28 thoughts on “Week Fifteen–post your comments on blogging and the readings here!”

1. I haven’t finished the reading but i thought i’d blog on blogging now… and the readings later this week when i’m done with them! i think blogging is a REALLY great tool in any class because it provides confidentiality when talking about sensitive subjects. plus, i think people are willing to be more honest in their blogs if it is confidential because they don’t have to worry about anyone knowing it was them who wrote the blog.

   i think blogging was a really good method for our public health class because we talked about REALLY sensitive subjects, such as abortions and STDS. i think people were really able to be open and honest on the blog due to the level of confidentiality it provided. people were able to say things like, “i have an STD” or “I had an abortion”. i think blogging enables people to use “I” statements. I think such statements are really powerful to the individual and the class! in addition, i think once people started using “I” statements in blogging, they were more able to use them in class because they realized alot of people in class have undergone really personal and traumatic experience. therefore, i think blogging helped reduce the element of stigma associated with the various topics in class, therefore allowing for more open and honest communication.

   personally, for my own various reasons i NEVER feel very comfortable about telling fellow classmates that i have type one diabetes. when i as in high school, as awful as it is, people teased and hazed me for having an insulin pump. people in my high school would call me names like “tubes” (because the insulin pump is attached via an IV-like tube). this really put my confidence in myself and my body’s appearance at a low-level. usually i like to avoid any topic relating to my own body unless it is a discussion between myself and my doctors. but this semester I have found myself able to say, “yes, i have diabetes”… more so, i’ve been able to move on to discuess openly my reproductive health which is an even more sensitive topic for me. where i grew up you never used the word “vagina” or other such words we’ve employed in class. growing up if one had to talk about reproductive health, they’d say things like “down there” instead of vagina or penis. now i feel comfortable employing accurate terminology.

   i think blogging really helps open communication in the class room. i feel it is really helpful because even if a student doesn’t feel comfortable talking openly about hard subjects in class, they have a safe space on the blog to discuss their opinion openly. i think blogging encourages voice, which is an essential tool for women’s health. i think everyone’s voice needs to be heard, no matter the contexts in which one expresses their voice. i think bloggin should be a tool utilized in any class discussing sensitve and personal subject matter.

   in the end, i loved this class and all my classmates. i really feel a connection to everyone and i am REALLY sad this class has to end. i wish we could do a part 2 next semester!!

   i love you all and wish you the best of health in the upcoming year. and keep fighting for your body’s rights and the right to be an activated patient. TAKE CARE EVERYONE! and never forget to treat your bodies well!

2. I really enjoyed blogging. I especially like how it is anonymous so giving personal details the best part. When I can add my own story and make it relevant to the weekly readings, I find I have more to write about and more of an opinion. Also, being able to read others entries is interesting (mostly because of the personal stories!!) and stirs up some of my own thoughts, prior to adding my entry. I also enjoyed this class due to its uniqueness of peer-educating and having a class of no males. Knowing that there are no men in the class, I feel, gave way for the class to feel more comfortable and open up with opinions and personal stories. Sometimes the readings were long and dry but being able to turn in our blog on my own time was very convenient.

   This weeks topic, reproductive justice and rights was not one of the most interesting topics for me, mainly due to the fact that it has less to do with anatomy, and involves more political movements and justices. Reading about the Black history of abortion rights was the saddest because the way the women were either forced into having children or were unwillingly sterilized. White women, although they faced just as difficult of obstacles such as access to reproductive health information, birth control, and abortions, were not as likely to have been subjected to un-consented sterilization or forced pregnancy. In the articles is just seemed that white women did not have access to legal abortions and therefore had children unwillingly. It is sad that the debate over abortions is still exists. I feel that pro-life activist should not enforce their beliefs on others and that pro-choice is the ideal.
   Looking at the LGBT perspective is different because I don’t generally think of gays reproducing just because of the biological features, especially the men. When I think of having a child sperm and egg comes to mind. This is narrow minded of me and it is a shame that LGBT must suffer inequalities to have children. I can think of many gay couples whom would make amazing parents and it is a shame that they are not given the opportunity easily simply because the anatomy will not personally allow them. The process of starting a family is not as simple. I feel with time all of these issues will work themselves out but there will always be those individuals with their strong opinions on reproductive rights. Finally, even though women have access to reproductive health education, there is still inequality in classes due to the education levels that each receives. Reproductive health is too taboo a topic and with time, I feel will also become more socially acceptable.

3. Looking back at my blogging experience, I actually surprised myself when I say that I enjoyed the blogs in the end. At first, I wasn’t too keen on the blogs, probably because I was unfamiliar with them and wasn’t sure how formal my writing should be. I also wasn’t managing my time too well earlier in the semester, so I would be left reading the assigned articles pretty quickly and trying to piece together a meaningful blog response.
   As the semester progressed, I tried to organize myself better and allow more time to enjoy the readings and actually respond to what mattered to me. These last 3 or 4 weeks, I have really enjoyed blogging and reading other people’s responses made me think about my own reproductive health decisions. Was I staying as healthy as possible? Was I taking care of my sexual health?

   Discovering for myself( through my own writing and my classmates’ writing) just how important reproductive health is caused me to make some small, but important changes in my behaviors. I learned a great amount of new information from the blogs, as well as the class presentations. I really respect all my classmates for being so honest and open in their blog posts…because it helped me to share more about myself and my personal experience with these issues.
   I’m almost disappointed to to give up blogging and I can understand why people blog about all different issues, all over the world. I really had begun to enjoy saying what was on my mind…and hearing different opinions about abortion, STIs, breastfeeding, and so forth. My opinions definitely changes as the semester progressed, because I began to understand what the purpose of the blogs truly was.
   In my opinion, the blogs served as a great forum to share questions, experiences, successes, and complaints…and to let others know that things can certainly be changed and we don’t need to accept things that make us feel uncomfortable or uninformed, especially in relation to our own health.
   I guess I really gained a lot out of this overall blogging experience. I have been learning for a while …”Protect yourself against STIs….STIs are bad.” But what if you do get an STI? Are you a horrible person or dirty person, who has bad judgment? I don’t think so. I was able to share my opinions about the difficult social stigmas that go along with having an STI, even if you contract it and have already treated it. Matters like this are important to me…but I hadn’t shared them too often with other people, so this blog was a confidential and non-judgmental way to share my opinions and advice about sensitive or “taboo” topics.
   Another positive outcome of the blogs is that I learned people had similar concerns and questions, that they still wanted addressed. Previously, I might have thought that I was one of the few people who worried about certain things…but it was nice to find out this is not the case. I really liked the sense of camaraderie that we all developed through blogs and our in-class discussions. Often times, I found myself saying” That makes sense…I’d never really thought about it that way.”
   I really hope that everyone in the class realized that other females have similar issues to deal with, and now that we’ve had our discussions about what is unfair or what is wrong…I encourage all of us to make changes in our own life. When you are at the doctor, speak up….ask questions…you do not need to agree with everything the doctor tells you to do. When wondering about different methods of sexual protection and birth control, do your research and pick a method that works for your lifestyle. Don’t automatically take your physicians word as the law….after all, it is your body that will be affected.
   And I know things are easier said then done, but I still really encourage everyone to take the same knowledge and passion that they had in our class discussions, and apply it to their own life.

