The Womb Police: Abortion Bans, Black Bodies and Contemporary Genocide

I speak only from my own reality. I know a lot of people won’t agree or like what I have to say. Thats perfectly fine. However, I look at everything differently. FYI before you continue reading.

I have a lot to say about these new abortion laws. Many mixed feelings. A lot of my views are coming from a Black lens. Black women have been used as breeding machines and force sterilized. Two totally different evils. Which one is the reality just depends what’s going on in the world at that moment. In the 40’s-70’s black folks didn’t support abortions (60% weren’t down with it). I mean, why would they be. Black people were being injected with syphillis experimentally for 4 decades, forced sterilized for 7 decades(and even now. Y’all just don’t know about it…I know stories) and labeled as beast by their own and other groups socially. There is a fear and lack of trust for the government and medical personnel amongst the Black community. Doctors don’t treat us very well. I know women in their 80’s who were sterilized against their will 50 years ago and they fear speaking out about it. This is a recent issue! I have to say that in case anyone tries me with that, “Oh my God! That was so long ago” mess. There is a history of population control within the Black community through Eugenics beliefs. The founder of Planned Parenthood, Margret Sanger, was a eugenicist. She believed in controlling the amount of children poor women had as a means to “better the race”. She didn’t focus on race or color. I will say that. On the other hand, Planned Parenthood offices are often placed in Black and Latinx communities….but I’ll let y’all think about that.

Black people make up 12.1% of America. However, Black women make up 40% of abortions carried out in the USA. At this rate Black Americans will be endangered in the near future. Our bodies have been policed for so long. This ban is not shocking or scary for me. Trump becoming president wasn’t scary for me either. Just another thing to deal with.

Honestly, I feel my Black identity more than my gender and sex. In the same breath I don’t think any man (or male) should tell any female what to do with her(their/insert fitting pronouns) body. I also think that if a man doesn’t want a child and suggest an abortion and the female refuses, he shouldn’t be financially obligated. And vice versa (because males can have children. I am using all terms from my heterosexual identity FYI). The whole act of child bearing is a two person thing to me. Females carry the child. Males help produce it. If one side can choose not to want in, I think the other side should be able to do the same.

It’s not ok for rape victims to bare the seed of violence if they don’t want to.  It’s not ok to have children that are results of inbreeding. Some people don’t need to have children. There are plenty of situations were abortion needs to be legal. Taking it’s legality away will most likely result in back alley abortions or people going to Mexico to get drugs that induce miscarriages (the latter is already happening in large amounts).

I’m pro everyone doing whatever the hell works for them as long as they are safe and the term of the pregnancy is regulated. This “heart beat” topic is non sense. Have you seen what a fetus looks like at six weeks? It doesn’t look like a child at all. It is not developed. Fetus don’t start looking like actually human like figures until week 14. Additionally, fetus have no organ growth other than the heart for the first eight weeks. Nothing can live with just a heart. So why are we pinpointing a developed heartbeat? Seems fishy to me.

Deeper research is a must. You can have an opinion but learn other opinions. Accept that you need to know more. I need to know more and my opinion is always evolving. It may completely change in the next few days. With that, I don’t think this is a decision men or women need to be exclusively making. Collaboration is cool. But then again, I’d be damned if a man told me what to do with my body. It just doesn’t make sense. I’d also be damned if a woman told me what to do with my body. Sooo yea, I’m just a girl from Chicago that won’t accept what the media wants me to. Let people do what they want. If you don’t they will do it anyway. Look at drug. They’re  illegal and people still use and abuse them. I’m pro choice. I’m also pro life, if that is best for you.

Taken by Whom

Since I was twelve I’ve been in some type of relationship. I’m really secretive with acknowledging my partners to the world. I had a high school sweetheart turned full blown adult love that ended pretty drastically. I think I was really shaken up and confused about that breakup until recently. In my eyes I made myself look crazy. Sometimes, you have to let loose and let those emotions provide you with lessons you’ve missed in the past. Since that situation, I’ve been really quiet and really scared to do the whole “lets let the world know about our love” thing. I don’t like looking stupid. In return I’ve blocked a lot of potentially good guys. But to me, being madly in love with your “soulmate” one second and hating them the next looks crazy stupid. I’ve done that and people don’t let you live it down. No thank you! That s*** is scary. Nineteen year old me thought I would marry my then boyfriend. I was young and in love. I feel like I have to be 1,000,000 % sure with an engagement ring before I make those types of claims ever again. I’m still young and would hate to make that brash of a decision and be embarrassed. 

I’ve tried the one night stand/fling things and it often results in the man wanting some type of long term relationship from me (believe it or not). Even if that relationship is just a close friendship. I have come to the conclusion that I’m a pretty dope woman. I strengthen any man who is blessed to be in my life. Anyone I’ve been with I can call right now and there would be no ill will. I’m extremely independent. I never ask anyone for anything (I need to stop this though. Sometimes you need people to know that they are appreciated and let them help you.) I move around pretty quietly. I don’t make a scene. I don’t cause any strife. I don’t argue. I always walk away from conflict. I check in on every man in my life. Literally, none of them could say I don’t. I often send words of praise to them just out of pure love. I never expect them to return the praise. They also never do—with no exception. I am a rock for all the men who walk into my life. 

I give too much love. Sometimes you have to send the loving vibes without being too nice. It’s in my nature to do just that—be too nice but, not everyone can receive that love. Some people break you down when you build them up. A lot of times we self sabotage. I have to just accept that and send my love and light from a distance. 

I’ve been alone , quite literally, for the last year and some change. I’m now taken by myself. Dating myself is a real learning experience. Its also a very necessary experience for the many millennials that are products of trauma and abuse (more specifically those of color). You can’t always blame you intimate and romantic troubles on your past partners. It’s more reflective to sit with yourself and question how you let someone treat you any less than the queen/king you are working to be. I, myself, see a lot of my parents chaotic ways in my past choices. I am twenty four. This is the best time to recognize that foolishness. I will no longer give my all to those that give me their baggage. I will no longer dim my strength to let someone else outshine mine. I will absolutely stop being afraid to show my affection toward others out of fear of looking crazy. That’s not the way this works. The first step with this change is being more vulnerable. I’m with myself. Though it feels uncomfortable, it is liberating. 

Cheers to those that will be single this soon approaching Valentines Day. Take this time to reflect on yourself. If you strengthen your foundation the structure will be solid.

Bless, 

Shae.