Sex = Possession?

Right, this one makes me mad. Not mad in a ‘I’m wearing an eccentric hat and am therefore a mad hatter’ sort of mad (though I won’t deny if I’ve done that or not), but mad in an ‘OMG, did I seriously that?’ sort of mad.

My old ‘friend’ TA of Theology Archaeology has been speaking about abortion. He’s deeply religious and therefore his stance is pro-life. His particular idea of pro-life is to suggest women have no say over their own bodies once they’ve engaged in sexual behaviour.

Yes, he did indeed say that.

There is no right to kill the unborn no matter what excuse is made to make that act legal. The excuse it ids the woman’s body and she gets to do with it as she pleases does not hold up as once a woman and man join together in sexual intimacy, they lose possession of their bodies and their bodies are no longer solely their own.

Woah, hold up a minute. Does TA seriously believe he can tell a woman that he has sex with that he has any say over what she does with her body? Is the reverse true? Can a woman therefore tell a man what he can or can’t do with his body? Because oddly enough, I’ve never seen that argument come up.

Here’s the thing. As a man, I cannot begin to understand the physical, emotional and psychological demands pregnancy places upon a woman. I cannot understand how it alters and changes a woman’s life to become a mother. It is profound, in a manner that is far different to what a man experiences. The woman is often expected in society to be the primary caregiver, putting their lives on hold for the sake of their child. I have no right to dictate to any woman what the right decision is for them, least of all with something as life-changing as pregnancy and motherhood.