by Nicolette Westfall
Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” originally published in 1985, offered a stiff warning about the future of women’s reproductive rights under the current 2007 American government—er, fictional right wing theocratic conservatives in the not so distant future. Atwood created the satire’s elements from newspaper clippings dating from the distant past to the time the book was drafted, using historical precedence as the basis for her story of Gilead (America), where the historical status of women as property, mere broodmares, is reinstalled during time of war. During an interview (393), the author explained that all of the events in the book happened at one time or another, yet one cannot escape the prophetic quality of the idea that women, at this moment in history, are treated as mere reproductive commodities. Here, we take a look at the loss of women’s reproductive rights in Atwood’s work and compare it to news excerpts from the past decade (1997-2007) in an effort to illustrate why it is important to maintain the individual’s right to reproductive choice.
Currently, reproductive issues exclusive to women repeatedly make headlines across the United States. Given that the right-wing power is aiming for increased cannon fodder for an extended war effort in contemporary colonies (countries) around the world, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran, it is no surprise that the conservatives (and the conservative women who support them) are calling for the removal of women’s rights concerning birth control, abortion, and the morning after pill. Cloud reports that as of April, 2007, the United States military will extend both current and future Army tours abroad 12 months to 15 months which indicates the need for more American bodies on the war front. But cannon fodder is not the only motivation for the conservative push to ban birth control and abortion. As noted in Atwood’s story, pollutants (specifically, high air pollution) are a factor in human infertility (Rubes, 2005). Both the fictional Gilead and 21st century America face a decline in birth rates due to man-made sterility and birth defects. This reality, combined with the rapidly accelerating death and injury toll abroad, have the conservative camp on the offensive.
For many women, the ability to choose is a matter of quality of life, both for themselves and their unborn children. Gilead and contemporary American leaders would argue that the issue has nothing to do with quality of life; however one can be sure that the rich man in office cares little for the sufferings of those unwanted or unaffordable children born as a result of denied preventives. These privileged men do not take an active interest in seeing whether women denied the morning after pill have the financial stability or familial support to raise the unplanned children. What matters to these men is that the “unborn” are not denied the right to be offered up as disposable bodies in the government’s bidding. For that reason it is critical that the rich white man has the ultimate say in what is done with all American women’s bodies, denying all women birth control and the morning after pill–except for his wife. After all, their son’s and daughters will never be sent to the front lines. Gilead’s women are also destined to live out lives in which they cannot make their own reproductive choices. These women exist in a void, caged and used like farm animals—except, of course, for the Commanders’ wives, who enjoy the perks of drinking, smoking, and playing in their pretty gardens. Just as Gilead breeders suffer in isolation, American women denied access to contraceptives or abortive methods are also denied choice in life.
In Gilead, the removal of women’s rights is part of the “return to traditional values,” an approach taken by the rich and powerful conservative Christian politicians in Washington over the last decade. The extremely influential right wing Christians in power, such as Senator Sam Brownback, stand as clear examples. As stated in Rolling Stone, 2006, Brownback is part of the “new American crusaders” arguing that the unborn are what Christ brought a sword to fight for (Sharlet, 2006). Brownback and the like-minded are going to eradicate freedom of choice in the land of the free in order to save the fetuses.
Present swords appear in the manner of legal denials of women’s control over their own bodies and quality of life decisions. Feministing reports that according to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, company drug plans do not have to pay for birth control prescriptions. While women in America today do not face the enforced monthly reproductive examinations that broodmares or prized pigs (86) of Gilead must attend (73), they are encountering similar third-party control over their reproductive capacity. Borgmann reported that in November of this past year, the American Federal court ruled that pharmacists can deny women access to the morning after pill. The daily responsibilities of bringing those unborn to full term and then raising them for 18+ years will not be directly experienced or assisted by the pharmacists who make that judgment call.
Of course, in the world of Gilead, medical professionals in the previous era who performed abortions are dealt with in a violent manner, to discourage others from assisting women in ridding their bodies of the fetuses that the powerful government officials covet. They are war criminals. As poignant examples, they are hung on “The Wall” by grisly hooks, their heads bagged, and some to bleed red stains on the material. Reality is more potent than fiction. Clarkson has reported the 1994 assassinations of Dr. John Britton and an escort, James Barrett, by former Presbyterian Minister Paul Hill were celebrated this past December by a re-enactment of the murders. The life of a trained physician is assuredly expendable, especially when compared to an unborn.
Ultimately, the right to breed (or not) in Gilead is dictated by statesmen in power, who exercise god-like authority. Women who breed are treated slightly better than those that cannot. Like Orzek’s commentary on Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s lip service to 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears for her decision not to terminate her pregnancy, Gilead’s breeders are given small but coveted nods for their efforts. They are guaranteed healthy food and, unlike in Spears’ case, whereupon Huckabee briefly acknowledges her undeveloped capacity to face “all the responsibilities of adult life,” Gilead women do not raise their offspring; it is the rich white men’s wives who get that privilege. Though they do not receive medals, as breeders of Nazi Germany did (the NSDAP initially gave cash incentives and various medals, depending on how many children were born to acceptable women (Digger History), Franzblau tells us they were to avoid smoking and drinking similar to approved German broodmares.
Despite the push for physically healthy breeders in Gilead, their health is not, however, controlled by their doctors. Rather, this control belongs to the state power, which has the final word on everything regarding their bodies. The idea of a third party completely controlling women physically is not very far removed from our own history or the present. Michael J. Franzblau discusses the compromise of the physician-patient relationship in Nazi Germany as a warning for Americans today. Increasingly, doctors must answer to HMOs, politicians, and religious views, instead of to the patients in their care.
While women still have the right to vote in America, it is important that they vote pro-choice. Unlike children who are farmed in Gilead and given to rich women who will raise them in the comforts of wealthy homes of Commanders resembling Bush, Brownback, and Huckabee, real children born to women without choice will not be given financial or emotional assistance from the anti-choice camp. The odds are high that the surviving unborn will grow up to help feed their struggling families by joining the war machine as low-paying, non-commissioned soldiers.
Works Cited:
Atwood, Margaret, The Handmaid’s Tale. Doubleday, Canada.
Rubes, Jiri., Selevan, Sherry G., et al., “Episodic air pollution is associated with increased DNA fragmentation in human sperm without other changes in semen quality.” Human Reproduction. 20.10 (2005): 2776-2783.
Sharlet, Jeff, “Who would Jesus vote for? Meet Sam Brownback.” Rolling Stone 25 Jan., 2006.
About Nicolette Westfall
Paul Hill did the right thing. He stopped that babykilling abortionist from murdering any more innocent children. Paul Hill is an American hero for doing that good deed.