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Monday, November 11, 2013

Should men have a say in women's issues [or an opinion]?

Women: Should men have a say in women's issues [or an opinion]? - Quora

"Yes.

An opinion's validity does not change regardless of who vocalises it.

The claim that men should not have a say or opinion about women's issues arises from a conception of group rights, of taking women as a group (and implicitly one with only one opinion). Indeed, this is deeply insulting and dehumanising to women.

It is also an intensely cynical perspective which denies our shared humanity - our capacity to care about and identify with other people.

Women's issues are often also men's issues - while a fetus might reside in its mother's body, there is no such thing as a Virgin Birth (i.e. a man is also involved), and if/when a baby is delivered the father is legally responsible for the child's upkeep. Bodily sovereignty does not trump the rights of other people - as an analogy, if I am infected with Ebola (or some other contagious and deadly disease), my bodily sovereignty and freedom of movement are justifiably forfeited if I refuse treatment and/or quarantine.

Those who claim that men should not have a say about women's issues are just trying to shut down debate and opposing voices - witness how they tellingly excoriate women who disagree with them (who presumably have views equally as valid as theirs, given that they are of the 'right' sex).

Notice too that men are never lambasted for talking about women's issues when they say the 'right' things (e.g. being pro-abortion rights).

This whole issue is something of a red herring in any case given that, for example, there is no gender gap in views on abortion - there is no reason to expect a man to have a significantly different opinion from a woman on the topic (Pew Study Finds 'No Gender Gap' on Abortion Debate Positions)."


"Susan B. Anthony never married.

Once when the abolitionist, Samuel May, told her: "You are not married. You have no business to be discussing marriage." She retorted: "You, Mr. May, are not a slave. Should you quit lecturing on slavery?""

--- The Great Ones, Volume 2 / V. K. Subramanian
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