I saw this on Facebook yesterday, posted by The Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW). I'm not sure why their post popped up on my feed. Probably one of my friends "liked" the picture. But it really made me think.
What's wrong with reminding men that the women they treat so badly are the same (fundamentally) as the women they love? If you'd kill the guy who raped your sister, surely that's a good reason not to rape someone else's sister.
But it's not a feminist reason.
The reason you shouldn't rape a woman is because she's a human being, deserving of respect and autonomy just because she's a human being. The reason women should make decisions about abortions, rather than government, is that women are adults. They are capable of making rational decisions based on information that is unique to a situation--and the circumstances surrounding an abortion are always unique--and living with the consequences of that decision. The reason women should get equal pay for equal work is that they are human beings, just like men.
Defining women relationally is just another way of removing their humanity: women should be treated with respect only because of their relationships to men.
It's not okay.
Treat people the way you want to be treated. All people. Children, the elderly, people with disabilities, LGBT people: everybody. It's the basis for every religion going, although many religions later define it away. It's not complicated. Sometimes it's hard, but it's not complicated. Treat people the way you want to be treated.
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