I Am Not A Surgeon But...

I am sure I can correct your heart problem. I haven't had any training, I know nothing about sanitizing surgical tools, or if something goes wrong, but I've seen E.R. I'm sure I can figure it out.

I'm not an electrician, but I'm sure I can install your lights. I mean, I have no idea how wiring works or how to make sure circuits don't overload, but it's just cutting holes in the wall and plugging things in, right?

I'm not a mechanic, but I'm sure I can fix your car. I mean, how hard can it be to swap an exhaust system on a 2013 VW Jetta?

This is what our problem is. We think it doesn't matter that we don't have training. We think as individuals we can do anything. But WE CAN'T. How can you possibly know what the right thing is when you do not have any knowledge of the subject? How can you possibly know what the right thing is when you have no firsthand experience?

Training matters. Knowledge matters. Recognizing that you don't know what the hell you're talking about is important. I'm sorry but I don't want some random person I picked up from a pub working on my teeth. I'm sorry but I don't want some random person who has no understanding of construction building my house. I'm sorry but I do not want someone who does not believe in SCIENCE making decisions ABOUT SCIENCE! I'm sorry but I don't want a man making decisions about WOMEN'S BODIES. I'm sorry but I don't want people who send their kids to private schools making decisions about PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I don't want rich people, who were born rich, making decisions about SOCIAL SAFETY NETS.

That is just stupid. It is just crazy.

Training matters. Knowledge matters. Ask the experts what they think - the people with years of training, specialized skills, and experience. Then make decisions. Doing anything else, and we're no better than monkeys playing "human."

Total Equality: A Feminist Manifesto

Recently Obama called for the American legislature to require equal pay for equal work. There have been a lot of conversations about that.

I would argue his call is premature, not because I don't want that. I do. I absolutely completely do. I just think the problem is bigger than that.

You can't eradicate a symptom if you don't cure the disease. The disease, in this case, is sexism, and it is pandemic. The body politic is infested with this horrible, debilitating illness. And we need a cure. We can treat the symptoms, but they will keep coming back in one way or another, until we address the illness as a whole.

It is for this reason I wrote and published TOTAL EQUALITY. I don't think people realize how pervasive sexism is in America. I don't think people realize how damaging it is, how painful it is, as a woman, to be systematically disregarded over and over again (my brown skinned friends know this very well, and I empathize with that hot mess because there is a lot of overlap). I wrote this because I wanted it to be absolutely clear, in one place, easily understood, just what is required for women to be equal to men.

Obama is right. It should happen now. It has been a long time. But let's be clear - this is still a big task, especially when America won't admit there is a problem in the first place.

Wendy Davis, Abortion, Teens, and Literature

A lot of important things have happened this past week politically (both good and bad). One of the good things was the Wendy Davis filibuster, which effectively skyrocketed the Texas state senator to superhero status in the eyes of the pro-choice camp.

While the latter has mostly drawn attention to Ms. Davis' gumption, it has also put the spotlight on several other important and scary points. One being, of course, the recent underhandedness of the GOP to pass legislation that is against most people's interest (I say this piece impacts most because as far as I know, we women are still 51% of the population).

The other issue is of course, the one at the center of the debate - abortion and a woman's right to choose.

I am, and always have been pro-choice. Even after I became pregnant and I thought hard about how I would feel if my situation was different, I still came to the same conclusion; women should be able to choose. I came to this conclusion because I know that regardless of how we legislate this issue, there will always be women who want an abortion. If we make abortion illegal, there will always be women who will go to shady doctors, use coat hangers, drugs, or ask their boyfriends to beat them so they will miscarry or abort.

I also know, there are medical situations (both physical and psychological) that may require abortive intervention. I don't want any legislation in place that would criminalize such acts.

I don't want a man dictating what I can and can't do. My pregnancy has taught me, in a very tangible and real way, there are certain areas of human experience that are withheld from men. It only seems right that those who experience them get to make decisions about these things.

 There are so many other issues that surround the abortion debate - like foster care (Those unwanted babies go somewhere...), death row (If we're pro-life, shouldn't we be pro-life all the way?), war (same as the death row issue), quality of life (What happens to mom after the baby is born? Pro-birth isn't the same as pro-life!), and of course the philosophical question of when life begins (which as far as I know, no one can agree on).

These are complex issues that need to be considered. I think it's even more important that teens talk about these things because they are at the age where the lines are gray. Do parents get involved? Will they have access to contraception? That's why I wrote JEREMIAH. I wanted to give teens a way to talk about reproductive rights and to think about situations that could occur if they choose to be sexually active (which, let's face it, most of them will!). In a place and time when sex education isn't a guarantee and legislation is regularly proposed that restricts access to reproductive health care, something has to step up to the plate and get people talking. People like Wendy Davis help, but so does literature.

Are there any books that have forced you to think about difficult issues? Sparked new perspectives? Encouraged you to consider something different? Please let me know with a comment!