Them: I’m against abortion and want the state to prevent women from getting them.
Me: So, you don’t believe in democracy, then?
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I don’t ask that question with snark or derision. It’s a genuine inquiry, clarifying whether they understand the implication of their political statement. It’s time for us to start having some serious conversations about what constitutes “democracy.” “Voting” is not the definition of democracy. For a social structure to be democratic there must be a set of operating principles in place, which are never violated. Violating one of them eliminates democracy. So, let’s start talking about some of the principles that must be embedded in the social conscience. Let’s start with bodily autonomy. Often, when people are “anti-abortion” and support state control over women’s bodies, they don’t realize that they are expressing a very anti-democratic political view. So, what’s the point of discussing abortion with them, at all?
Instead of talking to them about abortion or abortion rates or fetuses or personhood, we can talk to them about religious tyranny. Not all people believe fertilization is some sacred thing. It happens millions of times per day in a world full of beings which reproduce. It’s downright mundane. A milquetoast event of biology. Talk to them about how their belief is not more valid than someone else’s and this is why we can only apply our religion to ourselves. Remind them that state enforced religious mores is theocracy, which inherently erases the presence of democracy.
We can talk to them about respect. That it is patronizing to tell another person what to do with their body. That it’s utterly disrespectful to women and doctors to think a third party knows the life and medical circumstance of that woman and is rightfully more authoritative on the subject.
We can start to educate about the profound value of bodily autonomy. That democracy is not possible without it, because choices are being forced and voices are being silenced.
Peace is not possible without bodily autonomy. To deny someone their bodily autonomy requires use of violence and violent state mechanisms must be maintained. A population under threat of violence is not at peace. With an armed state, violence is an every day presence and, therefore, normalized. The citizenry are taught that violence is the best method of control. They use violence for parenting, for dispute resolution, for expression of frustration, for entertainment. They accept wars as the solution to international conflicts. They don’t bat an eye at the state meting out violence around the world. They feel relieved at the outsourcing. Like an abuse victim, who can breathe easier for a few minutes when the abuser is focused on someone else.
There is no peace without bodily autonomy. As infants, all of our development is about gaining bodily autonomy. We inherently know the empowerment of it. We relish it. We fall a thousand times in order to achieve the nirvana of walking in our own. What else do we fail at so often, while refusing to give up? Is there anything where there is no material reward, other than things which give us autonomy?
As soon as we gain some bodily autonomy, our authoritarian social constructs begin to take it away. After this great victory, we are demoralized by the relentless forms of control which tell us that we are not to be autonomous. When to eat. When to sleep. When to hug. When to smile. When to walk. When to run. When to be at school. Where to go to church. When to be silent. Keep your legs still. Don’t fidget. Don’t make noises. The list of controls and rules seems endless. We are punished if we don’t adhere to these prescribed behavioral patterns. We forget the ecstasy of autonomy. We learn that it will not be allowed. We bury the relish of it.
We are only allowed some regaining of bodily autonomy once we’ve been trained to accept the overbearing presence of the state’s violence and move within its strictly enforced boundaries. We have been successfully indoctrinated. We lose even the knowledge of the concept. Our voices are constrained by the internalized oppression of authoritarianism. This is not democracy. It never can be. Democracy requires that everyone has an “unfettered voice”. That is, all voices must be unrestrained by the power of others.
We need to have these discussions. We need to stop talking about abortion. We’ve capitulated to the patriarchy on this for far too long. We need to start talking about all the ways in which we have subverted democracy by having anyone wielding power over anyone else and, therefore, restraining their voices. Bodily autonomy is a key part of having unfettered voices participating in a democratic social system.
We need to have these discussions because the erasure of the import of bodily autonomy is why we’ve been passive about the generation of a massive industrialized military force (among other things. We’ll focus on this, for the moment because of the profound implication of it.) That force is the single biggest contributor to anthropogenic climate change.
We absolutely cannot prevent catastrophic-to-humans climate change without shutting down the military industrial complex. We can do every other thing we can think of, but it won’t steer us off this trajectory, if we don’t deal with the military factor.
But, we can’t even discuss this. People are afraid, yes. But, more than that, they support the idea of military force, because they don’t value bodily autonomy or recognize its critical importance to democracy, justice and sustainability.
It’s no accident that the power elites keep us talking about things such as abortion. When we focus on that, we are affirming for them that we still don’t realize the fundamental importance of bodily autonomy. That is, we’re sanctioning their apocalyptic activities, because we accept the authoritarian construct. They know they are yet to be challenged. They will rerun the abortion debate ad Infinitum. Or, well, ad terminus.
We must stop talking about abortion. We must stop allowing any state control over women’s bodies. It’s not just about women. It’s about instilling the principle of bodily autonomy for everyone. Telling those who enjoy power over others that we no longer accept it.
This isn’t a “women’s” issue. It’s a democracy issue. Once we allow the state to have any power over the bodies of others, we have abandoned democracy.
Stop talking about abortion. Start talking about democracy.
The appropriate response to anyone supporting the idea of controlling the bodily choices of women is, “so, you don’t believe in democracy then?”