessories. A study by Grand Rapids Community College's Dr. Frank Connor shows that people only understand the sex of the baby by the colors they wear, such as pink (representing females) and blue (representing males). The pink baby would be caressed and held gently, whereas those with the blue baby waited longer to soothe a crying baby. Moreover, yellow babies confused people in which way they should behave for these children (Dr. Frank Connor, 2006 ).

As children age, they are to understand certain ways in which they are expected to behave. Disney emphasizes throughout its movies these right and wrong ways to behave. For example, in The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, women always have big breasts, big and long hair, tiny waists, and the seductress attitude which is used to manipulate and distract men. These girls have a set role in which they must obey authority, unlike men, who are to save the women and even disobey the rules and are rewarded. Every one of these movies shows the woman getting in trouble and the male has to save her.

Fashion magazines, such as Vogue and Seventeen show on covers how to get the perfect tiny stomach, influencing excessive exercising, and acceptable behaviors. These magazines give models the flawless look using airbrushes, computer retouches, and heavy make up that give the girls the idea that perfection is beauty.

Make Me Beautiful and other like reality shows simply play the role of the fairy godmother though plastic surgery. America's Next Top Model discards the loser as soon as possible, showing that nobody except the winner is pretty enough. This pressures women to believe that if they are not as pretty as the runner-up, they require a lot of work (Walter, 2006).

Although aware, advertisers continue making women feel terrible about themselves for the benefit of convincing them that through the many things wrong with them, they can create a need for women to change their appearance. Advertisers then become the saviors by providing these needs. This million dollar industry is best described by Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent. He describes the media's function is convincing people of the correct values, beliefs, and codes of behavior. Women's pressures include that as beauty changes, women's bodies must too. Keeping up with the styles is difficult to achieve and unnatural, giving results of the inevitable failure to be beautiful. Women diet to look like their favorite celebrities, such as Twiggy and Mischa Barton. Insecurities even cause women to rid their “disease” by plastic surgery or experience physical costs of pain for beauty, like high-heeled shoes or tight jeans (Saltzberg, Chrisler, 1995). Tattooing and ear piercing could lead to infections and poisoning by toxic chemicals. The need for perfect bodies pressures them into unhealthy diets or eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Such unhappiness and insecurities feeds into beliefs that with the perfect bodies comes the perfect lives. Unfortunately, this notion that rewards only come to the beautiful is more than an idea; in fact, television news person Christine Craft was fired from her job for being unattractive (Saltzberg, Chrisler, 1995).

Pressuring ideals that perfection only comes with thousands of dollars for beauty is the direction America is taking each generation of women. These industries psychologically and physically control women for the sake of financial gain for themselves. Only until society acknowledges women for their talents can women be free.

Biography

Saltzberg, Elayne A., and Joan C. Chrisler. "Beauty is the Beast: Psychological Effects of the Pursuit of the Perfect Female Body." Women: a Feminist Perspective (1995). 2 May 2008.

Walter, Natasha. "REALITY TELEVISION (90%); TELEVISION INDUSTRY (90%); ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS (89%); WOMEN's MARKET (76%); PARENTING (72%)." The Guardian 30 Nov. 2006. 2 May 2008.

Women's History Month. Dr. Frank Connor. Grand Rapids Community College, 2006.