“A white supremacist, cis-normative hetero-patriarchy”

Kate Manne:

Abortion bans target and primarily victimize women, who are seen as no longer fulfilling their rightful reproductive and social role as mothers in particular and caregivers in general, to everyone around them.

Primarily?

We are perceived as owing our bodies, our minds, our labor, to men and “their” children within a white supremacist, cis-normative hetero-patriarchy.

What does it have to do with white supremacy? What is “cis-normative” about it?

Hence the deliberate cruelty and, in my view, paradigmatic misogyny involved in enforcing pregnancy

I agree with that bit at any rate. It can’t help being misogynist, given who the victims are. That’s complicated by the fact that there are many many many women who want to enforce pregnancy, but it’s still misogyny.

Never mind, here it comes.

And yet abortion bans affect others too—anyone who can get pregnant, in the first instance.

Anyone who can get pregnant of course=women. Women only. No men.

This includes cis girls, trans boys and men, and some non-binary and intersex people.

No. It includes girls of course, but it includes zero boys and men. Some women call themselves the meaningless “non-binary” but that has nothing to do with pregnancy or abortion.

When I talk about who is potentially affected by abortion bans, I thus talk about people who can get pregnant. Not only is this appropriately inclusive, but it’s not exclusive either of the many, many women—trans women, post-menopausal women, and women with infertility issues—who are not currently impregnable. 

On the contrary, it’s inappropriately “inclusive.” It’s an inclusion too many. The bit about women who can’t get pregnant is pure shameless smokescreen – she’s a philosophy teacher, she knows damn well that “only women can get pregnant” is not the same as “all women can get pregnant.” Infertile women are not insulted when we point out that abortion bans are attacks on women’s rights.

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