My wife related a story to me the other day. When she was living at home, her father had asked that she buy her own sanitary pads. Furious, she had told him they were no different than toilet paper -- she didn't have a choice in how much she bled, after all.

So, being a woman means assuming some extra burdens. Carrying a child is foremost of these. The "right to choose," as it's now called, has come into the limelight again thanks to two nasty ammendments added to the health bill in the House -- in particular the Stupak ammendment, named after the conservative congressman. 

But you know all this. My purpose in writing this post is to draw attention to the language we use to discuss abortion, and why it's all wrong. The movement should have never been called "pro-choice," because this obscures the core issue at hand -- a woman's citizenship. Just as when the women received the right to vote, the abortion issue is a women's citizenship issue. If a woman cannot conveniently and freely receive an abortion, she is not a full citizen. For that matter, her birth control should be free as well (they already suffer the unfair burden of having to take the stuff). If you're a man and don't see how that benefits you, you're an idiot. 

Let me relate another anecdote. A coworker of mine recently had a child. Maternity leave, as you may know, is quite short in this country. Her situation is such that working from home would be of great benefit to her, and given the nature of our work, entirely feasible.  In fact, several employees work from home for various reasons. But she's afraid to confront our boss, because she too timid to ruffle anyone's feathers. Never mind that her child's health is at stake. 

As a woman, my coworker is granted all the rights of any other American worker, though not so many extra rights to accomodate her femininity (in this case the fact that she is a mother).  What's worse, she doesn't feel entitled to any "preferential treatment." Again, never mind that she is saddled with the burden of raising a child. 

By the way -- everyone at my job is more or less liberal. Despite this, our notions of responsibility are hardly communal. My coworker's baby is her problem, right? If she wants to take a year or two off, she shouldn't burden the company, which needs to be profitable and productive, right? Sadly, we (by which I mean men and women0 are content to let women quietly deal with their womenly problems, often for petty reasons. Maybe we're uncomfortable with breast feeding or buying tampons. Maybe we think a company should be allowed to shirk the expense of employing a pregnant woman. Of course, some truly believe a woman is a woman first, and a citizen second, often for religious reasons. 

The fact that simply being a woman -- an act necessary for the future of our species, not to mention our present happiness -- is a quandry, is obscene. Though women have decades ago gained citizenship, it is still hard to be a woman and a citizen -- femininity must still be suppressed to succeed, or feminity allowed and success abandoned. This problem extends beyond concrete issues like abortion -- it is a matter of gender identity. But, insofar as politics is concerned, the abortion issue has to begin and end with the question: Do we consider women to be full citizens?