More Ridiculous Sexism from PETA

I don't take the animal rights movement seriously. There is something profoundly disgusting about a movement that consistently values the lives of chickens above those of humans. This is one more example. The article's subtitle says it all: "The animal-rights group doesn't want people to eat meat, but they don't mind treating women like it."

Abortion in an Anti-Choice Culture

The New York Times has an interesting article today on the growing use of ulcer medications to induce abortion. The article, which focuses on Dominican women in Washington Heights, is tinged with liberal racism, explaining that Dominican culture is socially conservative and pro-life. Two responses. First, American culture is socially conservative and pro-life (Knocked Up, anyone?). Particularizing this pathology to Dominican culture is absurd in a country that can barely say the word abortion on television. Second, it's worth questioning just how "socially conservative" Dominican culture actually is when women can walk into a pharmacy, say they need to bring down their period, and pharmacists will know they are asking for abortificants. This sounds to me like a widespread understanding and acceptance, on a subterranean level, of the practice of abortion. Maybe Dominican culture is actually complicated and can't simply be described as socially conservative?

This kind of essentialism aside, the article highlights a number of important facts. The first is that even in a culture which officially disproves of abortion and stigmatizes those that seek it, women will continue to terminate their pregnancies. It also shows that the stigmatization and criminalization of abortion hurts women, who, when denied safe medical care, will use other means, even at the risk of substantial self-injury. Finally, the article shows how abortion is a positive experience in many women's lives. The caption of the photo on the first page speaks directly to this - “It’s cheap but dangerous. Certain people are more delicate than others. But afterwards, I felt relief.” While liberals go on about reducing the number of abortions and how it's sad and tragic, they ignore the fact that for millions of women every year, an abortion is a victory in the struggle for control of their bodies.

Stats on Domestic Violence in the US

Threats and attacks

On average since 2001, for nonfatal intimate partner violence —

• about one-third of female and male victims reported that they were physically attacked.
  
  
• approximately two-thirds of female and male victims stated that they were threatened with attack.

Average annual percent of threats, attempted attacks, and physical attacks in nonfatal intimate partner victimization, 2001-2005

		Percent of victims of intimate partner violence
Type of violence		Female		Male
Total		100	%	100	%
	Attempt or threat	67.2		66.3
	Physically attacked	32.8		33.7

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Type of threat

Between 2001 and 2005, for nonfatal intimate partner violence —

• 27% of female victims and 15% of male victims reported that the offender threatened to kill them.
  
  
• 23% of male victims were threatened with a weapon and 7% had an object thrown at them.
  
  
• about 1 in 10 female and male victims reported that the offender tried to hit, slap, or knock them down.
  

Average annual percent of threats, by type, in nonfatal intimate partner violence crime, by gender, 2001-2005

	Percent of victims of nonfatal intimate partner violence, 2001-2005
Type of threat	Female		Male
Threatened to kill	26.9	%	15.1	%*
Threatened to rape	0.5	*	--
Threatened with harm	59.3		55.3
Threatened with a weapon	17.6		22.9
Threw object at victim	7.5		7.4	*
Followed/surrounded victim	5.9		1.8	*
Tried to hit, slap, or knock down victim	14.1		12.6	*
*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. Note: Detail may not add to total because victims may have reported more than one type of threat. --Information is not provided because the small number of cases is insufficient for reliable estimates.

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Type of attack

On average between 2001 and 2005, for nonfatal intimate partner violence —

• about two-thirds of female and male victims reported they were hit, slapped, or knocked down.
  
  
• male victims were more likely than female victims to be grabbed, held, or tripped.

Average annual percent of attacks, by type, in nonfatal intimate partner violent crime, 2001-2005

		Percent of victims of nonfatal intimate partner violence who were attacked
Type of attack		Female		Male
Raped		7.2	%	0.8	%*
Sexual assault		1.9		0.9
Attacked with firearm		0.5	*	--
Attacked with knife		2.5		8	*
Hit by thrown object		2.1		4.5	*
Attacked with other weapon		0.8	*	1.8	*
Hit, slapped, knocked down		62.7		62.2
Grabbed, held, tripped		54.9		26
*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. --Information is not provided because the small number of cases is insufficient for reliable estimates. Note: Detail may not add to total because victims may have reported more than one type of attack.

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Injury

On average between 2001 and 2005, half of all females experiencing nonfatal intimate partner violence suffered an injury from their victimization.

Of female victims —

• about 5% were seriously injured and about 44% suffered minor injuries.
  
  
• about 3% were raped or sexually assaulted.

