Just cut on the dotted line…

It’s not quite clear to me how the company that makes t-shirts and whatnot with this logo:

would also make ones with this logo:

Maybe it’s because I wanted to be part of Column A but ended up being coerced into Column B, or maybe it’s because I see this as perpetuating the myth of the Status Caesarean, but I think it’s just plain gauche.

I am curious to hear what other people have to say, because I think that a lot of feminists view elective caesareans and unassisted birth as value-free points on a continuum of equally-valid birth choices. I can’t say that I really agree, as the astronomical rate of medical interventions and women’s accounts of feeling "rushed" or "pressured" (cue millionth endorsement of The Business of Being Born and Pushed , etc., etc.) lead me to believe that a number of these interventions –especially caesareans– are not the product of fully informed medical consent. Of course, I’ll add the disclaimer of "if a woman truly understands the risks of a caesarean and decides that it is what’s best for her and her family, then more power to her," but I can’t help but think that flippant stuff like that evinces a disregard for 1) the real dangers of a major abdominal surgery; and 2) the value of the pregnant woman’s body per se (i.e. not as vessel/incubator/time-bomb etc.). Just cut on the dotted line and remove fetus! Not recommended beyond three uses.

Maybe it’s just that I can’t picture the image moved down about a foot, with "caesarean" substituted for "vasectomy." Or, for the sake of closer parity of risk, "bariatric surgery."

Tell me what you think. Better yet, tell them what you think.

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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