snatchel

Snatchels and sarcasm: Using humor to fight back against anti-choice politicians

If you, like me, have been inspired by the recent spate of satirical bills proposed by pro-choice state legislators, but are looking for something equally clever you, as a regular citizen, can do to mock the recent attacks on reproductive rights, here are a couple ideas.

snatchelSend your anti-choice representative a knit vagina so he doesn’t have to obsess so much over yours. Or a uterus, but the vaginas are so much cuter. The folks at Government Free VJJ have provided simple instructions, several knitting patterns, and how-to videos. Here’s the “Snatchel.”

Spam anti-choice Governors’ Facebook walls with sarcastic TMI comments. Project TMI was born out of one Virginia woman’s disgust and frustration and has spread from there. Anti-choice all-stars Texas’ Gov. Rick Perry and Kansas’ Gov. Sam Brownback have been treated to thousands of comments on their walls. Here’s a sample to get you going:

Hi Senator/Delegate _____________! I just wanted to let you know, since you’re concerned with women’s health, that my period started today! Color looks good, flow not too heavy. Cramps are pretty manageable but don’t worry – I’ll make sure to let you know if that changes! Thanks again for caring so much about women and our bodies!

Stay tuned at RH Reality Check to see which anti-choice politician is being targeted next.

I hear that once upon a time feminists weren’t funny. But these days it seems like humor is the only possible response to the politically absurd–and the recent conservative obsession with our ladyparts is certainly been that.

St. Paul, MN

Maya Dusenbery is executive director in charge of editorial at Feministing. She is the author of the forthcoming book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick (HarperOne, March 2018). She has been a fellow at Mother Jones magazine and a columnist at Pacific Standard magazine. Her work has appeared in publications like Cosmopolitan.com, TheAtlantic.com, Bitch Magazine, as well as the anthology The Feminist Utopia Project. Before become a full-time journalist, she worked at the National Institute for Reproductive Health. A Minnesota native, she received her B.A. from Carleton College in 2008. After living in Brooklyn, Oakland, and Atlanta, she is currently based in the Twin Cities.

Maya Dusenbery is an executive director of Feministing and author of the forthcoming book Doing Harm on sexism in medicine.

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