May 18 2006
We Are All Pre-pregnant Women
According to an article in The Washington Post, the Centers for Disease Control has advised that all women “between first menstrual period and menopause” treat themselves as “pre-pregnant.” Pre-pregnant women “should take folic acid supplements, refrain from smoking, maintain a healthy weight and keep chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes under control.” The U.S. has one of the highest infant-mortality rates of any industrialized country. But “forever pregnant,” as the Post’s title quips? Mother Jones notes “the incredibly offensive implication that all women are nothing more than incubators who should remain healthy not because it’s good for them, but because it makes for healthier babies. And note that even though the report’s first recommendation is that ‘each woman, man and couple should be encouraged to have a reproductive life plan,’ it never calls on the government to encourage contraceptive use. Which is, uh, pretty important for family planning.” And check out this June 7 article by Sunsara Taylor, “A Handmaid’s Tale”–from real life.
I don’t take this to mean the government perceives me as an “incubator.” I appreciated learning how long-term health practices would affect not just me, but any children I might have. It’s easier to take risks with yourself than with your baby. When I did learn, I wished I had been informed earlier. Sorry, no feminist umbrage here.
Dude, aren’t you the same guy who repeatedly stated in “River Run Requiem” that the earth functions more as one living organism than a collection of separate individuals? Women giving birth is a major part of that paradigm. Acknowledging the power and responsibility of potential motherhood flows naturally from your own concept of Sophia.