Alyssa Milano is calling for women to abstain from sex to protest abortion law in the United States.
The 46-year-old Charmed actress and activist has called for a sex strike to stand up for women’s reproductive rights after the state of Georgia passed one of the US’s most restrictive abortion laws, banning terminations as soon as a doctor can detect a foetal heartbeat. This can occur as early as six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant.
Other states including Mississippi and Ohio have passed similar “heartbeat” laws. Such a law that was planned to come into place immediately has been blocked in Kentucky as it could be unconstitutional.
“Our reproductive rights are being erased,” Milano wrote on Twitter. “Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy. JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back.”
Our reproductive rights are being erased.
Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy.
JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back.
I’m calling for a #SexStrike. Pass it on. pic.twitter.com/uOgN4FKwpg
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 11, 2019
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The Quicky
Top Comments
So dumb. Sex isn't a reward for hetero men. Sex is also enjoyed by women and non binary people. Many women support the abortion ban, so I'm sure conservative men will still get laid. Many men support women's rights to abortion. The problem isn't just men, it's the idea that women's bodies are open to debate, that once a woman becomes pregnant, she loses all rights to bodily autonomy and that she has no say over who uses her body for their benefit, rendering her with less rights than a dead body. This attitude, although patriarchal, is rooted in religious ideology. A sex ban will literally do nothing.
I don't think any of us have true bodily autonomy.
There are many laws which say what we can and can't do with our body.
For example, can't take drugs, have to wear a seatbelt, no euthanasia.
Women can argue about their level of autonomy post conception, it’s a fair debate to be had. But I might point men have absolutely zero rights post conception and no legal protection even if they were deliberately deceived. To some point this limits men’s empathy on the issue, whatever limit is placed on abortion, women still have all the choices men do not within that framework.
Not offering this as a me tooism, but to agree with your point that our autonomy is limited in so many ways already.
But in no other instance can one be forced to use their body for the benefit of another, that is what I mean here by bodily autonomy. So why should a pregnant woman suddenly lose what everyone else takes for granted? Even a dead body has a say over how their body is used for the benefit of another. And we should be able to take drugs and euthanase ourselves, but those are separate issues to this.
It's not limited when it comes to using it for the benefit of another. Everyone has the right to not use their body so that another can live.
And, it is hard for men to have a say, because at the end of the day, they aren't the ones having to go through pregnancy or an abortion. That decision needs to solely be up to the woman who is pregnant, because of the stress and trauma both pregnancy and abortion can have. However, I do think that there is some scope for men to essentially "abort" their right to fatherhood, if they wish. But the kids of these men will need a safety net of some sort, too many kids are already growing up in single parent households in poverty.
Also, men already get away with not providing for children they have fathered far too often, and there are women who spend the money on themselves and not the kids (I know such a woman) so child support laws really need looking at, as well. But these are all separate issues to women accessing fully legal abortion services with privacy.
I'm not for this, as it perpetuates that women's commodity, their value - is sex. That's what we have to offer. But strictly practically speaking, it would only work if all the women 'strike' - not just some.
Agreed. It won’t work because anti abortion or centrist women will feel no need to join. In any event, sex as a commodity has never been lower in value. It used to cost a wedding ring, then a steady relationship with deep commitment, down, down, through 3 dates, one date and now one swipe on an app. It’s value as a bargaining chip is now near zero.