The laws created echo the continuous struggles of women and other marginalized groups. Laws are the culmination and the realization that our patriarchal society has created from its inception. The laws that have been created by our society came into being during the revolutionary war and the subsequent creation of the Declaration of Independence. These laws have governed the way we live, the way we act, and the way our society has been shaped. They have continued to marginalize groups while accomplishing an agenda that appeals the constructed norm.
When the Declaration of Independence was created how many people signed it? 56. How many of them were men? All of them. What was there ethnicity? They were all white. It is comical and ironic how men throughout history are always the ones who create the laws that govern everyone else. The United States is no exception to this. Today, you can argue that there are more women in power that have the ability to cause change and this is true to an extent. Even with the growing number of women working within the government, we still have yet to have a female president. Although the number of women in the Senate is growing, the senate is still a mere 25% women compared to 75% men.
Though gender equality is perceived to be getting better by some, there is still a huge gap and it does not just end with female representation within the government but it is also present with the wage gap between men and women. Just another echo of how past laws have influenced current beliefs and current standings. Men are still making more money compared to women across the board.
The topic of abortion is also important as it directly reflects the laws created by a patriarchal society. I find it sickening how men in power have the ability to decide what we can do with our own body. The idea that the body I have is my own, is thrown on its head when our new supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh seems pretty content with making abortions more regulated. To make matters worse, our own President stated in 2016 that, “there should be some form of punishment” for anyone who gets an abortion. May I remind you our president, who famously said, “Grab ’em by the pussy” publicly objectifies women, yet at the same time, he is allowed to directly influence ALL WOMEN?????
The people who can directly influence abortion are the same people that continuously harm women. They are already less qualified to make policies based on female anatomy but they are even less qualified because of their character. The patriarchy has created a system that has benefited them from its inception. The laws have further put women and anyone else who does not fit within the artificially constructed norms off to the side to be further neglected.
Decisions on abortion and the laws that govern the legality of abortion should not be left to people like our current president. These laws should be directly represented and implemented by the people abortion laws would affect. Our bodies are our own and we should be able to decide what we can and cannot do with them.
Its time to take action and reform the system that has been put in place. Its time to bring some semblance of unity to this nation where it was constructed to be separate from the start.
https://paddle8.com/work/kelly-witte/134585-our-bodies-our-choice/
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
