Abortion, Feminism, Femininity and Stretchmarks

I am alive and well in Rio de Janeiro (after a few setbacks) and haven't forgot to continue my previous conversation about the case of the 9 year old girl that was raped, impregnated with twins and was able to obtain an abortion in lieu of the Catholic Church, principally the Archbishop of Recife/Olinda, trying to stop the process.

Whew, my friends, that is a mouthful and the case continues to be seen that way in Brazil, and I imagine, the world around.

I hate even saying this, but if there is one thing that has come from this tragedy it is that this one hit home for a lot of Brazilians...including my "brazilian mom" who is against abortion in most circumstances, and the very nice Frei, a Catholic priest at her church. For those against abortion...they...just...can't...grapple...with this one. How could a 9 year old girl, who barely weighs 80 pounds carry this pregnancy to term? Like my "brazilian dad," who has been an OB/GYN doctor for more than 20 years in Brazil, said, it just wouldn't have been possible.

So when I asked the Frei about abortion he told me that he is in the position to always favor life. In this case, the 9 year old girl could have very well died and so he agreed that in this case an abortion was necessary. "But what about the other lives at stake?" I asked, thinking about what "life" in the abortion debate in America means. To the Frei (and my "brazilian mom" sitting beside him shaking her head in agreement), the health and life of the woman always come first. POW! POW! POW! That one hit me right in the face (and it probably hit some other Catholics right in the face too). My thinking on the issue has been so caught up in extreme fundamendalist thinking (woman....what woman?) that I'd forgotten a continuum of positions on abortion exists. Please see the Reproductive Health Technologies Project work for an interesting discussion on this continuum--www.rhtp.org.

"So what are the main reasons women seek abortion in Brazil?" I asked. One of the answers I was given by the Frei, my "brazilian mom" in agreement and my portuguese teacher when I asked her about it: Because they don't want a pregnancy to mess up their body.

What a punchline. Now, apparently Frei Jonas has hard numbers on this one from a study conducted by some psychologists in Brazil. I am waiting for him to send me the bibliography. The very notion that thousands of Brazilian women seek clandestine abortions in order keep their beach bodies sounded somewhat absurd at first. However, I have to wonder if there isn't a hint of truth. I mean, again, like I said in my last blog, waxing, lasering, botox/collagen injecting, nipping and tucking is common place here, which brings me to...that complex thing called gender.

I think I started noticing the rigid gender roles and stereotypes here in Brazil with little things like a conversation. "You know it's true that men are much better drivers than women." Or when the taxi driver at the airport said to me, "Here, you need a man to carry that suitcase." Or, for example, when you go shopping...for let's say...a pair or shoes, or a cellphone, you are asked if you are married. In my case I can stop the conversation at "solteira" but my friend, who identifies as shiva and is married,  is always asked if her husband is American or Brazilian. Or perhaps what bothers me the most is the EXTREME femininity of what makes a woman a woman here in Brazil. My jeans, t-shirt and tenis just don't cut it. Plus, I sweat a lot--especially here. It's hot and to make things worse when I'm nervous my pits start to rain. But I just can't get used to the idea of injecting botox to stop from sweating. I could go on and on about this but it reminds me of that article by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, "Feminism and femininity: Or how we stopped worrying and learned to love the thong." Has anyone read this article? Do you hate the thong as much as I do? But they do have a point...I can't get enough of brazilian shoes...(they're cute, arent' they?)

...and I have thought about doing something to get rid of those stretchmarks.

I wonder if there is a "feminist continuum?" but at the same time, if there is, I wonder if it should exist? What does all of this mean for feminism and the movement forward?