To all the men in Washington, raise your hand if you've had a gynocological exam?

Didn't think so.

John and Leah both posted great things about the pro-choice/anti-choice debate. The spinning by the Republican machine (by the way, anyone else thoroughly scared by Tancredo, Brownback, and their never-relenting mission to overturn Roe v. Wade?), the arguments over who was anti-choice first, the desire to rule over women's bodies...it all gets me so riled up I can hardly type this. It's hard not to morph into "scary-stereotypical-feminist-crazy" right now, but I can't help it. I just do not understand why people, men particularly, feel they have a right to decide on what I do with my body. I completely agree with John; look, no one wants to have abortions. They're expensive (too expensive if you ask me) and they don't feel so great. However, especially in cases of rape and incest, a woman should have all options on the table.

A really intriguing question, as expounded upon by the ever wonderful Anna Quindlen in last week's Newsweek, is, if abortion is criminalized, then women who have illegal abortions commit a crime, what is the punishment? Do you throw them in jail? If it's murder, do you punish her for 1st degree? And if you did throw her in jail, how long would the sentence be? Quindlen helps illustrate how no one has an answer for this. It's a really interesting read, highly recommended. She finds her questions off this really incredible video at a Libertyville anti-choice demonstration where a man fields these very questions to demonstrators, who, more often than not, don't have answers.

So next time you men out there get a cervical smear or a speculum shoved up your vagina, let me know, and we'll talk.