What a Time to Be a Woman
Last week, I was in a Zoom room of theatre moms full of barely coherent rage. For many moms both in and out of the theatre, this Mother’s Day feels like a slap in the face given last week’s leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade. If made official, this decision would remove the federal right to abortion and move us toward a world in which motherhood is not a choice but a mandate.
I am the mother of a precious and precocious 3-year-old who I love so much it scares me. Like anyone who has been pregnant and given birth, I know that having a child is an enormous disruption to your body and your entire life.
If someone does not want to have a child, they should not be forced to have one.
Yet somehow, we have collectively bought into the idea that an abortion is only justifiable under certain (morally coded) circumstances. Rather than a medical decision that concerns a person’s body and should be made solely by that person.
Let’s say it louder for the people in the back: Personal medical decisions do not need to be morally justified.
Yes, some people find out late in pregnancy that the fetus is not viable, and that is heartbreaking. Some people become pregnant as a result of rape, and that is completely unacceptable and awful. And some people find themselves pregnant (intentionally or unintentionally) and simply decide that they do not want to have a child.
We don’t need to agree with the decision to end a pregnancy. Instead, we need to trust pregnant people to make decisions about their own bodies, even if we disagree with those decisions. If it’s not your body, you don’t get a say. It’s really that simple.
This conversation is particularly troubling in theatrical spaces, where women, nonbinary folks, and other marginalized groups continue to fight for bodily autonomy and representation. Our Women & Theatre interviewees have talked about the expectation that young women in the theatre industry should use their bodies as a bargaining tool to get ahead. They’ve also talked about the exacting standards that govern bodies in theatrical spaces - the need to be white, young, skinny - the need to conform to certain industry standards of “beauty.”
These aspects of the industry teach people that their bodies are not their own and that only a certain type of body is “right.” Similarly, the message being sent by overturning Roe is that our bodies are not our own and there are only certain “right” reasons to have an abortion. Instead, what if we as a society start from an assumption that every person, regardless of their reproductive organs, has the right and responsibility to do what they want with their body? Instead of policing people’s bodies, why not support people’s choices through policies and programs that empower rather than disempower?
Taking away the federal right to abortion is appalling and unacceptable. AND it is also a political move that has been expected for some time by abortion rights advocates. Having worked in sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice spaces, I know that there is a veritable army of brilliant, capable, highly organized people who are working tirelessly to continue access to abortion after Roe falls. I also know that people will fall through the cracks, and those people will be disproportionately BIPOC, transgender, nonbinary, and poor.
But knowing there is an infrastructure in place is helpful because it tells me where to direct my limited resources to support these efforts.
Yes, let’s march in the streets and demand our rights.
Let’s also put pressure on our elected officials to protect abortion access at the state and local level and to pass federal legislation that protects abortion rights (yes, Congress can do this!).
Let’s donate to national and local abortion funds to make sure the people who need the most help are able to get it.
Let’s speak out and have difficult conversations and make good trouble. Let’s tell the people in our lives that we support abortion rights and we will help them if they need to navigate getting an abortion in a post-Roe world.
When our government fails to protect us, we must join forces to protect each other. And we must demand our rights.
Thanks for reading!
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