4. I’ll start off with my response to the readings on Women’s Rights. After reading the LGBT article with Vazquez, I realized she was equating “rights” with “privacy.” I never really thought about rights in that context or describing it using that term. But it makes sense because having the right to have or abortion or take birth control or do whatever you want to do is based on the assumption that it should be a private decision, not one that is controlled by the government.
   Then I realized the hypocrisy in the conservative right wing’s stance on stomping on the rights of others or destroying their privacy. The conservative, republican party’s main platform is a decentralization of government, the belief that the government shouldn’t have too much power and control over its citizens’ lives. And yet that principle is conveniently lost when they try and restrict the rights of women, queers ,and minorities.
   A similarity that I found between the women’s rights movement and the LGBT movement is how much of the resistance comes from within. There is an assumption that all gays support gay issues or rights but that isn’t true. There is also an assumption that all women are for keeping and protecting women’s rights. Both demographics are generalized according to their sexual preferences or gender while their opinions are disreguarded. This makes it hard for people inside the movement to think that there are others who they thought of as comrades, but who turn out to be enemies.

   Now for the blogging response. I have really enjoyed blogging this semester. This has been the first class where I have been able to do so. I was really interested in what others had to say because I always assumed that people never really say what they want to say or know how to formulate their thoughts into logical statements in class in front of others. UMass Amherst is located in a liberal area so there is a pressure to be liberal and where conservatism isn’t fostered by any means. I was interested if the blogging would facilitate those opinions to be heard. To some extent blogging did do that, but maybe not. Maybe students still felt they had to lean to PC comments rather than their own thoughts. I’m not really sure how to determine this other than by asking people but hopefully Aline might see a trend when writing her paper.
   I usually didn’t read all the comments. When I posted, there’s usually only a few on anyways so I just read the first few to see what people’s thoughts are because I’m curious. I didn’t respond to any because I wasn’t sure people would check back in with the blogs after they had completed their assignment. Also, sometimes I still felt argumentative if I were to make a comment, like I was challenging someone – which shouldn’t be a bad thing but writing online makes it a little more difficult to explain your question or for others to understand the motivation/explanation behind your comments. Talking face to face allows much more communication such as tone of voice, body language, eye contact, facial expressions, and of course explanation/elaboration of questioning/answering.

   But overall I loved it! It helped me to formulate my ideas better than when I speak in class.

5. On Blogging….
   Like many of the responses that have been posted already, I wasn’t sure about the blogging aspect of the course at first. It is the first time I have blogged and it actually turned me on to the idea of blogging and I have since explored other people’s blogs related to reproductive rights & feminism online. In a practical sense, having to formulate blog responses forced me to be engaged in the weekly reading, to take notes and make connections between the various perspectives offered on each week’s topic. In turn, I got more out of reading each week than I may have otherwise. I have also appreciated being able to access fellow student’s thoughts about the issues we have addressed in class. I have often gone back to previous blogs and read what people have written later on in the semester, as I come across similar issues in other courses or through discussion in class.
   In a way I think having everyone blog has been really fascinating in the sense that we are contributing to the discourse about feminist issues, reproductive health and rights. We are reading what other women have thought and recording our thoughts as well. I think it is a great tool for a discussion based class like this and I think it would be helpful for other classes to employ similar techniques. I have always thought that on going reflection is really helpful in integrating new information and find that I learn most when such ongoing reflection is a structured part of a course.
   As Sassy, Rainbow Bright, Senorita 55 and others have written, I have really enjoyed this class and appreciated addressing such important issues with so many other intelligent and thoughtful classmates. This class was my “treat” this semester and was one that I really looked forward to during the week. Like Sassy, I wish that there was a part 2 for next semester!

6. I feel that this weeks readings were not as interesting as many of the previously, hotly debated topics that we have recently been delving into such as STDS, STIS, natural family planning, and HPV. I think I did not find them to be particularly interesting because I felt as if they were are all extremely repetitive in the sense that every article mentioned the fact that women of color have been subjected to uninformed sterilization as a means for population control, which I believe is completely unjust, unethical, and unfair, but also a topic we have already heavily covered throughout the semester. Therefore I did not feel as if I learned anything new while reading the assigned articles for this week.

   In response to Women of Color and Their Struggle for Reproductive Justice I would have to say that I disagree with the author’s position on CRACK. I believe that CRACK is not implementing the same racist agenda as previous government policy, but mainly protecting unborn children who have not yet had a chance at life. I think that women who are abusing drugs while pregnant should not, at the time of subsequent drug abuse, be allowed to have children. I do not feel as if these women should be completely sterilized, but I do think that they should be on long-acting contraceptives. I feel as if CRACK should also work on rehabilitating these women and not be punishing these women by completely taking away their reproductive capabilities.

   In response to blogging over the course semester, I would have to say that I enjoyed it for the most part. I believe that blogging was a useful tool to help us think for ourselves about the topics to be covered in the upcoming classes and I believe that blogging helped get some of my thoughts and feelings up and running before class discussion would start.

   I think what helped me most understand many of the complicated issues that we discussed in class would have had to be the class discussions on the readings. Sometimes I felt it would have been more beneficial to me if I was able to blog after the class discussion on the readings. There have been many times where I didn’t quite understand the readings until after the lengthy class discussions that would take place about those readings and then I felt more educated and more knowledgeable on the topic, therefore I had so much more to say then before the class discussion. So if there’s any consolation, I would recommend blogging after the class discussion has taken place. I got so much more out of the class discussion then the class readings and had a lot more to say after our class discussions and I feel my blogs would have reflected that enhanced knowledge and been more interesting to read as well.

