With the potential of Roe v. Wade being overturned, it has helped me to reframe how women in general are seen in society. A living incubator for an unborn baby, or as some would call it, a clump of cells. The life of an unborn baby is prioritised in some hospitals over the life of a mother. Look at Poland, their restrictive abortion ban has led to countless women dying as a result.
Women are always dehumanised. Just an oven, the incubator, a host. Women exist within an inherently patriarchal society. Irrespective of Amber Heard’s numerous flaws, society should not demonise her. The very fact the defamation trial is dragging her name through the mud makes me anxious. It makes me fearful because other women who come forward and speak up about the domestic violence they have experienced may be questioned about the authenticity of their own trauma. Irrespective of the validity of Amber Heard’s allegations, I think this could seriously harm the feminist movement such as the #MeToo movement.
This very paradox is striking. Women are predominantly responsible for reproduction. We literally create human beings. Sure, it takes two to make a baby, but let’s be real, women do the heavy lifting when it comes to bringing those humans into the world. For 9 months women create an entire human being and yet our choice is being deprived. Women should have a choice if they want to have a child or not. Economic, social and political factors are generally considered when people want to start a family. Even intergenerational trauma is helping people across the globe reframe or reshape their views on starting a family!
I feel confused, lost and hurt. Mainly because the female body isn’t being recognised as sacred. The female body deserves autonomy. Women and those who identify as non-binary deserve freedom and choice. Women and those who identify as LGBTIQA+ are underrepresented in politics, experience greater discrimination and have voices which generally go unheard.
The world is messy and I’m afraid for my future. I’m afraid for future generations who may not have the choices I have right now. How did we come so far, only to regress again?
From outrageous conservatives trying to re-implant ectopic pregnancies to now potentially overturning Roe v. Wade, these are all direct assaults upon the female body. Men trying to control women. Abortion won’t stop. Women will just seek potentially unsafe and unhygienic abortions and may become sick or even die because access to safe healthcare will no longer be available. This is perhaps Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale coming to life. Soon, women will be passed around like breeding machines for the elite, raped and dehumanised further.
Any type of assault upon the female body is so easily dismissed. Feminists have protested for decades so we can experience some type of freedom in the 21st century. Please don’t let their hard work go to waste. Think critically, read and question yourself always.
QueenB 