Average annual number and percent of injuries sustained by female victims as a result of nonfatal intimate partner violence, 2001-2005

			Average annual
Intimate partner victim			Number	Percent
Total			510,970	100	%
Not injured			248,805	48.7	%
Injured			262,170	51.3	%
	Serious injury		25,710	5	%
		Gunshot wound	595	0.1	*
		Knife wounds	4,940	1	*
		Internal injuries	3,440	0.7	*
		Broken bones	12,155	2.4
		Knocked unconscious	3,730	0.7	*
		Other serious injuries	855	0.2	*
	Rape/sexual assault without additional injuries		13,350	2.6
	Minor injuries only		222,670	43.6
Injuries unknown			435	0.1	*
*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. Note: Total may not add to 100% due to rounding.

On average between 2001 and 2005, more than one-third of male victims of nonfatal intimate partner violence were injured; 4% were seriously injured and 36% suffered minor injuries.

Average annual number and percent of injuries sustained by male victims as a result of nonfatal intimate partner violence, 2001-2005

		Average annual
		Number	Percent
Total intimate partner victims		104,820	100	%
Not injured		61,285	58.5	%
Injured		43,540	41.5	%
	Serious injury	4,335	4.1	*
	Minor injuries only	38,050	36.3
	Rape/sexual assault without other injuries	580	0.6	*
Injuries unknown		570	0.5	%*
*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. Note: Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.

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Medical care

On average between 2001 and 2005 for nonfatal intimate partner violence —

• less than one-fifth of victims reporting an injury sought treatment following the injury.
  
  
• about 8% of female and 10% of male victims were treated at the scene of the injury or in their home.
  
  
• females experiencing an injury were more likely than their male counterparts to seek treatment at a hospital.

Average annual percent of medical treatment sought as a result of nonfatal intimate partner violence, by gender, 2001-2005

				Average annual
				Female		Male
Not injured				48.7	%	58.5	%
Injured				51.3	%	41.5	%
	Injured, not treated			32.8		27.9
	Treated for injury			18.5		13.1
		At scene or home		8.3		9.8
		Doctor's office or clinic		1.3		0.6	*
		Hospital		8.7		2.8	*
			Not admitted	8.4		2.8	*
			Admitted	0.3		--
		Other locale		0.2		--
Don't know				--		0.5	%*
*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. -- Information is not provided because the small number of cases was insufficient for reliable estimates. Note: Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.

What does the state of Alaska have in common with the US Military ?

Neither pay for rape kits! Figures have been coming out recently that continue to destroy the idea that the US military is a force of good, and in the case of the war in Afghanistan, a force capable of liberating women: servicewomen are TWICE as likely to face rape and sexual assault as their civilian counterparts.

After Congress threatened Department of Defense officials with contempt citations, the Pentagon admitted that

in 2007 there were 2,688 sexual assaults in the military, including 1,259 reports of rape. Just 8 percent (181) of those cases were referred to courts martial, compared to a civilian prosecution rate of 40 percent. And almost half of those cases were dismissed without investigation. (And I say Whitley "had to admit" the number of cases because in 2004, Congress woke up to the fact that the DoD was blowing off the issue and required the military to make yearly reports on all matters relating to sexual assault in the Armed Forces. But those reports did not indicate either prioritizing or progress -- hence the hearings.)

As the article notes, current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates played a key role in suppressing this information. This adds another reason why activists must challenge the logic of President-elect Obama's consideration of this war-mongering rape apologist.

An important - and positive - lesson in this case is that many revelations about command rape and abuse of women in the armed services have come to light during Winter Soldier testimonies organized by Iraq Vets Against the War and their allies in the antiwar movement. These gatherings, which have taken place from in the Pacific Northwest, Baltimore, DC, Madison, and other cities across the country, have been a venue for service people and vets to speak out about the racism, sexism, and brutality of the armed forces. Exposing these abuses is part and parcel of radicalizing and organizing the antiwar masses in this country who swept Obama into office and can give further confidence to active duty soldiers to speak out and get organized.

More on Palin

Though by this time any liberal with a pulse can probably point you to at least five articles demonstrating that Sarah Palin is a liar, vindictive, etc (and can probably do an impression of Tina Fey's version of Palin as well), I found Chris Hedge's piece particularly worthwhile. Hedges investigates in some depth Palin's relationship with masculinity and the Christian Right.

An especially rich part is where Hedges talks about James Dobson's reflections on the innate differences between men and women:

For a woman, Dobson writes, love is her most important experience: Love gives woman her "zest," it makes up her "life-blood," it is her primary "psychological need." Love holds less meaning in a man's life than a woman's -- though a man can appreciate love, he does not "need" it.

Surely this tells us more about one particular man than the sex in general.