7. As much as we have discussed contraception and abortion and what access to safe forms of both mean for women’s rights, I hadn’t thought about abortion and sexual freedom thanks to women’s access to effective contraceptive methods as a direct confrontation to the notion that a woman’s “reason for existence was to bear children’. It is unbelievable to me to think that in many people’s minds, women are reduced to just that: our ability to reproduce men’s offspring! The idea that using “the pill” meant that a woman was directly confronting her choice and freedom to be sexually active in whatever way she chooses without the potential cost of unintended and/or unwanted pregnancy really highlights how radical the notion of women having “options” in regards to when and if and how to reproduce was and perhaps still is to many in society. In terms of abortion, this class has helped me to realize that retaining the right of ALL women to access safe and affordable abortion is protecting the rights of women to have control over their bodies and their lives.
   I have volunteered with the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts for a little over a year now and that has been a truly eye opening experience for me. The ARF is a nationwide fund that has offices in certain states which provides interest free loans to women who are seeking abortion services. Often these loans will not cover the cost of the abortion, but will offset the cost. In addition, many abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, offer women discounted abortion rates when they use the Abortion Rights Fund. The money in the fund comes mostly from donations and fundraising and though it is encouraged that women repay as much of the loan as possible, it is in a sense considered a good faith grant. The more money that is repaid, the more money in the “bank” for future women. The point of this being that organizations like this work to keep abortion accessible to all women, not just women who have the means to pay for services. Working with this organization has exposed me to the numerous circumstances women who are seeking abortion services are in, and how much stress the current cost of these services can cause.
   A New Vision…..
   The section of this article that really struck me was the section on researching the toxin in personal care products and the health hazards of beauty products. There is a growing movement to draw attention to the harmful chemicals that are in most body and personal care products, including substances that have been banned in the European Union due to health and safety concerns. A great website for more information on these chemicals, and to “rate” the safety of the products you use, you can visit:

   http://www.safecosmetics.org

   http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com

   This article also did a great job of articulating what can sometimes seem like such an enormous mountain of issues facing women and our world today and how all of those issues can combine to create a sense of helplessness and a feeling of being overwhelmed among people and empower governments and corporations to erode our rights as individuals and even as human beings. “We are currently in a time of increasing instability, violence and consolidation of sate and corporate power in the US and around the world. These conditions provide fertile ground for an escalated assault on women’ reproductive justice, exemplifying the strength and comprehensiveness of these attacks on self determination of women and our communities”. The article also helps to counteract that overwhelmed feeling by suggesting things that we can do to counter these things. I think Carmen Vasquez also did an excellent job when she identified the link between sexuality and reproduction being the key linchpin of the political attack against queer people. She also offered great advice to counter this approach by opponents of feminism and GLBTQ rights when she said that “being fierce in the articulation of the connections between race and class and gender and sexuality, be really clear about what those connections are and take every opportunity to make it both intellectually clear and also to act so that change will be possible”. I think that the awareness this class has raised in all of us will hopefully result in that many more people in the world being aware of and acting on these issues.

8. Out of the articles I read this week, two of them really stuck out in my mind. The first one that did, “Our Bodies, Ourselves, Reproductive Rights”, really made a lot of things clear to me that I never even thought about before. The article was completely right when it states how insured privilege women don’t use the resources they have because of embarrassment, and how they do not want to admit they are sexually active. I remember when I first got birth control I did not find anything wrong with it, and I was completely open about it. However, my doctor was trying to be secretive, and trying to help me keep things from my parents. I wanted them to know the truth, and I think that society has a lot to do with how women feel about their bodies. We shouldn’t be ashamed to use different types of resources! My friend who wanted to get the morning after pill wouldn’t go to her doctor because she was embarrassed. The doctor’s visit would have been covered; she would have just had to pay for the pill. She ended up getting pregnant and had an abortion; it is just silly that this could have been stopped. Another thing that made me think was about how abortion isn’t government funded. I think abortion and all women’s health visits should be government funded if women can’t afford them. When a woman becomes pregnant all her visits are governmentally paid for, it should be the same for non- pregnant women.

   The second article, “Off our Backs: LGBT Reproductive Rights interview with Carmen Vasquez” I found really interesting as well. I did not realize that the government was trying to give lesbian couples gay sperm to use to have children, which really interested me. It is really sad that even to this day everything is not fair with homosexual couples. I believe there are some strides that our health care world is making. In another class I read Healthy People 2010, LGBT version. The makers of Healthy people made a version that is just for homosexual couples and how to treat them fairly in health care settings. I would encourage everyone to read it! It really made me happy that there are some efforts taking place!

   In regards to the class and blogging, I really liked it. I took your class last semester where we wrote papers instead of blogging. I found the blogging easier, and much more interactive. It was really interesting to see what other people thought about the articles, and it gave me a different perspective on my views. I wish the other class had blogging as well, I think I would have enjoyed it more! You should try to incorporate it into that class as well.

9. The reading that most opened my eyes were the “our bodies, ourselves”, “Defining reproductive rights” and the LGBT article. Those articles made me realize how women’s reproduction and bodies are controlled by rules/governmental policies and health policies and in general sociatal norms more than we women control it.

   In the LGBT article, a argument was raised about how heteresexual couples have some insurance coverage in terms of reproductive services such us fertility tests, virtro assimination and many others, while the homosexual and all of other sexual affiliation dont have any insurance coverage, are not supported by the government. In the defining reproductive rights, article, i realized how people of colored have been prevented to have the right to carry a child into a full term, with being extremely bambarded with birth control, and ways to keep them childless, so population control is achieved. In page 356 of the article a judje from Lousiana had actually the courage to say something such as this quote “the best way to hate a neigger is to hate him before he is born”. What is this? We are placing power into the hands of a racist such as this dude…Therefore, when we vote we should also have in mind or at least, have an idea and do research on the candidates, so we know whom are going to infleunces our lives. We cannot just go by what these presidential candidates promises to accomplish for us.Bottom line is, that we women being oppresed by the people that have the power to make policies, such as making abortion legal or not, have to be very coucious and informed about who we placing to represent us etc. Additionally, if that happens, if abortion is decided to be illegal, then imagine how many women would be at serious health risks, practicing unsafe procedures.

   Finally, with the ones in power trying to do population control, which to me is an infromal and low key american eugenics movement, is that us women we think that we are really liberated with only the fact of having birth controls and abortion services…But are we really???when we use birth control we are scaping from pregnancy and not having babies, but we also at the same time placing ourselves in the pool of getting cancer such as vaginal,ovarian and other types and dying sooner than we were supposed to? All of the birth control have side effects that will freeze your brain such as internal bleeing, blood clots whhich are things that can kill you in a second.

   Blog Reflection
   To me, doing the blogs has been one of the best and effective way for me to express my self, see others perspectives on an issue, feeling part of something for a greater cause and just appreciating each other as a woman.
   The blogs were definetely a great idea, it got us not only to acutally read the material and know about it, but it also increased our knowlege about women’s reproductive health and how it can acheived etc…I learned so, so much through doing these blogs and also reading other people’s blogs.
   Another reason why i felt that the blogs were helpful is because, it is because by doing them, we were actually speaking out loud, raising our voices as women and taking initiaves. This will make us tooled enough to go out there and actually make changes pro women’s reproductive help and cease all the corrupttion and injustice that has been going on for centuries.
   Thank you, all, and it was wonderful meeting u all.

