Patriarchy and Religion: Built to Oppress Women

From Texas to Alabama to Congressmen saying that women can't get pregnant when raped because their bodies have a way of shutting that down, men, usually white conservative men with ties to patriarchal religious institutions are working their balls off trying to control women; specifically a woman access to birth control and abortion.
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Originally posted at PopularResistance.org

In this clip from the full Acronym TV episode (The Catholic War On Women, watch the full episode here) Katie Klabusich and Kelly Carlin answer host Dennis Trainor, Jr.'s questions:

How much does religious dogma and/or men in long white dresses with funny hats hold women back from being an equal member of society?

If the Church is built inside of a Patriarchy, so to then, is the State. Can we reform this system from within through legislation while maintaining a patriarchal system?

Episode breakdown |
In the United Sates, one out of every three women has had an abortion. If you are a women living in Texas, and a growing number of states, access to this basis, simple and safe procedure has been severely restricted with the passage of hundreds of new laws in the last several years that strip a women's right to privacy, limit access to abortion and shame women into thinking that their choice about what to do with their bodies is wrong.

It's been over 40 years since the Supreme Court decided, in Roe V Wade, that women had a constitutional right to abortion. The legal argument was based around the concept that women had a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14 Amendment, and that right extended to their right to have an abortion. Perhaps no time in the 40 years since Roe v Wade have female reproductive rights been so under attack. From Texas to Alabama to Congressmen saying that women can't get pregnant when raped because their bodies have a way of shutting that down, men, usually white conservative men with ties to patriarchal religious institutions are working their balls off trying to control women; specifically a woman access to birth control and abortion.

About the Guests |
Kelly Carlin hosts a weekly podcast entitled Waking from the American Dream and her recent one woman show, A Carlin Home Companion, sold out around the country while generating rave reviews. She holds a master's degree in Jungian Depth Psychology, but, according to her bio, her desire to be on a stage and yell the word "fuck" kept gnawing at her, and so she decided to follow the call of the stage once again. You can find out more at TheKellyCarlinSite.com

Katie Klabusich contributes regularly to a number of radio programs, podcasts and TV/internet video broadcasts. She is an award-winning social media director, fundraiser and community-builder as well as the Activism Director/Segment Writer at The Best of the Left Podcast. She is also a dedicated activist who helps establish clinic defense escort programs, providing logistical and moral support to reproductive access groups. Her website is KatieSpeak.com.

ABOUT ACRONYM TV with Dennis Trainor, Jr. Dennis Trainor, Jr. hosts Acronym TV, a weekly series of dialogue, conversation and debate with the goal of helping viewers sort through these transformative times through the insight of leading activists, artists, journalists, philosophers, scholars, and thinkers.

Acronym TV is available at AcronymTV.com and on Free Speech TV.

Dennis Trainor, Jr. is a writer, host and producer. His documentary on the Occupy movement, American Autumn: an Occudoc, garnered critical praise from The New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and more. He also wrote and directed Legalize Democracy, a documentary short about the Movement To Amend the Constitution.

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