Feminism and the right to life

Feminism as a movement is strongly connected with a political and philosophical reality which came after the French Revolution. The feminist movement in the 19th and early 20th century was focused on obtaining for women the right to vote and equal salary for work of equal value. The activists of this movement were called suffragettes. After their victory, the majority of feminists started to present abortion as a human right, thereby in fact refusing unborn children the right to life. The modern term „reproductive rights”, in contemporary feminist understanding of these words, means a right to decide about procreation both in morally acceptable and unacceptable way (e.g. allowing abortion). However, some feminist initiatives are worth to analyse as a way to protect human dignity, e.g. the prohibition of prostitution in France, which was supported by the French feminists. Finally, it should be said that feminism is a very differentiated movement and some feminists do not accept abortion. Also, not all women, or probably even not the majority of women, feel represented by the feminists.