The century-old assertion of body autonomy does not wane when pressed against harsh policy designed to diminish it. Despite the historical shifts in customs and legislation, abortions will not stop. Women will break the law and subject themselves to dangerous, even fatal procedures, to procure it.[1] The recent Texan outcry raised under the guise of morality is not about the procedure itself. Though, their unilateral response, however, dictates who has access to it.
Texas has cemented a policy that disproportionately targets specific individuals. This abhorrent racialization and class inequity means that these women will be the ones that are “butchered and maimed.” [2] Deputizing wayward citizens monetarily incentivized to enforce an unconstitutional practice, ensures the terrorization of women exercising self-determination.
Decades ago, trailblazing women like Shirley Chisholm pointedly addressed the underbelly of the beast, demanding that society truthfully reckons with what reproductive restrictions really mean. She argued that the issue is about the kinds of “abortions society wants women to have – clean, competent ones performed by licensed physicians or septic, dangerous ones done by incompetent practitioners.” [3]
I understand that Covid-19 is wholeheartedly a separate issue from abortion. However, because it is the undercurrent of our reality, it warrants a reevaluation of the types of questions we are asking about it. If you are anti-vax and anti-mask, how can you logically justify and participate in enforcing such a law? Is it the assertion of body autonomy that ignites this level of citizen policing? If we follow that logic, should we then place a legal bounty on people whose actions directly endanger school-aged children and other vulnerable populations? I didn’t think so.
Body autonomy is rejected for reproductive health, yet simultaneously applauded for anti-vax and anti-maskers.
The regulation of a woman’s body is nothing new. However, the excuses charged with archaic restrictions shift politically and socially depending on people holding power at a particular time.
This stark juxtaposition reaffirms that the issue is not about abortion, it has never been. It is about body autonomy and punishment to those who assert it. Abortions are a privilege society affords to specific populations while simultaneously denying them to others.
[1-3] Chisholm, Shirley. “Facing the Abortion Question.” In Words of Fire: An Anthology of African American Feminist Thought, 389-395. New York: The New York Press, 1995.
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