I am a feminist, as I have been since I was at least 13 years of age. The past 20 years have seen a lot of changes in the world, but to say that feminism is unnecessary in 2017 is just bizarre from my perspective. I am much more educated, knowledgeable, experienced, emotionally aware, compassionate, and (hopefully) wise than I was at 13. I am a better person now than I was then, and I'm a better feminist now than I was then, too.
Firstly : intersectionality is very important to understand when it comes to feminism. A great introductory article is this one :
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5269255 - for anyone inclined to critique the source, I first read this article elsewhere but have found that this link works best to share since it's accessible regardless of where you are in the world, and has no paywall.
Secondly : having equal rights on paper doesn't mean that people actually receive those equal rights and considerations. If it did, the crime rates would be negligible! So the idea that most first world countries have little-to-none problems with sexism, discrimination, and associated harmful consequences simply because there are laws against this occuring, is at best, a non sequitur.
Finally : bodily autonomy. From this link :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/mother/for_1.shtml
"Many people regard the right to control one's own body as a key moral right. If women are not allowed to abort an unwanted foetus they are deprived of this right.
A neat little summary article of how bodily autonomy (or bodily integrity) and reproductive choices are the same thing :
http://www.abortionrightscampaign.ie/2017/01/29/my-bodily-autonomy-my-choice/
I live in a country that has a reasonable level of publicly funded healthcare, including women's health and reproductive services. Which is incredibly lucky for me, as it happens, since I have severely (extremely) complicated endometriosis. That and another couple of health conditions combined means my body would be unable to maintain a pregnancy until a point where the foetus could survive outside of my uterus. I would be lucky to live until the 2nd trimester, were I foolish enough to try. The foetus would not live regardless. If I somehow accidentally fall pregnant, my choice will come down to almost certain death + loss of the foetus, or life + loss of the foetus. There is no good outcome from a choice like that, and I hope I never have to make it. It's statistically very, very unlikely that I ever would. But if it happens then I will benefit profoundly from living in a country that currently accepts my fundamental *right* to choose. In my case it is not much of a choice, but it still one that should be made by myself privately with my medical team and my partner. Who is also a feminist, and one of the best, most intelligent men I have ever met, incidentally.
If I had my medical conditions and history but lived in much of the US instead of Australia (or other countries with appropriate healthcare provisions), I might just as well be living in the dark ages. My family would have been bankrupted from my first round of surgeries alone, assuming I could have gotten diagnosed in the first place. "Planned Parenthood" doesn't just provide abortions - they would be probably the only service I could be treated at without an extraordinary private health insurance policy (which I could not afford alone, in my condition).
For as long as my bodily autonomy rights & access to safe, appropriate health and reproductive services is dependent on the whim of the government of my geographical location, I need feminism.
- - - Post Merge - - -
Sorry, my "Thirdly" paragraph was accidentally deleted, it covered the fact that women around the world are still not equal. So even if all was equal in my own part of the world (and it's really, really not), then I would still be a feminist trying to help women elsewhere in the world attain the same freedoms I have.
