Scholarly Review Of Beyond Control : Body And Self

Susan Sherwin’s view on abortion is primarily focused through the lens of feminist philosophy. Her article focuses primarily on how the feminist view provides more holistic, and less cold view on the topic of abortion that is more inclusive of the mother. The feminist view of abortion is primarily focused on looking at the factors that affect the mother through the process of the abortion, such as a woman’s feelings around the fetus, is conception, her partner, and her obligations. These are all factors that are not usually thought of by non-feminist thinkers. This is usually because the discussion around this topic is, as the author puts it “generally grounded in masculinist concepts of freedom (such as privacy, individual choice, and individuals’ property rights with respect to their own bodies)” (Sherwin.1997, 100). This view, as she puts it, primarily focuses on the morality and legal aspects of abortion. The basis of Sherwin’s paper centers around a feminist model from which to look at abortion. This model takes into account the emotional impact that an unwanted pregnancy has on the woman, who will be impacted most by this event. It gives sole power of design to the woman, who “may make mistakes in their moral judgements, but no one else can be assumed to have the authority to evaluate and overrule their judgements”. (Sherwin.1997, 102) Sherwin also advocates against the division of the mother and the fetus as separate entities during bioethical discussions. This also

Gaby Rodriguez’s purpose in The Pregnant Project is to inspire readers to think positively and to know their own inner strength despite how others may judge or act.

The paper introduces a sophisticated analysis of the maternity-related issues as well as childbearing policies in the USA. The American documentary “Born in the USA” serves as a material for the study. It is the first public television documentary to provide an in-depth look at childbirth in America. It offers a fascinating overview of birthing, beginning with the early days of our country when almost everyone knew of mothers or babies who died in childbirth. As medicine advanced, maternal and infant mortality rates dropped radically. Hospitals were soon promoted as the safe, modern way to have a baby. The film reveals some crucial specifications of pregnancy, giving birth to a child and raising an offspring in the United States. Specifically, it verifies a general assumption, according to which American obstetricians possess a worldwide recognition, due to their proficiency (Wagner, 2008, p. 4). Moreover, the paper reviews such issues as pregnancy

Attention Getter: “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother.” –Margaret Sanger

This essay makes the case that Barbara Park’s picture book MA! There’s Nothing to Do Here!: A Word from Your Baby-in-Waiting (2008) adds another equal-parts absurdist and alarming item to the ever-growing responsibilities of expecting mothers: ensuring that their fetus is entertained. The messages that Park’s narrative sends about fetal needs, however, have implications that extend beyond individual mothers; they also encompass larger societal issues concerning the origins of human life, the embryonic capacity for discomfort, and the existence of “fetal children.” Given the way in which MA!

Reading descriptions in medical texts, Martin wondered how male-oriented views from textbooks matched so cohesively with those of the interviewees. After some research, Martin realized the thought process of woman during labor matched the text book definitions due the definitions men witnessed during childbirth and illustrated in text books and woman culturally internalized and learned through ideology as a description of contractions vs. giving birth.

There has always been a stigma surrounding the topic of women’s health, especially the reproductive kind, as the world has set standards for a how a woman’s body should be. The stigma begins where, unfortunately for the world, women’s bodies oftentimes do not comply with these standards. Because of the rifts between expectation and reality girls are shamed, oftentimes unconsciously or via systemic responses and interactions. It becomes an ingrained and understood conduct, teaching girls that their bodies exist for objective purposes, and it lays the foundation for developing insecurities. Bodily insecurities tend to run so deeply that even women in adulthood shy away from taking proper care of themselves. Because of how taboo discussing women’s

In her chapter “Our Bodies, Ourselves: Reproductive Rights” she displays how the different society classes and race played a role in women’s rights (reproductively) as for the access to legal abortions, for most of the African Americans and the poor were not able to receive access to legal abortions due to cost. This chapter compares to Andrea Tone’s novel by illustrating how women of color were not privileged, which resulted in many having illegal abortions, as well as the right to choose when they could have children due to their demanding

A constructive critique of the research into women’s experiences of becoming a mother after prolonged labour.