10. Similar to McLovin, at first I did not find this week’s reading as interesting and engaging as many of the other topics we have read about. I had a hard time getting through the readings, though I admit there were many valid points. The fact that I wasn’t really into this week’s reading raised a few questions in my own consciousness. Why didn’t I like them? Was it because I couldn’t relate?

    I began to understand that these readings were indeed difficult for me to relate to, because I had not been affected by many of these issues.I have a great amount of reproductive freedom. And I thought,”Wow…I have it pretty good.” I guess I take a lot of my reproductive options and the services available to me for granted. I have come to the point where I almost expect the best care and limitless choices automatically. Many women do not have choices…they must take the few or non-existent options what they are given( often by force). As the articles mentioned, there is “restricted choice” for large demographics of women. The idea of “pro-choice” is not applicable to some women, and their “choice” is either being forced to abort of being denied access to safe abortion services. And the reason behind these forced choices is that the woman was deemed “unfit” for motherhood.
    Often poorer, minority, or younger women are viewed as “unfit mothers”, and then apparently it becomes acceptable for the government or other outside forces to step in and decide if they are worthy enough to be a mother or not. That is dehumanizing and frustrating and I can’t even imagine how I would feel if I was told, “You can’t have any more children”. or ” We strongly suggest you abort this fetus.” when these were not my own personal choices. Fortunately, I will probably not be told these things because I am a white, middle class to upper-middle class female…but this is still a major issue for many, many women whose reproductive choices are restricted from day 1.
    I also agree with an important point made in “Our Bodies, Our Selves-Reproductive Rights”. Abortion is really only one aspect of reproductive rights, though I view abortions rights to be a significant issue. As the article notes, “reproductive freedom” needs to entail a strong focus on sex education, preventative health care, and easy access to contraceptives. These other areas go hand-in-hand with abortion rights, and abortion may not even need to be considered( as often) if people begin to incorporate the previously mentioned areas into their life.
    Another topic I would incorporate into reproductive freedom is more information and discussion about healthy sexuality and healthy sexual communication. I think this is so incredibly important, and gets left behind because when sex is talked about with teenagers and young adults.. it is often ” Okay…you want to avoid STD s….you want to avoid unwanted pregnancy.”
    Of course these are important issues related to sex, but I think that there needs to be a push to share questions/ concerns/ and positive experiences about healthy sexuality. Though there are certainly risks involved with sexual experiences, there can be many gains and joy elicited from healthy sexual behaviors and relationships.

11. This week’s readings were not as interesting to me as well but I feel that the topic of reproductive rights was a good way to end the semester because it covers all aspects of what we talked about during the semester. This topic brings everything together as a whole and how it is important to realize that women need to acknowlege reproductive rights so that we will continue to have choice and freedom. The reading “Our bodies, ourselves,” was short but brought to my attention a lot of interesting points. I think we do tend to focus on abortion and not the other factors that should be included in reproductive rights, such as preventative health care, basic sex education, etc. I think that women of class privilege do forget that it is not as easy to have access to all forms of health care for the disadvantaged. I have always had access to health care and preventative methods, etc. and after taking this course, it has helped me to see all sides and that so many people are not as fortunate. I liked how many of readings focused on different organizations joining together to make change. In the reading “LGBT Reproductive Rights,” Carmen Vazquez talks about how so many people are coming together to support the LGBT community and their reproductive rights. I think that is great because the only way to actually make an effective change is to come together. I never knew that gay men could not donate to sperm banks and that is crazy! Because of their sexual orientation they cannot donate their sperm? This portrays the stereotype that gay men are always linked to AIDS/HIV. I think we have discussed women of color and their struggle a lot and it is important to realize that women of color are constantly stereotyped and targeted in policies by the government that restrict their rights. In the reading, “Women of color and their struggle for Reproductive Justice,” had a quote by a man in an audience that said reproductive rights was a white woman’s issue and that blacks should stick to voting rights and affirmative action. How can this man say this when reproductive rights effect all women and women of color are always being faced with new policies that attack their reproductive rights. I feel that it is empowering to know that women of color came together to create their own organizations because no one else could understand their experiences.

    As for blogging, I ended up real enjoying it. I had never done blogging before and didn’t know what to expect. I remember writing my first blog and feeling like it had to be formal like a homework assignment. But as I continued to write my blogs I realized that blogging was a place for everybody to get their feelings and opinions out. The anonymous aspect made it possible for everyone to talk about personal experiences without feeling embarassed or feeling the need to hold back. I think it was a great way for everyone to connect and see that we all had things in common. I am one who does not really speak up a lot in class and I felt like the blog was a place for me to put my input and opinions in about each women’s health topic. I really enjoyed the class because it helped me to look at women’s health more in-depth and be more aware of my body and reproductive rights.

12. I think this weeks readings really tied together all of the issues we discussed throughout this course. “A New Vision..” reinforced that “reproductive decisions are made within a social context.” Before this class I only had a vague sense of the priviledge I had, as white and middle class, in having reproductive “choice” and the access to various methods of birth control and health services. I was not aware of the issues and struggles women of color had with the women’s health movements of the 60s and 70s… and still today. The right to choose whether or not to have an abortion was overemphasized in the context of the issues of women of color. The article was empowering and interesting in how it addressed many different issues that apply to all women, and guidelines and personal statements from women of color coming together in reproductive health movements. I think it was important that this article mentioned the use of holistic and traditional healing methods that women of many cultures value. If doctors implemented these methods into their preventative and treatment medicine, many more women would feel like activated patients, comfortable and strong in front of their doctors.

    In “Our Bodies, Ourselves” the author enforced that a strong feminist base is essential to the reproductive rights movement. I agree, along with the idea that losing our reproductive rights and not collectively fighting for reproductive justice will only begin to affect our rights in other areas of our lives. The statement that Feefer mentioned from “A New Vision,” “we are currently in a time of increasing instability, violence, and consolidation of state and corporate power in the U.S. and around the world” I think is very frightening and really made me think about where I stand on these issues and also overwhelmed thinking how can I get involved??

    This week I was able to read the articles more easily with a better understanding of some of the issues having already read/discussed/ and blogged about them in this class. After a semester of discussing these issues, I feel much more comfortable talking about reproductive health and my own with others, especially my family and my doctor. I do not feel as embarassed or intimidated about having an open conversation with my doctor about my sexual health and different contraceptives. Like Sassy, I can now feel comfortable saying “vagina” in front of anyone even my family because I realize that using the correct terms can overcome the inappropriate rhetoric surrounding women’s reproductive health issues… it forces people to be realize that negative medicalized terms are not ok, and to confront the issues of reproductive justice.

