Synopsis of Graduate Center Cuny Panel Discussion November 17, 2008: "Power & Sex: America's War on Sexual Rights"

The CUNY Graduate Center’s panel discussion: “Power & Sex: America’s War on Sexual Rights,” held on November 17, included a power-house panel of progressive women who have dedicated their life and work to issues surrounding Women’s Rights. Panel members included: Katha Pollitt - columnist and author; Faye Wattleton – former President of Planned Parenthood; Lynn Paltrow – founder of National Advocates for Pregnant Women; Dagmar Herzog – History Professor at Graduate Center, CUNY and author or Sex in Crisis: The New Sexual Revolution and the Future of American Politics; Rosalind Petchesky – Professor of Political Science and Women’s Studies at Hunter College. The panel was led by Michelle Fine, Distinguished Psychology Professor at Graduate Center, CUNY.

The panel set out to discuss key issues surrounding abstinence only education, threats to abortion, issues of consent, Prop 8, criminalization of motherhood, and access to contraception. They tried to examine these issues through two lenses: 1) The right-wing assault on women’s sexuality and how they have reorganized views on sexuality in America; 2) Looking at feminist, queer and civil rights issues as a way to mobilize and defend civil rights.

Katha Pollitt began by speaking about issues surrounding abortion laws on the books/ballots in South Dakota, Colorado and California. She touched on the failures of the Bush administration to protect reproductive rights and family planning, citing these failures as being a cause for the divide that has emerged among women, in their attitudes toward one another over decisions surrounding family planning and reproductive rights – and how these judgments have become judgments and attacks on one’s personal morality. She also spoke of abortion as a means of controlling women, since one argument that is often made is that women need to be protected from feelings of guilt and regret that may emerge later in life after having had an abortion.

I was most impressed with Faye Wattleton – her presence filled the room. I plan to read her memoir: Life on the Line. Faye spoke about the struggle of power that women face surrounding, not only women’s reproductive rights, but women’s rights in general. She said that we need to ask ourselves whether society is truly willing to recognize women’s choice and status and grant them true equality, stating that we will not resolve these issues until we are truly equal. Faye spoke of making sure that we teach comprehensive sex education so that unintended pregnancy becomes rare, but emphasized that abortions must be safe and legal. Faye made an excellent point when she stated that no regulations have been put forth that would control male reproduction.

Lynn Paltrow recommended that everyone watch, ‘The Business of Being Born.’ She related some interesting stories of women who have been coerced into having c-sections against their will, or forced to sign a release allowing a doctor to go ahead with a c-section should anything happen, even when they are in early in labor. One example she gave was of a woman who had previously had a c-section, but wanted to have a vaginal birth for her second child. The doctors tried to force her to sign the waiver and when she refused she was accused of neglect and her newborn was take away from her. She made an excellent point in saying that in our debate on choice in regard to abortion, we often forget how pregnant women are treated. We need to make sure that pregnant women are taken care of and that their choices during pregnancy and labor are respected as well.

Dagmar Herzog attacked the issues by focusing on the cultural attitudes that have persisted in our country, as well as the way in which the religious right has succeeded in influencing the cultural and personal views of so many across the country. She spoke of the hypocrisy of sex in America in that we are a culture that is “titillating, yet repressive,” explaining how we are bombarded with messages of sex everywhere we turn, yet we cannot acknowledge that sex is okay, nor do we talk about it. She also discussed how the religious right has pushed the idea that non-marital sex leads to depression and suicide, and how the increased use of Viagra and increased access to Internet porn has caused tremendous anxiety among many couples. She continued to emphasize the importance of teaching that sex is okay and that sex outside of marriage is wonderful.

Rosalind Petchesky focused on same-sex marriage issues and she read several quotes, my favorite being, “Jesus had two dads.” She took an opposing view from Fay Wattleton in that she believes an argument can be made for the ban on gay marriage being a way to regulate male reproduction. She touched on sex-education battles dating back to the 1950s, stating that the opposition to these issues will not go away, but she suggested that we change our conversation and stressed the importance of redefining how people think about families, who can have kids, sex, who can have sex, etc.

I was impressed with the panel of speakers and it would have been wonderful if they each could have had an opportunity to elaborate more on their work and ideas. Even though I have not yet read any of the books I mentioned above, I suggest that you take a look at some of their work as they have all made invaluable contributions to the Women’s Movement.