The Baby Box

this is an old article, but i didn't get to read it until recently (recently as in like ten minutes ago....)

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/korean-pastor

and even though it's a short article, if no one wants to read it, i'll summarize: pastor in south korea started up a place (a baby box....like literately a box to put babies) where parents (mostly mothers) can leave their unwanted child.

and there's a lot of different opinions on the issue and such, so....i'm just going to give my opinion.

first of all, i do recognize that child abandonment is a GLOBAL ISSUE. it's not limited to third world or underdeveloped countries, infanticide is and has been a major issue in the global community. heck. read the bible, even moses's mom abandoned him!!

but on a much more serious note, the struggle is real. there are many people doing many things to resolve this issue; politicians are implementing safe haven laws, adoption agencies, orphanages, baby boxes, everyone is doing what they feel they can do to solve this problem, and no matter where you stand on this issue, i think we really need to recognize and applaud these people and all their hard work because their resources are limited, the problem at hand is huge, and they still do it everyday with a smile!

but something that struck me SEVERELY is actually the last paragraph of this damn article

"Korea is not the only place that deals with child abandonment. Globally, millions of children die from abandonment. It takes different forms from country to country. In the United States, abortion serves our abandonment purposes and they call it a “woman’s choice.” Our nation is still struggling to see that these babies are human beings, too. They deserve to live just like any other human being. With incredible men and women like Pastor Lee Jong-rak, this world is seeing how life can be for these babies when we take them in; when we become a voice for the ones that cannot speak up for themselves. They are loved, they are cherished, and they are worthy just the way they are." 

are you fucking kidding me. i was getting this heavy sense of misogyny in this article (who was written by a woman, by the motherfucking way) but this really was the last straw on the motherfucking camel's back. not only is this ENTIRE paragraph unnecessary, but i think it is because of this misogyny that we even have this issue in the first place.

yes. i am going there. i am going all militant feminazi on this bitch. 

again, i appreciate the work of all these groups and peoples who are saving these abandoned babies and finding a way to let these children live wonderful lives. that's great, but i honestly think that it is just curing a symptom of a much larger issue, and that is the hatred for women. 

i think that if we empower women to take control of their bodies, have a say in their sexuality and ability to reproduce, or not reproduce, if we do no hold a stigma on single mothers, or mothers who choose to give up their children to ANYTHING (abortion, adoption, heck, even abandonment) and if we STOP BLAMING JUST THE WOMEN. 

i'm not hating on men, it's not men who are the issue, it is all of us and we all need to take a good damn look at ourselves and be fucking honest. all of this slut shaming needs to stop because there is more than just the baby's life involved, more than just the mother, more than just the father, it is all of us. it takes a village to raise a child, and it really does. and we all need to take responsibility in this issue because in one way or another we all contribute to this issue. 

i mean think about it, people always say "if you don't want kids, don't have sex" (and on a much harsher note, a lot of people DO say "close your legs" - again, SLUT SHAMING (slut shaming = BAD)) but seriously, let's be real right now, gettin' real real here: SEX IS FUN. PEOPLE LIKE TO FUCK. FUCKING IS GREAT. how the hell is you gonna go and preach abstinence when we are programmed to fuck? are you fucking serious, it's like walking up to a dog and being surprised that it's walking on four legs, dumbass. i think it's a really unattainable, impractical and not to mention overall STUPID idea that the one and only way of birth control is abstinence. 

again. if we empower and educate women on taking birth control into their own hands WITHOUT THE STIGMA OF BEING A SLUT, we solve the problem in the first place! if a woman carries around a condom, it must be because she's always ready to do the dirty right? WRONG. better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. it's just taking control of your own body and sexuality. birth control bills, iud, all of those other things are great at preventing BABIES, but condoms also prevent some sti's so, please always wear a condom, you want to protect yourself from more than just parenthood. 

there's all of those awesome quotes "don't get love without the glove" "if you wanna tap it, you gotta wrap it" GENTLEMEN, you have ways to prevent babies too! OMG! whoaaaaaaaaaaa didn't know that did you? and don't feel any less of a man simply because you want to take control of your sexuality as well! i applaud you! (not to mention, it's very sexy to see a man who knows what he wants and doesn't want) 

i need feminism because....we need to empower both genders. yes, i was saying earlier that we need to empower WOMEN, but we also need to empower MEN. we aren't those lizards who are all women and reproduce via parthenogenesis (all women, they just like hump each other to reproduce. pretty cool, yall should google it.) but back to the point: it takes two to tango (and make a baby). so men also need to be empowered and educated in this issue, as i said earlier, it's not just about abandoned babies, mothers who abandon babies, it's about the fathers as well. 

and not to call anyone out or anything but seriously, fuck websites like this: http://www.dontfixit.org/ 

because 1. you think that your rare case of a bad vasectomy should stop other men from having the procedure as well? 2. it IS rare for men to experience pain or illnesses, there are many studies that prove how safe and effective vasectomies are and 3. i'm sorry for your pain and troubles with your specific case, but guess what, you're special. and you may think that you are helping men make medical decisions, but really, you're just adding to the fear and stigma of male birth control. 

i do agree that there needs to be more birth control options for men, why can't men take a pill everyday to lower their sperm count? i know that medically, that may be dangerous (or even impossible) but seriously, birth control is pretty much thrown onto women, but then women who choose to use birth control are viewed as sluts and whores. and men who choose to "get snipped" are considered "less" of a man (because the definition of a man is obviously correlated with his penis, not the essence of his nature or his morals.) 

what i'm trying to say is: there is a stigma for anyone, man or woman, who take control of their sexuality. i think we need to be more invested in education of sexuality instead of just talking about it and not really knowing anything about it. in a more ideal world, i think anyone can choose to control their sexuality in any way that they feel comfortable with, and not be judged for it. got a condom? good for you. practicing abstinence? good job. taking the pill? all the power to ya. got snipped? awesome. got an abortion? do what you gotta do. like, imagine! how awesome is it that nobody feels entitled to an opinion about YOUR body? nobody thinks that they have a say in how you choose to deal with your life and your body. that's ideal for me. because let's be honest, lots of women are portrayed as heartless bitches who so easily "murder" their babies or "abandon" them. 

and i hate when people say that adoption is an alternative to abortion, can you fucking just IMAGINE the emotion turmoil and trauma of giving up your child? it's not fucking easy. and it is NOT easy to have an abortion either. it's not one of those "oh, got preggers? my bad. let's get this done" decisions. women are not so heartless and quick to make these MAJOR life decisions so easily. i think a lot of people forget that part of this issue, the fact that there is a human being with a heart and emotions who also just happens to have a vagina. if you read the note that the mother left her child (in the article) it reads: 

“My baby! Mom is so sorry.
I am so sorry to make this decision. 
My son! I hope you to meet great parents, and I am very, very sorry . 
I don’t deserve to say a word. 
Sorry, sorry, and I love you my son. 
Mom loves you more than anything else. 
I leave you here because I don’t know who your father is. 
I used to think about something bad, but I guess this box is safer for you. 
That’s why I decided to leave you here. My son, Please forgive me.”

if that did not bring tears to your eyes, or at least pulled at some heartstrings, YOU are the heartless one. these are not women who are so heartless and shallow that they can so easily abandon their child. these women have been pushed into a corner with no support, who are doing what they think is all that they could do in order to deal with the cards that they have been dealt. none of us can even begin to fathom why they feel that this is the only thing they can do, so none of us can judge them. 

so when we look at the issue on hand, we need to empower mothers and fathers to save the children. 

that is all. the end.