13. Now about blogging… I was pretty apprehensive about it at first, and had trouble with writing openly and not like I would be for a formal paper. Eventually, I felt much less pressure because of our pseudonyms and when I realized how interesting it was to hear others open up and share their personal experiences and perspectives about issues and the articles. Blogging anonymously allowed me to see perspectives I hadn’t thought about and gave me the chance to formulate new or modify my former opinions for class. I think this is a great way to learn because if we just handed in weekly papers we wouldn’t have been exposed to other views.

    I also think it was important that we blogged before class, because it really got me thinking and prepared for class the next day. I liked how there was absolutely no guidelines for blogging other than incorporating our personal stories and things we may have learned in other classes. Not having to comment on every article, or being able to if we wanted, allowed me to elaborate on issues I felt strongly about. It helped to not have to worry about the length of my response, just the content.

    I think blogging allowed us to share our experiences with repro. health issues openly.. and I think hearing each other’s individual stories is really essential in discussing and analyzing issues of women’s reproductive health. These issues are not easy topics to discuss, but I think blogging helped create a comfortable space to share that carried over into our class discussions. I feel that the blogs helped me realize there are other issues besides what I feel directly as a white middle class heterosexual woman. Lastly they helped me gradually build confidence in discussing my own reproductive health.

    From this class as a whole, I feel much more informed and want to learn and discuss more about women’s reproductive health…and continue to talk about different experiences I have with other women and hear theirs. I appreciate everyone’s experiences that they shared, and feel empowered to have heard or read them.

14. This was my first blogging experience and it was a very positive one. I think that as Sassy and others mention the blogs allowed the class to discuss the topic at hand with complete confidentiality. Allowing us to write about our feelings and reactions to the readings and material presented to us made the reactions much more honest and accurate. I think that by allowing us to first react to the readings and topics on the blogs and to see the reactions of other classmates to our own responses allowed the discussion and responses in the classroom to be much more honest, open, and secure than they would have been if we didn’t have the blog. I agree with the others that the material covered in class could have been difficult material to cover if the class atmosphere was not as open and comfortable as it was. I truly believe that part of the reason why the classroom was so comfortable was because of the honesty and securety that the blogs set the stage for. I think that the class blogs were a very effective way to spark discussion among the class members and that the confidentiality of the blogs allowed all students to willingly and openly voice their opinions, views, and experiences about the material.
    I agree with the others in this weeks blog in that I often do not think about reproductive rights because of the privelage that I grew up with. I have never been denied any rights associated with my health care. I used to take this for granted, but after this class along with other sociology and women’s studies classes I have learned to be thankful for the options and rights that I have. I think that reproductive rights is something that every woman deserves adn has a right to and I think that it is every women and ever mans job to fight for equal reproductive rights. Unlike some of the opinions in the articles it is the job of all women, independent of color, to fight for all rights that still remain unequal.
    Reproductive rights are something that I have been thinking about recently for another reason. I plan to join the Peace Corps next fall and one of the areas I am interested in focusing my services in is reproductive rights and reproductive care. I think that if I do go into this volunteer work it will be very interesting to see the reproductive rights that other women in other parts of the world that do and do not have. This would be an eye opener that I will have a background in because of the education I have been lucky enough to receive.

15. Blog on blogging…
    At first, I didn’t understand why having aliases would be beneficial. I liked to believe that anything I’d say over the Internet I’d be able to fess up to or say it in real life, face to face. But as the term progressed and the topics became more personal I grew to really appreciate the anonymity. Even though at the end of the term we weren’t really strangers to each other any more, I’d probably be somewhat hesitant to say certain things. In my philosophy class there are forums to facilitate discussion on subjects that weren’t finished in class. We got onto the topic of cat calling and people watching, as to whether or not it could be conceived as sexist or not. There were a bunch of things that I really really wanted to say, stories I wanted to tell and opinions I wanted to share, but my name was attached to the comments and I was hesistant. All in all I think that the aliases were such a good idea, that they made me (and i’m assuming) others more comfortable to share stories and experiences. I think that it was especially great because of the course material is very personal. I like that the thoughts and stories of our class are chronicled on the Internet for anyone to see as a representation of how we feel about certain issues. I also ranted a lot in my blogs, it felt really nice to get things off my chest that i’ve been thinking about for a long time. I liked the non formal“write like you talk” approach to these blog entries.
    I love storytelling. I love listening to other people’s stories. I feel that stories can often times convey sentiments that academic articles cannot, which is why I really enjoyed reading everybody’s responses. The stories that were told in the blogs and in class were amazing and moving. I’m sad this class is ending!

16. What a great idea to write about the benefits of blogging! Its nice to be able to give our feedback on this subject and possibly be quoted in the finished product! I for one am honored that we as a class have inspired someone to write a publishable paper based on our well thought out responses, our exasperated venting, our heated tirades, and our personal disclosures over the semester. Id like to say personally that at least for me there was a stigma attached to the word “blog”- specifically, something that lonely hearts did with their copious amounts of free time while others actively socialized. I didn’t know exactly what blogging was, but it absolutely didn’t have the meaning that it does to me today. Even the word “forum” is too structured, too professional, and too censored in my eyes to be considered the same as blogging. Maybe its the silly name that allows the atmosphere in the blogs to be totally different from any forum i have ever contributed to. All i can say is that a good idea. I have verbalized this opinion before, but want to make my opinion on the matter extra clear. For those of you who aren’t particularly steadfast in their convictions about a particular topic (ie: me for the most part), blogging allows time to reflect on ones opinions without the pressure of other students watching and waiting for a perfectly delivered, eloquent and poignant opinion, while simultaneously salvaging your participation grade, and feeling like your opinions are heard, though not spoken verbally.

