In the book Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay compiles essays she has written which deal with what are considered feminist issues. There is one particular essay though that I will be focusing on: “The Alienable Rights of Women”. In this essay Roxane Gay makes the argument that women’s bodies are up for legislation; their reproductive rights can be given or taken away and when they do exercise their rights, through abortion or use of birth control, they are punished. With a little more than half the population being female, this is an important issue to address. Women need easily accessible methods of abortion and contraceptives without feelings of shame and guilt weighing over them.
Roxane Gay makes the argument that although abortion is available, …show more content…
How can a woman win when her body is not even viewed as her own and is instead viewed as a political battlefield? Roxane Gay makes the point that reproductive freedom is not an inalienable right even though it should be. According to Gay, “Too many politicians and cultural moralists are trying to define the shape and boundaries of the female body when women should be defining these things for ourselves (274).” The entire argument deals with women, but women are having no say in it. If anything the argument does not seemed concerned with women at all, if it was then politicians would consider the health and safety of women when decided whether or not abortion should be legal. Roxane Gay brings up the ways women have gotten abortions when they were illegal or expensive such as throwing themselves down the stairs, soda bottles, or soap and bleach (278-279).
Politicians are wrong if they think abortions will suddenly come to an end when made illegal or difficult to receive. Abortions will just become life threatening instead. It is obvious that politicians have not thought of this while declaring their pro-life stances. They are more concerned with an unborn baby then they are with a living breathing human being. If politicians really want to define the shape and boundaries of the female body they would consider the negative effects their decision has on the survival of the female body that they love debating over so
Roxane Gay makes the argument that although abortion is available, …show more content…
How can a woman win when her body is not even viewed as her own and is instead viewed as a political battlefield? Roxane Gay makes the point that reproductive freedom is not an inalienable right even though it should be. According to Gay, “Too many politicians and cultural moralists are trying to define the shape and boundaries of the female body when women should be defining these things for ourselves (274).” The entire argument deals with women, but women are having no say in it. If anything the argument does not seemed concerned with women at all, if it was then politicians would consider the health and safety of women when decided whether or not abortion should be legal. Roxane Gay brings up the ways women have gotten abortions when they were illegal or expensive such as throwing themselves down the stairs, soda bottles, or soap and bleach (278-279).
Politicians are wrong if they think abortions will suddenly come to an end when made illegal or difficult to receive. Abortions will just become life threatening instead. It is obvious that politicians have not thought of this while declaring their pro-life stances. They are more concerned with an unborn baby then they are with a living breathing human being. If politicians really want to define the shape and boundaries of the female body they would consider the negative effects their decision has on the survival of the female body that they love debating over so