"If this was Islam, we’d never hear the end of it."

[supergee]

Katha Pollitt and Jessica Valenti on the woman who was killed by the pro-lifers.

Comments

[legionseagle]

This is the bit that resonates utterly from Valenti's article;

But there’s something else—another reason why so many women are infuriated and despondent about Savita. Savita’s death is a reminder that no matter how far we think women have come, to some we are simply not people. Our lives are worth nothing, valuable only for our bodies and what they can provide men, the state and the culture. Most days—even when there are constant reminders of our second class status through policy or the media—I can put this feeling aside. But every once in a while there is a stark, horrifying reminder of what it means to be considered less than. There is no way to describe the pain of knowing that to so many—to your country, even—you are nothing.

Completely yes. This is the bit where male commentators, however sympathetic, don't get to have a vote. Savita died because a majority male Dail, a majority male medical establishment and a totally male priesthood determined that she should.