    More on a broad spectrum scale of a blog’s benefit, i believe it allows us to bond as a group- I believe that everyone in the class cares for the subjects discussed and genuinely has the passion, the ability and the knowledge to facilitate change. The problem with most other majors (yes i am biased-i love the public health major) is that everyone goes in knowing what classes they need to take, they go in and go out with the exact same knowledge (or in some cases lack thereof) as everyone else in the class. It is out of a textbook, off of a slide, or studied from facts that leave no “wiggle room”, or area for you to expand your idea of the concept. Arent teachers always saying “you have to think outside of the box” and “dont just memorize it, you have to understand it!”- How is that possible with such one dimensional resources?? Discussion, participation, variety, opposing opinions….these things are essential in developing a comprehensive idea of any given subject. Just because a text is easy to teach from doesn’t mean its efficient or helping students comprehend the subject matter, and isnt that what the purpose of college is? Students are already spending an exorbitant amount of money on getting a Bachelor’s degree in something that ALREADY doesn’t guarantee us a decent job, but to add insult to injury, students are are coming out less prepared, more overwhelmed, and more unsure of their knowledge. I feel as though being able to digest a varied number of information of a particular subject, and then being asked to personally convey ones own opinion in free form such as a blog will aid students in making decisions in general, becoming more self confident, more well read, and open minded to the opinions of others while looking at all information presented critically. One of the issues that i see with friends that have graduated before me, is that a lot of them say things like”i really have no idea what im doing” about their jobs, or “yeah i dont know what any of it means, but i just do it”. I dont want to have a job where i dont care, or that my contribution is purely mechanical. Arming ourselves with knowledge and awareness through thorough and critical thinking about certain subjects, and then allowing ourselves to record our though processes without boundaries i KNOW has more benefits than meets the eye. I only wish there were more classes that allow for this type of interaction. If one class in 35-40 classes (in my college career thus far) has spurred such an intellectual revolution inside and outside the classroom between students with very different opinions,I can only imagine the impact that having more classes structured this way would have.

17. The topic of this week was Reproductive Justice. I think this is a perfect topic to end the semester because it ties in everything that we have studied so far. Reproductive Justice is about all the ways in which people are oppressed and how that impacts their decisions about reproductive health and health in general. I really liked the LGBT Reproductive Rights article. It brought up some good points about how LGBT rights are connected with Reproductive Rights. We mentioned some about LGBT reproductive rights throughout the semester, but didn’t really focus on it. I love the way that Reproductive Justice has a wholistic view of health care. Not just physical needs but emotional needs that come with a patient / doctor relationship.

    Blogging:

    At first it was hard for me to blog, I thought of it as another writing assignment. But over the semester writing them came easier. I really enjoyed reading other people’s blogs. It gave people the opportunity to share things about their lives in an anonomous way. It is really important in this women’s health movement to listen to eachother and become empowered by listening to each other’s experiences. Not only did I love the blogs, but the in class discussions were some of the best I have had in my 3 years at college. There are lots of smart women in this class, with different backgrounds and expiriences that we have shared over the semester. And I would like to thank everyone for the awesome discussions. This was a very inspirational class, and has helped me get more excited about women’s health and the role that I will play in women’s health and sex education in the future.

18. Overall, the blogging experience has been both enjoyable and enlightening. I have really benefited from reading the experiences of my peers as well as the ability to share my personal experiences. I have had blogging in a dean’s book class prior to this one and although it provided a similar purpose, I felt as though it was more tedious than beneficial. However, in a class structured like this one was, I found that it was an ideal way to provoke thought and interest in people, that otherwise would not have been addressed in class, due to the anonymity of blogging. Personally, I really enjoy reading about people’s responses that are different than my own in order to provide another perspective to my own beliefs. I strongly believe that intelligence derives from the ability to understand many different points of view, regardless of whether you agree or disagree.

    Not only did blogging provide different points of view within our class, but it allowed for me to develop many of my own beliefs through the act of reading the assignments and then formulating thoughts into a response. This synthesis of information is a wonderful way to truly grasp the concepts that were proposed in this class. In conjunction, I really valued the structure of this course, in its ability to present solutions to many difficult issues. By having communication among women in general, we are fostering awareness of our health and in turn, developing our own beliefs that we can carry with us throughout our lives. In order to truly make a difference in public health especially in relation to women’s health, it is essential that women continue to talk to each other about our experiences and engage in discussing these tricky issues.

    All and all, although I was turned off at first with blogging from my previous class, after my blogging experiences in this particular course, I have come to realize the benefit and understanding that blogging provides, not only in fostering communication, but in enabling students to develop their own values and understand other people’s opinions as well.

    In regards to the assigned readings for this week, I would have to agree with some of the other women that posted and say that I wasn’t as engaged in these issues as others presented in this class. However, it is interesting to understand why that is, in relation to how these issues apply to our current lives. In regards to the reading “Our Bodies, Ourselves”, I found myself agreeing with this author’s point of view, but I feel as though most of the information are ideas that I was already aware of. The most valid point that I obtained from this particular reading was that women need to focus on the issues at hand such as reproductive rights in relation to our rights in all other areas of our lives, rather than concentrating on whether abortion is right or wrong. Having access to safe and inexpensive abortions, only enables women to have control over their own bodies, and therefore, “Losing ground on the issue of legal, safe, inexpensive abortion means that women lose ground on all reproductive issues” (25).

    It is also important to take into account the privilege that I have in relation to reproductive rights, which many of my classmates already touched on in the blogs. Even in regards to access to healthcare in general, I think that it is important to understand how lucky many of us are to have access to these resources. It really amazes me to even make that comment, since health should be something that everyone has the right to. However, in our country it tends to be the privileged who have access to this human right, when many times it is the marginalized people that need these resources the most. I remember when I first moved out of my house after high school and lived on my own, I did not have access to health insurance at the time. I ended up getting horrible poison ivy in a very uncomfortable area and had to utilize a walk in clinic. Although even the ability to access this particular resource is a privilege in a sense, I found that the help I received from the doctors there was both minimal and even more disheartening. I was sent away with a shot that left me feeling sick and advice to pick up over the counter cream. Although this is a trivial health problem in relation to many that we have discussed thus far in this course, I found that the public healthcare available to me was not only minimal, but not that useful, as well.

    That is why it is essential to have classes like this one, in order to understand our privilege and utilize it to help those who are in need. After this semester, I am walking away with a new found sense of responsibility to use this privilege, in order to make a difference in our world and continue promoting easy access to sex education and preventative health care.

19. This is the first class I have ever had to blog for and I really enjoyed it. Blogging allows you to write about exactly what you feel because it is anonymous so you do not have to worry about being judged, not that anyone in this class would ever do that, but it is just reassuring. It is also great to be able to read the other student’s blogs because many times I have the same opinions as others in the class and it is also good to get different perspectives on the issues we have discussed. All of the topics we covered this semester were interesting, engaging, and I learned so much valuable information! I am really going to miss this class because it taught me so many things about my sexual health and I really will carry the information I have learned for the rest of my life and I will also educate my family and friends. I feel lucky to have taken this class because I am so much more aware of my sexual health, and many young women our age are completely clueless when it comes to this stuff. I really can’t think of anything bad about the blogging and it is actually fun!

