Response to Project
I’m really glad to have had an opportunity to explore a subject matter which I find so meaningful and relevant. The matter of reproductive choice is something that is far too often skirted around in science fiction. While countless SF television shows, books, short stories and films depict unexpected and even forced pregnancy (Star Trek, The X-Files), I can’t think of even one where abortion is discussed or ever mentioned by name. The closest SF analog that I can think of is the film Prometheus, in which the heroine has a homicidal alien fetus extracted from her womb… and even in that case, the fetus survives after it’s cut out! I had a lot of fun writing several happy endings for my character’s story. I don’t feel this is particularly unrealistic. Media has brainwashed us to expect tragedy for women who choose abortion. My character’s pregnancy is at an early stage, early enough so that it can be safely terminated with pills looted from an abandoned pharmacy. For that matter, there is a long history of abortion induced with medicinal herbs that long predates modern medicine. Obviously that’s not a good idea when other resources/doctors are available. Herbal abortifacients such as pennyroyal have killed women (even as recently as the 1970s), however I felt that in context, it was more important for my character to survive her encounter with pennyroyal than to illustrate its (very real) risk of poisoning. She gets join the ranks of women who were desperate enough to choose a risky method and fortunate enough to survive unscathed and victorious.
Recommended Reading
1) Terrific piece on the history of pennyroyal as a literary symbol:
Wierzbicki, Kaye. “A Cup of Pennyroyal Tea – The Toast.” The Toast. The-toast.net, 27 May 2015. Web. 23 May 2016.
http://the-toast.net/2015/05/27/a-cup-of-pennyroyal-tea/
2) The introductory essay to this collection has some brilliant & insightful thoughts about representation of women & women’s bodily autonomy in science fiction:
Sargent, Pamela. Women of Wonder: Science Fiction Stories by Women about Women. New York: Vintage, 1975. Print.
3) Some good commentary on gender roles during an apocalypse:
Thompson, Amy L., and Antonio S. Thompson. –But If a Zombie Apocalypse Did Occur: Essays on Medical, Military, Governmental, Ethical, Economic and Other Implications. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and, 2015. Print.
4) Vaguely upsetting article about how real-life “preppers” and survivalists discuss women, gender roles, and female bodies:
Rahm, Lina. “Special Issue: Early Career Researchers I.” Gender Forum: Who Will Survive? On Bodies and Boundaries after the Apocalypse. Linköping University, Sweden, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
5) A video briefly explaining the trope of the Mystical Pregnancy (especially in science fiction) from the ever-controversial Anita Sarkeesian:
Feministfrequency. “#5 The Mystical Pregnancy (Tropes vs. Women).”YouTube. Feminist Frequency, 28 July 2011. Web. 23 May 2016.
