What Are The Reproductive Rights Of Women In The Handmaid's Tale

The novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” illustrates the life of women in the Republic of Gilead. The current government was replaced by monotheocratic dictatorship which is centered on biblical principles. Furthermore, this new regime immediately took away the women’s rights such as the right to have a job, properties of their own, and money (Rothstein, p. 1). The protagonist in the novel is a woman, previously have control over her life, but this power was instantly taken away from her by the new government. She was told by the director from her work that women cannot work there anymore because of the new law. She was not able to use her card when she tried to buy cigarettes in the store that she always goes to (Atwood, p. 175-177). While reading the “The Handmaid’s Tale”, it can be clearly seen that this novel is connected from our previous class discussion. In the lecture 3 class discussion, Women …show more content…
8). According to the lecture notes, women should decide about their reproductive rights, and the government should not interfere with it (Lecture notes, p. 9). However, the reproductive rights of many women in novel were taken away from them. For example, the Handmaids are fertile women whose job is to bear children for the wives of the commanders. The handmaids do not have control over their pregnancies and childbirth process. They do not have freedom to decide whether to have a child or not have a child. Other people have control of their body. Offred is handmaid in the home of Serena Joy and his husband. Under the new government, Offred has no choice, but to bear child for this household. The novel illustrates the prison life of these handmaids. Their bodies are treated like an object, which they have no control. Once they are able to produce a baby to one household, they are being transferred again to another