    One thing that I think would be great and many students would take advantage of is if this class were a two-semester course, like some of the other students have mentioned. It could be similar to public health 213, where the first semester we learn all the information, then the second semester could be teaching the students about women’s reproductive health on campus or going to schools and organizations around the western Mass, such as high schools or women’s shelters. I think that almost every single one of us would have loved to take a supplemental course after this semester.

    Another thing I really liked about this class is that I think we have all bonded in a way. We all seem to get along really well and I can honestly call many of the girls in this class a friend. I think that we all make each other feel very comfortable, especially when it comes to discussing the topics that deal with our personal health. I also liked that no men decided to stick with this class because I just feel that they really do not know what they are talking about when it comes to women’s reproductive health because we are physically different. I am sure that some male students are well-educated about these topics, but for me it was a little easier to have a discussion without men because I did not have to worry about their reactions to our comments.

    I really encourage blogging because this material is perfect for discussion, and blogging allows us to read what each and every student has to say. You can get so many different outlooks on just one topic and sometimes it can make you step outside your comfort zone and try to see where other people are coming from. I highly recommend blogging for future classes!

20. In response to what the others have said about the reproductive rights articles this week, I would have to agree that they were less interesting than other articles we have been assigned. Though, as others have also said, it is a great way to sum up the semester with what we have learned so far. Not being a womens health major, or not even generally knowing much about womens health at all despite being a woman, I never imagined I would learn so much in this class. At first I thought, oh we will learn about contraceptives, I know all about contraceptives. But it was so much more than that. I can honestly say I am walking away from this class with a deeper knowledge and understanding of womens health, productive rights, stereotypes and issues women battle with all over the world, and even contraceptives as well. In response to blogging, I think it is a great tool to get others ideas out there. I was skeptical at fist, I didnt want to make a little code name or put my thoughts on the internet, but I realized as the semester went on it was a great source for me. Not knowing very much, I often feel intimidated to say my thoughts in class, because, to be honest, they arent nearly as relevant or profound as what every other person has to say. But through blogging I can express my feelings and what I found interesting in each article, as well as read others personal entries as well. This is the first class I have ever had to blog for, but I found it very effective and would definitely recommend it to other teachers. Overall, taking this class this semester has been veryinformative for me, as well as constantly had my attention. Thank you : )

21. The reproductive rights readings were a good way to sum up what was basically
    the essence of the course. Although, as some people have said, they repeated some of what we’ve discussed this semester, I found all the articles really accessible, which was nice; they did a good job of highlighting the key differences in meaning of reproductive rights for men and women of different backgrounds and circumstances, and how what seems an inalienable right to some may be out of the reach of others. I hadn’t known before reading the Carmen Vasquez article, or the one about women of color and their attempts to secure reproductive justice, that the women’s rights and reproductive rights movements are so fragmented. I can sort of see why organizers wouldn’t want to protest a cause so broad it would be too difficult to define or tackle, but it’s really unfortunate the two movements don’t operate more cooperatively because they could really help each other.
    I also found the issue of black women and abortion as mentioned in one of the articles really interesting. Wanting an abortion, but not wanting to support population control measures, or being pressured by others (mostly men) not to support them, brings up the very complex issue of placing the importance of one’s own life/happiness next to a cause in terms of importance.

    I really enjoyed blogging this semester. The last time I had the opportunity to
    do it was when I was a senior in high school and taking a class called Facing
    History and Ourselves (www.facinghistory.org). I might’ve mentioned it before in
    our blogging, but this class was focused on issues surrounding human rights and
    past atrocities, including the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide. In that blog
    (maybe because we were all over-opinionated high school seniors) things tended
    to get pretty heated, because there was a wide range of opinion on the issues we
    studied. I can remember multiple instances of a group of people talking over
    lunch or in the halls about a particular post someone had made—there were a few
    incendiary personalities who kept people gossiping regularly. In that case, the
    anonymity of the posts was taken really seriously…when I found out we’d be
    blogging as part of this class I got a little nervous, remembering the “blog
    fights” that used to go on.
    The blog atmosphere in this class, on the other hand, was really supportive. I
    was never nervous that anyone would attack anything I wrote; maybe it helped
    that it was anonymous and that I think most of the women in the class were
    coming from a similar place, but it was really nice to see where everyone else
    was coming from in their opinions. It was also really cool to see when someone
    else seemed to have been caught by a similar part of the reading or issue as I
    was; it made me feel like I’d reached common ground with someone, and also
    helped me be more confident in my ideas.
    Writing in the blog before coming to class each week also helped to formulate my
    thoughts; in a lot of classes, even if you do the reading you don’t fully
    internalize it before you actually get to class for discussion.
    All in all, great class and great experience! Thanks everyone

22. I’m frustrated that we didn’t have class today, because I wanted to have one last class and have some closure to the semester. It would have been nice to see everyone and take part in the final group presentation. But what can you do?….the weather is obviously out of our control.
    I just had a few more comments to make about this week’s topics. I didn’t understand everything about the LGBT reproductive rights interview with Carmen Vasquez. Then again, I am rather removed from concerns that LBGT people may face about reproduction. So it was good that this article opened my eyes and made me think about how reproduction options can become restricted due to one’s sexual orientation.
    The article mentioned that fertility treatment would be actively pursued for a heterosexual couple, and it may not even be an option for a homosexual couple. Also, apparently sperm banks will not allow gay(homosexual) men to donate their sperm to a sperm bank. I was unaware of this fact, and it doesn’t really make that much sense to me. Sperm donated by anyone has a chance of being infected with HIV/AIDS or other infections. That is why it is important to screen and test the sperm donated, in order to provide healthy, infection-free sperm to those who need it.
    I feel that this restriction for gay men needs to seriously be reconsidered….what is at the root of the argument that gay men should not be donating their sperm? And is this based on facts, or is it rather, based on stereotypes. If you think about it, there is really no justification for not allowing gay men to donate their sperm.
    I guess I never thought about in detail how reproduction affects all people, even if they are not reproducing in a the “traditional” way I usually think of. I intend to read up a bit more about this area of concern, so that I can learn what reproductive options homosexual and lesbian people currently have…and what sorts of choices they are denied. I think that adoption should not be the only option, but I really need to learn more about the specifics about different reproduction alternatives in order to form more opinions about this topic.

    Thanks everyone….for a really great semester. I’m glad we could share our concerns, advice, and experiences with one another! Good luck next semester!
    I’m happy to say that I am slowly becoming a more “activated” patient and trying to take my health into my own hands. I ask questions and speak up when I am seen by any health care provider, and try to make the most out of the encounter. It is a great way for me to begin to develop an actual relationship with my health care provider.

