Women's Bodies: A Political Battleground

Women’s bodies are constantly policed not only within the media, but also in legislation. This

policing of women’s bodies has a direct affect on the way women are valued in society. When legislation is put into effect, women become a battleground where they lose every time. When legislation is made discussing women’s bodies, they merely become objects to control which is why many men view women as inferior. Some may say it’s traditional; however, it’s mainly political because more often than not the people who are making the laws about women’s bodies are not women; they’re men.

When I was younger, I witnessed firsthand the legislation and barriers placed against women. Throughout my years of school I was given a list of things that were not acceptable for me to wear to school. The girls list was long and intricate including most items I had in my closet; while the boys list consisted of attire that referenced drugs. All the while, the implication was clear: Girls were a distraction and needed to hide themselves. More recently I’ve found a picture somewhere online that has gotten some attention. It pretty much said that when you tell a girl that her clothes are distracting, you’re saying she is merely a distraction, and to make a female student change or go home only shows that men’s education is more valued than women’s.

To make matters worse, I went to a High School in a not-so-great neighborhood on Staten Island. My school had a day-care and offered Plan B in the Nurse’s Office. The school’s racial population was mainly black and Mexican. I was very naïve in the thought that High Schools on Staten Island were trying to combat the growing teenage pregnancy problem. However, I later found out that Plan B was only offered at my school. There was no Plan B option at the school’s that had little-to-no diverse racial population. This is when I realized pregnancy and contraception is all political. Mexicans and blacks were having too many babies and needed to be controlled. If a white woman got pregnant, no one cared or even offered an alternative.

However, women’s bodies are not only policed within schools at young ages. Though it was decided in Roe v. Wade that women not having the choice to receive an abortion is unconstitutional, parts of the United States are still making it difficult for women to decide for themselves.  According to “The Alienable Rights of Women”:

“In recent years, several states have introduced and/or passed legislation mandating that women receive ultrasounds before they receive an abortion. Seven states require this procedure.” (Gay, 270)

In addition, “Thirty-five states require women to receive counseling before an abortion to varying degrees of specificity. In twenty-six states women must also be offered or given written material. The restrictions go on and on. If you think you’re free from these restrictions, think again. In 2011, 55 percent of all women of reproductive age in the United States lived in states hostile to abortion rights and reproductive freedom.” (Gay, 272)

Though New York State is not as hostile towards abortion rights as other states, and we’d like to believe we have the strongest abortion rights, I’ve noticed that we’re not exempt from some of these things. When one of my close friends got pregnant, she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. She was initially disgusted with “it” but when she received an ultrasound and heard the baby’s heartbeat, she couldn’t do go through with it. She is only 19 and is now a mother who is completely unhappy and has many regrets. Knowing this happened to someone I was close to, it is hard to imagine there are many more women that are in the same predicament. 

Rather than something political, here is a little debate from The View.

However, if you're looking for something more statistical , Pew Research Center provides some intriguing insight!