Healthcare

Mr. Doggett's speech on the history of the Roe v. Wade decision provided me a wider context through which to understand the cultural forces that shaped the way we talk about abortion in our society. Particularly, I was interested in how the birth of the movement came from the rivalry between doctors and midwives, and the role of government in healthcare.  

Abortion is, first and foremost, a healthcare decision. Mr. Doggett describes in his lecture how the government's role in healthcare came into conflict with privacy rights during the Griswold vs. Connecticut case. Personally, I believe there is a parallel between the paternalistic attitude of the government toward personal decisions regarding sexuality and the continued proliferation of men's opinion within women's healthcare. From it's genesis, the movement against abortions was about the removal of women from women's healthcare -  the disenfranchisement of midwives. 

The topic of abortion was common in my young life, having gone to a Catholic school. One of my earliest mentors, a male, is vehemently pro-life, frequently flying down to Washington D.C. to attend marches against abortion. And, while I have no doubt that this man does not intend to take power from women through his expression of his personal and religious beliefs, I believe the history of the pro-life movement speaks through generations. Regardless of personal intentions, the criminalization of abortion has the same effect: to perpetuate a culture in which women are not believed to have the judgement or ability to make decisions for themselves.