Sex strike

Former Member

I have recently read that the US state of Georgia has changed their abortion laws. Now, once cardiac activity (a heartbeat) is detected, abortion can not take place. Although i agree that after a certain point abortion shouldn’t take place, a heartbeat can be detected as soon as 6 weeks after conception, often wayyy before a woman knows she’s pregnant.
As a result of this, Alyssa Milano, a Hollywood actress and a leader of the #metoo movement called for a ‘sex strike’, however was met with lots of backlash, with many women arguing that her suggestion pushes the idea that women are just the providers of sex and men are the “consumers’. When in fact its something that females enjoy too. It was also suggested that we shouldn’t be bribing men for equal rights though sex as this just advocates the outdated views that, it’s what women are used for. 

Although this is not something that is happening is Britain, was wondering what people thought
Would you support the sex strike?
Do you support the law? 

Former Member

Hey @Past User

This is a great topic, I was reading about it a couple of days ago and feel quite conflicted. Firstly I'm in disbelief they have passed the abortion law about a heartbeat before most women would even know... Especially because there are no 'special circumstances' eg if someone got pregnant through rape. It's so backwards. 

I believe Alyssa was well intentioned, I think the point was to highlight the risk - so the risk of getting pregnant isn't worth the enjoyment of sex if you live there. But going on a sex strike, I agree, is probably the wrong way about it because again it's taking away another right (and something fun) for women. 

Will be interested to see everyone elses views too

Former Member

Hi @Past User

This is a really good topic, hope it sparks some great discussion. As this isn't asking for advice related to sex and relationships, I've moved the thread into the politics forum

Former Member

Hey @Past User

I would support the sex strike. Lots of pro-life campaigners like to preach about abstinence and to be fair, the only 100% certain form of birth control is abstinence. Because they're making it near impossible to have an abortion if birth control does go wrong, I would not want to take the risk of having to have a child that I did not want. 

I do understand where people that disagreed with Alyssa are coming from and it should always be someone's choice if they choose to have sex or not. However, I completely support women that choose not to have sex when their reproductive rights are being slashed.

Former Member

Really great topic to discuss!
As for me, personally, I'm strongly against of abortion, but of cause situations can be different (like being raped etc)
But I guess in general you can understand if there is a risk to get pregnant and you can check it right after using test or taking a blood test. As for me it's matter of responsibility either....of cause man is responsible as well but he can't (and sometimes doesn't want unfortunatelly) to make woman to buy test, so it's up to woman to do. So if you check it on time you know the situation before the heartbeat detected.
Although anyway it's very stressful to understand that your personal issue is kind of controlled by government 
And also as I read #metoo movement is more about women who decided that they are ready to retell the story how they were raped to get more attantion to this problem, cause there are a lot of women who suffer but prefer not to go to police and keep silence about that fact. So as I got it's not about getting pregmant. Mayby I understood it wrong 

Former Member

This is hardly the first time Milano's made tone deaf statements about women's rights i.e. her co-opting the #MeToo movement. I think she's well intentioned but performative. Her calls for a sex strike play right into the hands of pro-lifers who believe women are merely receptacles for sex rather than active participants. She's coming from a place of privilege; others are not so lucky as to be able to say no to sex. The idea of a sex strike is hardly inclusive to sex workers who need to earn a living, or people in abusive relationships who can't say 'no' to sex, for fear of retaliation. 

It worries me that more people are paying attention to her than to the thousands of activists on the ground, who are escorting women to clinics, providing legal advice, protesting etc. There are other more effective, less exclusive ways to defend a woman's right to abortion e.g. funding legal action, donating to grassroots abortion orgs. 

If you want to donate, The Cut have published an article, with links to organisations in Alabama and beyond, here: https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/how-to-help-alabama-6-week-abortion-ban-georgia.html

Former Member

Thank you for all your responses! It’s been great reading through all of them and seeing what others think to it
Just after posting this, i felt as though the abortion law really blew up on social media, with Georgia passing it too, i feel as though its grab the attention of many and there is now a huge presence on manny different media platforms with lots of celebs and influencers making it known that they do not support the new law.

@Lucy307 @Past User @Aidan @Past User @Past User you have all made some amazing points and have definitely given me some food for thought.
i would agree with @Past User when you called Alyssa ‘well intentioned but performative’. I guess if it was just a ploy to get the more attention (which is what she later claimed after all the backlash) then that is what she has achieved, however i feel as though she could have gone about it in a different way, without disregarding the people who do not always have that choice. 
@Past User i also agree with what you say about people being able to check before the heartbeat is detected. And i just mentioned she was part of the metoo campaign just to give her some context in to who she is and what sorts of things she’s involved in. 

independent_

I definitely don't support the law, a lot of women don't even know they are pregnant until a heartbeat is detectable so they don't have any (or have very limited) time to make a choice which they should have the right to make. And the fact that there are no exceptions for things like rape makes it even worse. 

As others have said, the sex strike thing was probably well intentioned, but definitely hasn't passed on the intended message. I also think it reinforces the idea that women are just used by men for sex and reproduction, whereas actually it is enjoyed equally as much by most women and isn't just reproductive.