Woman's Great Disease

THE WORST THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN TO A WOMAN.

THE ONE THING TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS.

THE DISEASE THAT WILL DESTROY YOUR LIFE FOREVER.

PREGNANCY.

What does this attitude say?

Not pregnant? You are a champion. A free woman. Victorious! Successful! Happy, joyful and freeeeeeeee!

Which means if you are pregnant… oh. Well then, uhmmmm…. Don't worry. It'll be ok. You'll make it through. Somehow. You have options. We can fix this. We can fix you.

But what if...

Disease : "a condition of the living animal or plant body… that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms; a harmful development." - Merriam-Webster

The Problem

Women can get pregnant. Men, cannot. So pregnancy is distinctive to women; it is a unique ability of their bodies, many would even say it is a unique gift.

The modern attitude, though, is that pregnancy is something more like a disease. It is a harmful and unfortunate circumstance that needs to be prevented, or if contracted - cured. Healthy bodies are free of disease. So to be healthy, women need to be free of this disease - free, in a sense, of their own bodies.

But there's something pretty degrading about telling women that there's something so wrong with their bodies, something so wrong with them.

Pregnancy is a huge deal. But it doesn't "impair" normal functioning of a woman's body. Having children is, in fact, VERY normal to a woman's body - it's what it is designed to do! So sending the message that pregnancy is a horrible, loathsome thing also sends the message that a woman's body is kind of loathsome, itself. And we all know that society/the media give women enough reasons already to dislike their bodies - we don't need more lies.

What women need is…

Support: in pregnancy - emotionally, physically, financially, etc. Nineteenth century suffragist Victoria Woodhull wrote that ideally, when a woman is pregnant, “it will be immediately held that she is laboring for society…she will become the especial care of society and, while she is performing this sacred duty, be paid the highest wages received by any class, and be treated accordingly during the entire [pregnancy].” Just imagine a world where that was the case!

Celebration: of the ridiculously awesome power women have to give life to entirely new unique human beings, that will exist for eternity!

Acceptance: of the way women's bodies work. When women have sex, they can get pregnant, and this incredible power should be respected with the reverence it deserves. [#casualaintcool] Women deserve the security of knowing the father will be around when she gets pregnant, which means waiting til marriage = pretty empowering, because it's about prioritizing the way woman is made.

Fertility is not a flaw.