Abortion, Birth Control, Politics and The Female Orgasm by Lexington Leib

The idea of male ownership over female bodies is a concept that dates back to the idea of property itself. This way of thinking separates women as less than human, because when violence happens against them it is treated as property damage not the violation of the most basic human right, ownership of one’s own body.  The policing of women’s bodies is most evident in the debate about a women’s right to an abortion but extends its tentacles to even the way women dress and feel about themselves. We live in a cultural that profits off the low-self esteem of women, and any divergence from that norm is seen as arrogant, boastful, or unladylike. All of these ideas came to a head during the 2016 Election cycle. Hillary Clinton, a women with 30 years of experience, with unparalleled intelligence, confidence, and leadership skills was beaten in the electoral college by a thin skinned, internet troll, with a knack for branding by the name of Donald Trump.

            There are many reasons to not like Hillary Clinton. The one I hear most cited by Trump voters is, “I don’t trust her” or that she “embodies the establishment that has failed us.” This in comparison to a man, who is a pathological liar, blatantly misrepresented facts to manipulate his base, and is the human embodiment of the capitalist machine that is the true oppressive force keeping down Middle America. We expect perfection in women in a way we do not with men. To see a woman speak with confidence and experience makes both men and women (particularly men) uncomfortable. To quote Marc Maron from one of his recent WTF podcasts, “And I know a lot of people, a lot of intelligent people, men specifically, I know, I know, it's hard man. You just want to see that woman lose. It's hard for a lot of men who are secretly infantile, who feel cheated, who have issues with their mommies or with their daddies. You know, it's when you watch a woman with authority, speak with authority, deliver a strong leadership vibe, a grounded person; for a dude sometimes there's only one way to take that in and that is, ah, I hate this teacher, ah, she's so mean this teacher. I wish a substitute was here. Remember that guy? Grow up.”  (Source) Hillary Clinton is a deviation from what we are taught women should be and this can throw some people in to a tizzy of confusion and anger.

The religious Right Wing in particular are the most likely to be shocked by a women in a position of authority since their world view is based on patriarchal values. In My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinem writes, “If, in monotheism, God is man, man is God. Why does God look suspiciously like the ruling class? Why is Jesus, a Jewish guy from the Middle East, blond and blue eyed?” (109).  Steinem brings up the excellent point that forces us to question the intentions of the leaders of the religious Right Wing. Both men and women on this side of the aisle have been taught that the current dynamic of power between men and women, white people and people of color, heterosexual cis people and all others, is ordained by God and is completely justifiable. When in reality, people cherry pick parts of the bible to listen to because it will help maintain these existing structures of power. Women’s reproductive rights often come at odds with this worldview. The idea that a woman, a giver of life, should have some say in her family planning instead of God, is one hell of an idea to some people.  In Alienable Rights of Women by Roxanne Gay, she writes about the obstacles that are put in the way of a woman having an abortion despite its legality.  If they are even able to access reproductive health centers, women will experience everything from mandatory multiple sonograms, transvaginal ultrasounds, to counseling meant to convince her to remain pregnant. In some places doctors aren’t even required to give medically accurate information. Gay writes, “If these politicians can’t prevent women from having abortions, they are certainly going to punish them. They are going to punish these women severely, cruelly, unusually for daring to make choices about motherhood, their bodies, and their futures” (271). Reproductive rights are even more extreme for women of color, where a history of forced sterilization informed the view that reproductive rights should include more than just the right to an abortion but the right to have children at all. In Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement, Jennifer Nelson writes, “Women of color challenged the white middle-class feminist movement to recognize that the abortion rights movement needed to encompass “bread and butter” issues such as health care for the poor, child-care, and welfare rights in addition to anti-sterilization abuse efforts,” (2). So many conservatives seem so focused on the “life of an unborn baby” put conveniently forget about the actual real lives and struggles of single mothers and children because of the misogynistic and deeply racist stereotype of “welfare queens” as popularized by Ronald Regan.

(Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton during third presidential debate)

During the third Presidential debate the subject of abortion came up, Hillary Clinton stated "I have met with women who toward the end of their pregnancy get the worst news one could get, that their health is in jeopardy if they continue to carry to term or that something terrible has happened or just been discovered about the pregnancy." Seizing the opportunity to electrify pro-life republicans, Trump stated "With what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby. Now, you can say that that's okay, and Hillary can say that that's okay, but that's not okay with me." Of course, this flat out never happens but he achieved his goal of manipulating and pandering to the far right. I think this was a massive reason why Clinton lost the election. My female latina cousins, whose mother came here illegally from Mexico, voted for Trump because of this stance. They have been taught by the Catholic Church that nothing is more evil or selfish than getting an abortion and this made them overlook the issues that actually affect them.

(Amber Rose owning that sexuality and motherhood are not mutually exclusive)

Abortion only seems to be an issue discussed by conservative news outlets. If you get your news from Fox, Britebart, or conservative talk show hosts you will be under the impression that abortion is equivalent to genocide and that young women take plan B like tic-tacs. On the other end of the spectrum we rarely hear about the legal obstacles being put in the way of women getting abortions, or access to affordable reproductive health care, or child care. These issues will arise when something like the Hobby Lobby lawsuit happens, and then will be quickly forgotten. Underlying the policing of women’s body is a fear of sex and the idea that sex can be for pleasure and not procreation. Underlying THAT idea is the idea that if women use sex for pleasure, they will use it for power, and undercut men the same way women have been for thousands of years. It is so rare to see women’s pleasure emphasized in film or on television that it seems shocking when we do see it. Shows like Orange is the New Black, or celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Amber Rose, Kim Kardashian take pleasure and power from their sexuality and I find that very admirable but that can be incredibly scary to more conservative people. In Hobby Lobby and a Woman’s Right to Sexual Exploration Tanya Steele writes, “In the overall American marketplace, female desire and pleasure is neither supported or promoted. As a result, there is no counter-attack to the religious conservative onslaught to restricting our desires. There is no group, no lobbyists, no ideology that advocates for female pleasure. Therefore, conversations about our bodies and birth control stay within the confines of conservative ideology. “ If we don’t start talking about and normalizing female sexuality or conversations about a woman’s right to birth control, abortion, and health care, these issues will still be framed only within the conservative view point. Sex is awesome and should be a celebration rather than a sentence to childbearing and the adherence to an antiquated patriarchal world view.

On a final note I think this sketch by Amy Schumer is a good representation of what it means to use the media to question the legislation that happens around a women’s body.

 Sources

Gloria Steinem, My Life on the Road

Jennifer Nelson, Women of Color and Reproductive Rights Movement

Roxanne Gay, Alienable Rights of Women

Tanya Stelle, 'Hobby Lobby' and a Woman's Right to Sexual Exploration