Women are "hosts"

[Xenophile]

The man who has decided that women have to get a signed consent from the sperm donor of their foetus has suggested that women are merely "hosts" and while we think we have control over our body, we don't.

NYMag link

Perhaps this man thinks that foetuses are parasites, given that that is what we normally think of when talking about "host" organisms.

Very creepy.

"Host" is such a dehumanising word. He may as well be upfront and be explicit about the fact that he doesn't see women as anything other than breeding stock for men to use as they see fit.

Perhaps this man thinks that foetuses are parasites, given that that is what we normally think of when talking about "host" organisms.

I think he rather views males, and potentially male foetuses as human, and women as some kind of animal that humans (males) live as parasites on, and views this as how things should be.

That is, he does think that foetuses are parasites, but not with the implications this would usually have - a person who views women as human and foetuses as parasites would consider abortion a medical necessity.

Women are the "hosts" in sexual relatinships and they know that before getting involved with men, But after you’re irresponsible then don’t claim, well, I can just go and do this with another body, when you’re the host and you invited that in.

screams of "she was asking for it" between the lines

Not even an original idea given these lovely lines:

" However, she is no parent, just a nurse to
that new life embedded in her. The parent is the one who
plants the seed, the father. "

from the mouth of Apollo in the Orestia, arguing why Orestes wasn't such a bad chap for murdering his mother Clytemnestra because she and her lover had murdered his father Agamemnon.

Just always irked some chaps that their own wonderful selves had to come from the messy bits of a lady and was out of their total control. Explains why the ancient greeks had Athena born from the head of Zeus without a mother, obviously the proper way to procreate in their eyes.

Same idiots nowadays who wish we had artificial womb technology, or womb transplants for transwomen, or something that meant reproduction could be taken out of female control, since females will insist on being uppity and claiming control over their own bodies. The men should have a say in abortions, and drinking when pregnant should be a crime, all the same stuff from men getting hung-up on the biological realities and the fact that women do have a brain as well as a womb, and can decide for themselves, rather than being the willing flesh robots some would prefer...................

Same idiots nowadays who wish we had artificial womb technology, or womb transplants for transwomen, or something that meant reproduction could be taken out of female control,

You know, sometimes I think that wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps then they'd leave us the fuck alone.

... well, the more likely outcome is that they'd view us as replaceable and feel even more justified in treating women as walking wombs, but a girl can hope ...

I'm glad men like this are saying what they think in public.

They've always been there, they've always thought this.

Women need to know that that's how we are regarded. They need to know that's what some men think.

Oh, I know Basil, but fuck me, it's jarring.

DH has just said that my OP reads as if I might think that foetuses are parasites, so I want to make it clear that I don't think that. He's seen how a certain subset of this website reacts to the idea that women might have bodily autonomy

I think every time a man in power says something like this, a few more women wake up and smell the coffee.

I think every time a man in power says something like this, a few more women wake up and smell the coffee

I agree I'd rather he was upfront about this nonsense.

God that's scary. Sounds like the prequel to Handmaid's Tale!

I think every time a man in power says something like this, a few more women wake up and smell the coffee.

I'd hope AskBasil but that hope is based on absolutely nothing, in my frank and cynical opinion.

I'm not sure his logic gets him where he wants to be. Because if women are "hosts" in the natural history sense then a foetus is a parasite and the woman clearly has every right to refuse to continue hosting. If someone said he was going to have to attach himself to my blood supply I would be entirely in my rights to refuse. Being forced to host other beings isn't acceptable in any other context

In the remote chance that he's using the word in the sense of inviting people into your home, then it's still a nonsense. The essence of hosting is that it is pleasurable and voluntary. The word for unwanted intruders in your house isn't guest. Having squatters or burglars doesn't make you a host.

It's not edifying for anyone to think of a fetus as something that bursts out of William Hurt.

There is, of course, the fairly simple answer of men not expecting sex at all except for agreed procreation. That suggestion never appears to come up.

Yes, the whole 'ridiculous' sex contract idea.

Well, you know what, I say fine, I say that no sex without a contract specifying what is just fine. Delaying 30 minutes before I have sex with someone isn't going to kill me (unlike the alternative). I could have an app on my phone, we could all tick what we agree with, then voice-sign it (finger prints not acceptable due to drugging/drunken risk)

With a skill test to make sure everyone is sober enough and compos mentis. With maths and grammar questions. I'm willing to bet grades at school would improve as well.

The was for the concept, not you!

Well, you know what, I say fine, I say that no sex without a contract specifying what is just fine. Delaying 30 minutes before I have sex with someone isn't going to kill me (unlike the alternative). I could have an app on my phone, we could all tick what we agree with, then voice-sign it (finger prints not acceptable due to drugging/drunken risk)

Oh, I would only make a contract where the man can specify that he is fine with me having an abortion.

I would definitely not put my consent to any sexual acts in written form. That's just an invitation for rape, he could show the contract, even. I prefer being able to end sex anytime if the man turns out to be an asshole. I know the chances of getting a rapist convicted aren't that high in any case, but why make it more difficult, intentionally?

Though, thinking about it, I would prefer the law being that any woman can have an abortion anytime she wants, and men who don't want their sperm to be aborted are the ones who have to make contracts and all that.

There would be fancy voice recognition software on the phone that would require constant positive consent affirmations, and measure stress levels in the voice so that it couldn't be faked.

In all seriousness surely according to men in the Christian right, men who have sex outside a married, procreative experience are in the wrong anyway, and shouldn't be having sex in the first place.

In all seriousness surely according to men in the Christian right, men who have sex outside a married, procreative experience are in the wrong anyway, and shouldn't be having sex in the first place.

You would think that, but I am quite sure most of the men in the Christian right actually think it is quite okay for men to have sex outside marriage.

Otherwise, one of them would have founded a "men against abortion" movement of men who vow to remain chaste until they have found a woman who wants a large family.

Complete with nice ceremony and rings and all, like the chastity rings for girls.

You know, a proactive approach to actually lowering the number of abortions and promoting a Christian lifestyle.

LOL - I figured MrsTP, perhaps the idea needs to be refined further - a kind of 'this is definitely out, but I can change my mind to further restrict at any point' then.

BTW - Do you have any way to access iPlayer MrsTerryPratchett - there's a documentary there about the man himself, with the guy who used to play Dennis Pennis narrating it, as Sir Terry - and it took me a good 5 minutes to realise it wasn't really him he's that good! It's also a really good documentary.

Don't know about MrsTP but I've just started dowloading.