23. I found the blogging a unique experience – I’ve never had the opportunity to offer my comments to my peers anonymously. I feel I was able to express much more about what I felt than I would feel comfortable in class, and was much more willing to state a strong position that may be more personal than proven. I feel in the issues surrounding women’s health there are a lot of very sensitive subjects, even in the sense of discussing some social trends and not just personal experiences, and in the blog it was easier to discuss these different topics without less fear of being completely off the wall about them.

    Reading everyone else’s blogs was also really informative as well, and I feel I learned much more about diverse opinions than in discussions in class. While the class was obviously very outspoken and conscientious, is still seemed to have the trend most group discussions do of narrowing to focus down to specific points of view. Reading everyone’s responses directly from reading the articles, and before likely much peer influence, was great just to see the diversity of opinions and approaches to the issues. It made me feel like my opinions and what I focus on, which often seem in class to be quite different sometimes than what is discussed, are not that unique after all.

    I was quite sad we didn’t get to meet today to discuss the readings, but i felt they really wrapped up many of the topics we’ve covered in class this semester. Especially in the article from ACRJ, the feeling of hope and a new direction from the standard pro-choice position I’ve grown up around was inspiring. Placing reproductive rights and access issues within the larger issues of structural and institutional inequalities presents such a concise yet progressive vision of how to promote the public’s health not just in one framework, but in a multitude of them. The idea that groups cannot be isolated by the issue being addressed seems so fundamental yet is so overlooked, and the ACRJ as well as SisterSong provide an inspiring way to approach this.

    The article on reproductive rights and reproductive justice for members of the LGBT community was also very interesting, and I wish we could have discussed this issue more in class throughout the semester. I have rarely considered access to reproductive services outside of barrier protection as an issue for the LGBT community. The article really opened my eyes to the issue, and it’s one of those areas, like population control earlier in the semester, that I have never really considered and feel grateful that I have gained at least somewhat of a greater understanding of it.

24. Sorry, just claiming the anonymous response above.

25. I am going to start off my blog talking about blogging! I have been having a hard time this semester getting myself to complete out of class assignements on time because of my depression and anxiety issues that have gotten worse this semester. Regardless of all of that, I think blogging is great. I had to keep a blog for freshman english and i LOVED it. I also agree with what Sassy said in thinking that when people feel comfortable opening up in the blog because noone knows who they are they feel more comfortable in the classroom also. I think blogs are good because you can say what you feel without feeling judged but personally I am like that in person as well. As far as academics go…you need to read in order to blog which makes students do their work which in the end helps them and I am glad I had to read the articles we did because they were all very informative. I also loved this class and felt very comfortable in class with my peers and with you. Even when I wanted to contradict someone and knew not everyone would agree with my views I still felt comfortable voicing them.
    This class has really impacted my life on a personal level, making me think ab out birth control options and getting off of the pill. Even the lesson on medopause and hotflashes made me more understandable with my mother which will definatly benefit our relationship while I am home this winter break. Working with a group of girls I didn’t know in order to present a 2 hour class with valuable information really increased my confidence infront of a classroom and also to work with others and to understand and compromise.

    Being 20 and living in 2007 it is hard for me to imagine what is was like to have to get an abortion in the 60s or 70s. Although today women aren’t very open with the practice it is still accepted somewhat. It is true that priviledged women don’t take advantage of all the things available to them but at the same time you I don’t think you can knock them because of it because society has shaped us to think a certain way. I was on birth control and missed a few pills and was trying to find a place that would give me the morning after pill a couple of years ago and while trying to find it I WAS ashamed and i WAS embarassed and I didnt know why but it just seemed unnatural to me. This class has also helped me to be more comfortable with myself and my sexuality but I believe the key to the world I want to live in regarding women’s rights is one where poor , rich, black, white, asian, indian, etc all have the same services offered to them at the same price and where women can talk with other women and be completely comfortable in doing so.

26. For my philosophy class I read work by Annette Baier, she wrote, “ Some of the most outspoken of the diverse group who have in a variety of ways been challenging the assumed supremacy of justice among the moral and social virtues are members of those sections of society whom one might have expected to be especially aware of the supreme importance of justice: blacks and women. Those who have only recently won recognition of their equal rights, who have only recently seen the correction or partial correction of long-standing racist and sexist injustices to their race and sex…” This made me think of the article we read about women of color and their struggle for reproductive justice. The article made me pretty sad. It seems like groups that were once oppressed (/currently still are), often turn around and oppress others. How easily people forget.
    From what I see happening around me, feminists really do focus on reproductive rights as the end all be all of the issue. This is very unfortunate because like the article was saying, a lot of women don’t even have the choice to “choose”. To different women feminism means different things, this was always an issue when discussing feminism with my mother who thought all it meant was economic independence and equal wages between men and women.

    take care of yourselves every one! it’s been great

27. I just want to start off by saying that I loved this class.. I think it was great, and I definitely learned much more in this class than I’ve learned in other courses.
    As for blogging, I think that it was such a great idea, and a really important tool. Personally, I thought that it gave me the courage to share some personal information that I was able to relate to the course material that I wouldn’t have wanted to share in class. When I was a freshman, my writing class required that we blog each week in response to the readings, and it was NOT fun. I have to admit, at first, I thought that blogging in this class was going to be awful, but I found myself looking forward to it each week. I feel like I had things to say, and some of the readings were somewhat controversial and provided us with some great opportunities to express our opinions. The best thing is that it’s totally anonymous! Especially when we read about HPV and abortion, I felt as though people had a lot of personal stories/stories about friends, etc that are easier to share when it’s anonymous. I also enjoyed being able to respond to the other blogs and comment on them. I would totally recommend blogging in the classroom for this course and other courses at Umass.
    Overall, I have been absolutely blown away by the women in the class.. It was such an honor to get to hear the opinions and views of everyone. I have never met a more intelligent bunch of women in my life! And Aline.. you are an inspiration in so many ways. I think you are so intelligent and strong, and I truly enjoyed being your student!
    I’ll really miss all of you ladies next semester! xoxo

28. Blogging is a tool that has allowed us to share the impact of our learning, our experiences, in an open way. I believe that it’s very important to be able to share with each other, it’s a great educational experience. Through this sharing we are able to critically analyze our personal stance on current pressing issues in our lives. Through blogging the “right” or “wrong” point of view takes lesser importance, and the thought and internalization process gives way, where the end product is a new beginning. In our classrooms we have come to accept new norms of “rights” and “wrongs” that silence some and the opportunity for needed discussion is lost, blogging can overcome this by it’s anonymity factor. Even if this class was seemingly accepting of different viewpoints, blogging tore down any silencing wall. Professor Gubrium’s non-judgemental comments in the classroom helped us open up more than we thought we would.
    Thank you all for a great classroom experience!