Over the weekend, I saw a discussion of “new wave feminists” on Twitter.

I immediately thought of these awesome group of women New Wave musicians:

[Image courtesy of BBC.  Can you name them all?}

Turns out I was mistaken:  the reference was to a group of pro-life feminists who had originally been included as partners for the Women’s March on Washington.  After complaints from pro-choice groups, the march organizers cancelled the partnership with New Wave Feminists.

The concept of pro-life feminism is not new:  Feminists for Life has been around for decades.  Even Margaret Sanger was opposed to abortion.

I believe that the tent of feminism should include pro-life feminists.  However, New Wave Feminists are hardly inclusive.  Here’s a quote from their website:

“New Wave Feminists are here to take feminism back from those who have corrupted it.

 Sometime before we were born

our womanhood was traded for a handful

of birth control pills,

the “privilege” to degrade ourselves in playboy,

and the “right” to abort our children.

It’s time for the return of common sense feminism which refuses to exploit women in the name of liberation and create victims while settling for equality. Instead, we will live up to our full potential and demand others rise up to that level as we embrace how strong and bad ass women truly are.”

Sorry, so-called New Wave Feminists.  If you want respect from other feminists, you need to take the beam out of your own eye.  Supporting reproductive rights does not “corrupt” feminism.  I’m pretty badass myself. Here’s what an old-school, New Wave feminist looks like (Knitting Clio in 1986)