Edited by Gerald Boerner
Commentary:
Emma Goldman was a feminist and political anarchist during the first half of the 20th century, but not a suffragette like many of the other feminists of the early 1900s. The main focus of her feminism was on the special needs of women of child-bearing age. She was a supporter of Margaret Sanger in advocating the availability of contraceptives and the freedom to use them. This led to frequent arrests of Goldman for her public speeches on feminist issues.
Her concerns for women’s health issues, especially reproductive health, was a major driving force in her life. Her father, who pursued one failed business after another, refused to allow her to attend school; he told her that: "Girls do not have to learn much! All a Jewish daughter needs to know is how to prepare gefilte fish, cut noodles fine, and give the man plenty of children." Her family moved from Russia (Lithuania) to Prussia and back again to Saint Petersburg. She emigrated to America to avoid an arranged marriage.
Goldman was a radicle in most everything cause with which she became involved. She would speak in public at the risk of arrest. Her involvement with violent, radical activities may have lessened her effectiveness in her advocacy for women’s health issues. Two other factors that played a role on her effectiveness were her anti-draft activities during World War I and her lack of support for women’s suffrage. This made Goldman for a very complex, passionate women.
So, let’s start our exploration of Emma Goldman, the women’s advocate… GLB
These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2011 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved[ 3757 Words ]
Quotations Related to CONTRACEPTION:
“If they are opposed to abortion, they should be for preventing unintended pregnancies.”
— Louise Slaughter
“The freedom that women were supposed to have found in the Sixties largely boiled down to easy contraception and abortion; things to make life easier for men, in fact.”
— Julie Burchill
“You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortion.”
— Hillary Clinton