Politics of Sex

Claudia Fareri
Women and Media
Doris Cacoilo
1 April 2017

Politics of Sex

As much as your teen angst may still linger into your 20’s in trying to convince your parents that “it’s my body and I can do whatever I want!”, the truth of the matter is that although it is technically your body, the government is actually the one who has a lot of control over it. For example, let's take a look at our current president, Donald Trump. Over the years, this celebrity-turned-politician has said many sexist and misogynistic remarks towards women; the most notable being his "grab them by the p---y" remark. If someone as important as the president of our country could slide with, not one, not two, but over twenty sexist comments throughout their career then what makes anyone think they couldn't do the same?

Trump's excessive and continuous comments shows the world that misogny and sexism are still prevalent and unfortunately, something women cannot avoid. Seeing a politician with so much power saying these type of comments instills a fear in women that cannot be overlooked; not only are we fearful of the people that follow in Trump's footsteps but we are now fearful of the policies that will change to reflect his way of thinking. In the New York Times article "The Next Battle in the War Over Planned Parenthood" written by Sheryl Gay Stolberg, the future of Planned Parenthood is in the hands of the Trump administration. Recently, Mike Pence broke the tie in passing a legislation law that will allow states to withhold federal funds from Planned Parenthood and other health care providers that perform abortions (Stolberg). In this example, the beliefs of politicians are now being translated through polices that affect thousands of people. This illustrates that the government, consisting of a majority of men, believe they have control over a woman's body and the choices she can make regarding it.

However, as we think about the past, this isn't something new for women. In the essay "Introduction - From Abortion to Reproductive Rights", Jennifer Nelson discusses the history of reproductive rights for women. Beginning in the 1930s, southern states funded birth control clinics and sterilization was forced or done without consent in order to lower the birth rate for black women (Nelson, 4). The reproductive rights of women has always been left up to the government for their own agendas. Although birth control was freely given out back then compared to the reluctancy of it being given out now, the bottom line is that the government limits the choices women has when it should only be left for themselves. But even when women are able to make their own decision, it isn't done without some fuss and a fight. In the essay "The Alienable Rights of Women", Roxanne Gay discusses how the state of Texas requires women who want an abortion to receive multiple sonograms, listen to the doctor narrate the sonograms and inform them about the services available to them to encourage them to stay pregnant (Gay, 271).

By doing this, the government is punishing women for wanting to get an abortion. They set up hoops of fire that they need to go through before finally achieving their wishes because to the government, a women can never be sure about a decision regarding her own body. This is detrimental to a women's mental health because there are many various reasons for why a women has decided on an abortion. Having to go through unnecessary protocols has women relive something that they may be trying to forget and becomes invasive in their personal business.

Meanwhile, men do not have to deal with the same things as women when it comes to their reproductive rights. In an CNBC article titled "Here’s why there might never be a successful birth control pill for men", Elaine Lissner, founder of the Parsemus Foundation, gives some insight as to why birth control for men will never be a thing of the future. Lissner explains how "in for-profit companies, a daily pill or monthly method (of contraception) would be most appealing, since it entails many years of continued payment" (CNBC). Lissner was working on a project called Vasalgel, a form of male contraceptive, that would be a long term treatment, and was aware that it would not be considered. This is because not only are men free of the many, terrible effects of birth control but they see how profitable it is to milk money out of women for it. According to Gay, "Americans spent $5 billion on birth control in 2011" (276). Now, women's right for their reproductive rights is something to capitalize on. 

Surely, this may be happening but now more than ever, reproductive rights are a topic of discussion in media. The idea of having an abortion or the desire to obtain birth control has been widely known as "taboo" and something to be silent about. Which is understandable, considering people call birth control "whore medicine" (Gay, 276). But the beauty of discussion is that it brings out ideas and thoughts that can teach others about their own reproductive rights and break the barriers that try to dictate their lives. 

Works Cited

Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. "The Next Battle in the War Over Planned Parenthood." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.

Nelson, Jennifer. "Introduction - From Abortion to Reproductive Rights." Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement. New York: New York U Press, 2003. Print.

Gay, Roxane. "The Alienable Rights of Women." Bad Feminist: Essays. New York: Harper Perennial, 2014. Print.

Crabtree, Justina. "Here’s why there might never be a successful birth control pill for men." CNBC. CNBC, 17 Feb. 2017. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.