In the article Stop calling abortion a ‘difficult decision’, Janet Harris suggests abortion isn't a burdensome decision to make individuals over think. Relating a Harris’s own experience on abortion, her only question was “How quickly can I get this over with?” Harris proclaims advocates on both sides of the issue forms statements by using “difficult decision” which depicts the meaning of the situation. Harris lists, surveys on women in relation to abortions to emphasize the choices was not a perplex decision. The author's purpose is to reveal seeking an abortion is straightforward in order to end dehumanizing women on their options. Janet’s annoyed tone desires the advocates on both sides of the abortion debate.

The modern world is in the midst of reconstructing gender roles; debates about contraception, reproductive freedom, and female inequality are contentious and common. The majority now challenges the long established assertion that women’s bodies are the eminent domain of patriarchal control. In the past, a woman’s inability to control her reproductive choices could come with ruinous consequences. Proponents of patriarchal control argue against reproductive independence with rhetoric from religious texts and with anecdotes of ‘better days,’ when women were subservient. Often, literature about childbearing fails to acknowledge the possibility of women being uninterested in fulfilling the role of motherhood.

Maya Angelou said, “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow” (Wanderlust 1). The relationship a mother has with her child transcends all other relationships in complexity. Maternity largely contributes to the female identity in part because the ability to sexually reproduce is uniquely female. With this ability often comes an unparalleled feeling of responsibility. That is, mothers experience an inherent desire to protect their children from the world and guide them through life. Serving as a child’s protector then transforms a woman’s perspective, or the female gaze. While these protective instincts often arise naturally, they are also reinforced by the ideas society’s perpetuates about motherhood. Globally, women are expected to assume the roles of wives and mothers. The belief that motherhood is somewhat of a requirement assists in the subjugation of women and reinforces a plethora of gendered stereotypes. While some women enjoy the process of childrearing, others feel that having a family comes at an irreparable cost: losing sight of oneself. In response to the polarized views surrounding maternity, several authors have employed different writing techniques to illustrate the mother-child dynamic. Through the examination of three narratives, spanning fiction and non-fiction, one is able to better define maternity and the corresponding female gaze in both symbolic and universal terms.

Labour is described as the process by which the fetus, placenta and membranes are expelled through the birth canal (Fraser and cooper 2003) Childbirth experience is consistently described as a significant event of powerful psychological importance in a women life. Childbirth can be a development task (or) a

Arlie Russell Hochschild’s discussion of “emotion work” explores how social rules govern human emotions. “emotion work” applies to the act of trying to evoke or suppress a feeling while changing the thought associated with emotion, the emotion itself or following the physical symptom caused by the emotion. This process influenced by various social situations regarding race, culture and gender, including, but not limited to concepts of femininity and ideal motherhood. Malacrida and Boulton’s research on “Women’ Perceptions of Childbirth ‘Choices’: Competing Discourses of Motherhood, Sexuality, and Selflessness” opens up crucial aspects of women’s identity and the different perception of an ideal mother. Women engage in an “emotion work” when making a childbirth choice. In other words, they learn to either suppress or to promote their feelings to match with the characteristics of an ideal mother. Moreover, they challenge their thoughts, their emotions and their bodily reactions to fulfil the social expectations of an excellent mother. Although this “emotion work” becomes vigorously demanding as it contradicts another social value associated with women who accomplish and pleases heteronormative sexual needs, it still

When I started my body drawing I experienced a deep sense of resistance and confusion. So badly I wanted to feel joyful and excited. While contemplating my reluctance, I thought, this is my temple, right? I know it well. Shouldn’t I be diving right in? Nevertheless, the entire drawing was an itchy stubborn journey, one through which I discovered a complex truth: this so called ‘temple’ is a concept which is defined in part by isolate functions, biological rules, capabilities, and quality of growth. However, equally I found that it is regularly defined and re-defined by how it is used, utilised, communicated with, and objectified by others (in this instance others would be anything outside of the self that relates to or interacts with the body).