The News in Motherhood: the Good, the Bad, the WTF

The News in Motherhood: the Good, the Bad, the WTF
All around the world, mothers and pregnant women are undervalued, discriminated against, and punished.

By Katha Pollitt
August 20, 2018

If women stopped conceiving, birthing, and raising children, the human race would die out. And just in case you think that’s a good idea, consider that long before the end, countries would age and wither and old people would have no one to talk to but cats and robots, as in Japan. You would think sensible societies would make everything connected with reproduction rewarding and safe for women. But no, when it comes to childbearing around the world, there’s way more stick than carrot. Consider:

In Argentina, as in the United States, most women who have abortions are low-income mothers trying to do right by the kids they already have. Despite a huge grassroots feminist movement, a vigorous campaign, and victory in the Chamber of Deputies, the Argentine Senate (42 men and 30 women) voted 37-31 in July against legalizing abortion, currently a crime except for rape and to save the woman’s life.

Continued: https://www.thenation.com/article/the-news-in-motherhood-the-good-the-bad-the-wtf/