Whether or not abortion should be legalized in the United States is a constant debate. Recent events, like Texas banning abortions past six weeks, have revealed the fragility of Roe v. Wade. For this, I feel like a discussion is owed to the topic. Banning abortion increases gender inequality. This may sound like a stretch to some, but I am happy to make the correlation.
The weight of reproductive responsibility is on the woman’s shoulders. Whether she is taking birth control because her male partner doesn’t like how a condom feels and refuses to get a vasectomy or the effort that goes into her carrying and nurturing a child, in all cases, women bear the burden of sex.
Fathers are so often absent from their child’s life that it’s a common joke to have a ‘deadbeat dad,’ you and everyone else, honey. No law forces a man to stay by his child; however, mothers are more obligated to be a part of their child’s life. Getting into the grit of it, women might get paid less, and employers may feel less inclined to negotiate higher pay because women are seen as the lesser investment. A female employee is expected to bear a child and be absent from work on maternity leave. It’s unfortunate that in today’s society, motherhood typically limits a woman’s horizons — that’s why it’s all that much more impressive when a high-ranking woman has a family. Women are already undervalued and put at a disadvantage in their careers. Banning abortion would only further this, as it would force childbearing.
A woman’s career in 2021 is still seen as her lower priority in comparison to having kids and getting married. Apparently, women are only destined to be objects of desire or housewives. I mean no disrespect; an attentive mother that stays at home has her work cut out for her and no escape. However, if a woman should decide to break the expectations put on her by archaic views of society and focus on, or excel in her career, then she is criticized for it.
So, the working woman cannot put her career, life goals and hopes first unless they revolve around having a child. She cannot abort an unwanted pregnancy without being called a selfish murderer, destined for hell. Additionally, the working woman can’t have a child without being viewed as an unreliable employee. Do you see the problem here? As a woman, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Why is it that a child is the last piece of every woman’s life puzzle? Of course, I’m not against having kids; I want a few of my own someday (plus my mom would kill me if I didn’t make her a grandmother) but, how would I be viewed if children weren’t a factor in my future?
Daughter of the legendary Diana Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross is incredibly accomplished in her own right as star to Girlfriends and Black-ish, NAACP Two-Time Award Winner, Golden Globe Award Winner, CEO of her own hair-care company Pattern Beauty, Empowering fashionista — need I say more? Yet, the question people eagerly await the answer to is where her kids are? Her husband or partner? Tracee Ellis Ross discussed this in her speech at Glamour’s Women of the Year Summit in 2017. Then 45, she mentioned the endless questions and sympathies she received regarding her love life and family building, being told, ‘It is never too late for your life to have meaning.’ Wow, isn’t that wonderful to hear? She expressed, “My worth just gets diminished as I’m reminded that I failed on the marriage and the carriage counts. Me, this bold, liberated, independent woman… Why do I get snagged this way? As if all that I’ve done and everything to who I am doesn’t matter” (Glamour).
To combat these pressures, she reminds herself, “My life is mine,” and empowers women to live for themselves, to meet their own expectations rather than the expectations of others. You don’t need to be guilted or condemned for making what you want out of your life and breaking society’s dated, pre-set plan for you. Tracee Ellis Ross isn’t the first female to be questioned or misunderstood in how she lives her life, and, sadly, she won’t be the last. She may not have the ‘pregnancy glow,’ but I think she looks just as happy and beautiful.
via Tracee Elliss Ross’ Instagram
Abortion furthers gender inequality because it forces childbearing with the underlying message that a woman’s only purpose is to be a baby-making machine. As Ross put it, “The patriarchy is not pleased with me right now; I am failing at my function.” This may have become an article of me fangirling over Tracee, which I don’t regret, by the way. However, I hope this also serves as a way for you to ask yourself what you want instead of what you were told to want. If you are ever in the position of contemplating abortion, I hope that the procedure is available to you and that you are not shamed for the decision you make.
Who is Tracee Ellis Ross? Everything you need to know. Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements of Actress. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/tracee-ellis-ross-30700.php.
Nast, C. (n.d.). Tracee Ellis Ross is living for herself. Glamour. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.glamour.com/video/watch/tracee-ellis-ross-is-living-for-herself.