October 25, 2010
Kortney Blythe, Field Director for Students for Life of America spoke at Murray State University last week on pro-life feminism! Haley Russel, a staff writer for Murray’s University Newspaper wrote a wonderful article on the speech!
Kortney Blythe
Kortney Blythe speaks of ‘counterfeit feminists’ Tuesday at Mason Hall. The event was sponsored by Murray State Students for Life.
Colorful fliers hung in all the right places announcing Kortney Blythe’s speech hosted by the Students for Life organization Tuesday.
Blythe, the field director of Students for Life of America in Washington D.C., stayed true to Students for Life’s anti-abortion mission on Murray State’s campus. She began her speech by explaining how feminism has evolved over the years.
“Feminism was once a word that was associated with noble things like voting rights and equal pay, but I believe that it has been usurped by counterfeit feminists who say that the only litmus test to be a feminist is supporting abortion,” she said.
Blythe’s main topics surrounded her views on abortion and feminists of the past, present and future, explaining the ‘five E’s’ of feminism.
“First, true feminism encompasses all women, second it empowers women, third, it eliminates coercion, fourth, true feminism embraces the female nature and fifth, true feminism endures,” Blythe said.
She took ‘counterfeit feminists’ and lined them up with what she said feminists should be according to the ‘five E’s’ of feminism by describing the shortcomings of the ‘counterfeit feminists’ in each quality.
In describing her first point, feminism encompasses all women, Blythe discussed trafficking of young girls.
“Trafficking of women and little girls is rampant,” she said. “That’s a reality. It’s a reality because there’s a shortage of women in the world because of sex selection abortion. One million baby girls have been killed for the crime of being female.”
Blythe said she regrets today’s feminists do not speak out against this trafficking because it would compromise their right to abortion, and this does not encompass all women, a trait she said describes a genuine feminist.
Blythe said choices are forced onto women, making her second point.
“We live in a world that tells women that they have to choose between going to school and having a baby, between having a career and having a baby, choose between her future and her dreams and having a baby,” she said.
She said these choices were not empowering women, and they were made to believe abortion was the only choice.
Blythe’s next point emphasized women who feel forced into abortion. She said women feel coerced into the action because of the lack of support they receive when they become pregnant.
Blythe’s next point was the fourth ‘E’ stating feminism embraces the natural female, she said.
“You might think a feminist as women with hairy armpits who don’t shave their legs and don’t wear bras, but true feminists embrace the natural women in a different way that you might think,” Blythe said. “Shouldn’t women be inherently equal to men, just as we are with our child bearing abilities and all?”
Blythe used the story of Alice Walker, the author of the book “The Color Purple” and her daughter Rebecca Walker as an example of how ‘counterfeit feminists’ deny the woman’s natural biology and speak out against childbirth. Rebecca was disowned when she told her mother she was pregnant, and Alice has never met her grandson.
Blythe’s final point discussed the future of feminism.
“True feminism endures,” she said. “Our generation has seen the heartache, the infertility, the breast cancer and the overall depression that results from abortion. Women will continue to wake up and realize the havoc abortion has reeked on humanity and women in particular.”
Michelle Smith, senior from Newburgh, Ind., is one of the founding leaders of Students for Life and the current president.
“Our goal is to stop the apathy on campus to make people aware of the psychological and emotional effect of abortion and to get the parent-student and women in general and men … the support they need,” Smith said.
Smith said Blythe was invited to campus because members of Students for Life felt like students were asking for more information on feminism.
“Last year we had several speakers on rape in the case of abortion because felt like that was a question our campus asked a lot,” Smith said. “Besides the rape question, there has been a lot of feedback on feministic issues about choice and how that empowers women.”
Blythe ended her speech with a question and answer session.
Judy Crofton, professor of English, who teaches women’s studies and literature appreciation said she would have appreciated an opposing viewpoint at the discussion.
“I wish they’d had a balance, maybe had her on a panel or something because I think that would have balanced it more,” Crofton said.
She said she enjoyed the discussion of the Q and A session.
“I don’t agree with everything she said, but I absolutely enjoyed the discussion,” Crofton said.
Smith echoed this sentiment of discussion as an important tool.
Said Smith: “We’re not here to change your opinion, we’re here to make you think.”