Extreme--the idea that a woman really does own her own body.
There are a couple of things that have been going around and around lately. 1) The idea that it's okay to enslave women who have the misfortune to be pregnant when they don't want to be to produce unwanted babies. 2) The idea that sometimes sex without consent is okay--or at least, not "legitimate rape." At first glance they might look unrelated, but they're not.
My body is like my purse. It's mine; the stuff in it is mine. Nobody has the right to get into it without my consent. If I get drunk, that doesn't make it okay for you to go through my purse. If I fall asleep on your bed, that doesn't make it okay for you to go through my purse. If I gave you some money yesterday that doesn't make it okay for you to get into my purse today. If I gave Tom some money yesterday, that doesn't make it okay for you to get into my purse today. If the purse is open, and you can see in, that doesn't make it okay for you to stick your hand in. It isn't even okay for you to peer in, trying to read the address on the letter in there. I mean, if you really understand that a woman owns her own body like she owns her own purse, none of this is the slightest bit hard or confusing.
And if some bookworm or moth gets in my purse and starts eating my letters or my notes or my money, I have the right to get rid of it. I own my purse, and the stuff inside and I have the right to protect it. Even if it was a magic worm that would turn into a human being if I let it eat my money for nine months, (run with me here) it's still my money and I don't have to let a worm eat it. Because, you know, I really do own my purse and everybody recognizes that. If you understand that a woman owns her own body like she owns her own purse, that really clarifies the issue.
When did this idea become extreme?
My body is like my purse. It's mine; the stuff in it is mine. Nobody has the right to get into it without my consent. If I get drunk, that doesn't make it okay for you to go through my purse. If I fall asleep on your bed, that doesn't make it okay for you to go through my purse. If I gave you some money yesterday that doesn't make it okay for you to get into my purse today. If I gave Tom some money yesterday, that doesn't make it okay for you to get into my purse today. If the purse is open, and you can see in, that doesn't make it okay for you to stick your hand in. It isn't even okay for you to peer in, trying to read the address on the letter in there. I mean, if you really understand that a woman owns her own body like she owns her own purse, none of this is the slightest bit hard or confusing.
And if some bookworm or moth gets in my purse and starts eating my letters or my notes or my money, I have the right to get rid of it. I own my purse, and the stuff inside and I have the right to protect it. Even if it was a magic worm that would turn into a human being if I let it eat my money for nine months, (run with me here) it's still my money and I don't have to let a worm eat it. Because, you know, I really do own my purse and everybody recognizes that. If you understand that a woman owns her own body like she owns her own purse, that really clarifies the issue.
When did this idea become extreme?