We have been socialized to think of women as a serving class, inherently made to care, to clean, to nurture, and to birth. This idea is programmed deep into our collective psyche, and even when we are able to recognize this belief in society, it can still be difficult to root it out of our own subconscious. Women are simply people — like men— and should be afforded the same rights, respect, consideration, and autonomy. Yet there are myriad ways in which we think about and treat men differently from women, most unmercifully with regard to sex and reproduction. Women are expected to feel shame for their sexuality, as well as for engaging in sex; and yet, in men it’s considered natural and beyond their control. If a woman has sex, it is considered her duty to either prevent pregnancy, or to assume responsibility for any subsequent offspring; and yet, men are free to engage in sexual activity with the amount of precaution that suits them, and if any offspring result they have the right to stay or leave at will.
If a man wants a vasectomy, he can obtain one after the age of 18, no questions asked; and yet, if a woman wants her tubes tied, she must be older, already have one or more children, and in many cases still must have the consent of her husband. This last part may be difficult to believe, but I have spent the better part of two years interviewing every woman I could about their experiences with tubectomies and hysterectomies. Every single one has told me some upsetting version of the same truth: it is very difficult to obtain either procedure as a woman, even when they are medically necessary and prescribed. To this day, women are systematically denied procedures that might sterilize them —even when they are requested— until the last possible moment, even when these procedures are necessary and will alleviate pain and suffering.
Women are expected to take on the physical burden and responsibility of birth control as well, which unbeknownst to many, can be very painful, very destructive to our bodies, very expensive, and often difficult to procure. Men struggle with the idea and execution of wearing simple condoms because it decreases their sexual pleasure. All of these things are considered normal, and are also considered equal treatment in our present social mindset. It should come as no surprise therefore, that our view is so clouded when it comes to abortion rights and care in this country. Women are born with this biology, and cannot opt out of it. It is beyond our control and without choice.
Setting aside all consideration of the physical and emotional toll it takes on women to be able to create life, to try to control when it happens, to carry a pregnancy, to give birth, and to raise children and nurture men, we must first and foremost consider the issue of abortion legally. The reason the issue is surrounded by so much emotional baggage is because it’s easier to control the way a citizenry thinks, reacts, and votes if they are motivated by their emotions. When we are told that abortion kills babies, people have a generally negative gut reaction to the idea, and it affects how they perceive the issue, regardless of whether or not it is true. The simple fact of the matter however, is that it does not matter how we may or may not feel emotionally about the idea of abortion. It does not matter how our religious beliefs view it either. The question —above all— is whether women, as equal citizens in this country and regardless of uncontrollable biology, should have the legal right to decide what happens to their bodies, in the same way men, as equal citizens, have legal autonomy over their own bodies.
It is established that men already have these rights, as no one, not even the government, can tell a man in our society what or what not to do with his body. Even after death, regardless of gender, a corpse cannot be autopsied or harvested for organs without the express written permission of the person when they were still alive. Under the present law in many parts of the country, a corpse has more legal autonomy than a living woman. Excuse my French, but that is fucking crazy. So if we agree that women should have the same equal say as men over what does or does not happen to their bodies, then we should not allow for legal degradations that effectively put the government, doctor’s, and husband’s consent above that of a woman’s. Plain and simple. If we are equal, and men have the right to legal autonomy, then so should women.
This is supposed to be America. Above all, we retain our right to autonomy. We built this country around the idea that as a private citizen, you have the right to live freely, however you choose, as long as it doesn’t infringe upon the same rights of others. Women deserve to have the first and final say, and we all deserve the right to live, love, and build our families when and how we choose. None of the qualms against abortion hold up, because they all involve projecting specific beliefs into universal law, and that is not how this country should work. If your religion says it’s wrong to have an abortion, then don’t do so. Your religious belief is not grounds for policing the actions of others in America. If you don’t believe in abortion in general, then don’t get one. That is your right. As it should be the right of any other woman to decide that for herself. On top of that, we should all enjoy a reasonable right to privacy in this country, and invading every woman’s womb certainly destroys that ideal. If we policed gun rights the way we police women’s rights, there would be a veritable uproar. We can’t even discuss the idea of legislating restrictions on guns without complete shutdown or upheaval, so why should women’s bodies be so much different?
For the sake of some brevity, I will simply finish with this: they won’t stop here. This is about controlling women —but even more so—it’s about controlling us all. If we let them take one right from us, they will take them all. If we concede that the government is in charge of our bodies, there is no limit to what they may decide they are also entitled. Do not be taken in by the emotional pleas and the flat out lies designed to control us, because when you strip all that away, it is really very simple. If everyone has the right to decide for themselves, then everyone still has their intrinsic rights.
