This Oklahoma Lawmaker’s Comments About Pregnant Women’s Bodies Are Worrisome
The political realities under our current administration have sounded some alarm bells over the security of women’s rights issues. In some US states, women’s healthcare is under major threat, and women’s organizations have expressed alarm at President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination. And now, what an Oklahoma lawmaker just said about pregnant women has given us another reason to be… concerned.
While being interviewed by Intercept, Oklahoma State Rep. Justin Humphrey attempted to justify his wildly controversial and unconstitutional bill which requires pregnant women to get permission from the man who provided the sperm in order to obtain an abortion.
While saying that he can understand how women might “feel like that [their own body] is their body” (ya know, which it absolutely, 100 percent, unquestionably is), Humphrey feels that once you get pregnant your body becomes, instead, a “host.”
“I understand that they feel like that is their body,” he said, speaking of women, then adding, “I feel like it is a separate — what I call them is, is you’re a ‘host.’ And you know when you enter into a relationship you’re going to be that host and so, you know, if you pre-know that then take all precautions and don’t get pregnant.”
He continued, “So that’s where I’m at. I’m like, hey, your body is your body and be responsible with it. But after you’re irresponsible then don’t claim, well, I can just go and do this with another body, when you’re the host and you invited that in.”
That’s… um… clear?
Despite the WTF nature of how it was said, the message is: When a woman becomes pregnant, she is no longer considered an autonomous individual, but instead a host to the fetus. And while it may sound like a bungled explanation of what pregnancy is, the fact that this comes from an influential lawmaker will surely come across as threatening to a lot of Americans.
In response, Amanda Allen, senior state legislative counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights, told Intercept, “I would say it’s certainly a new low for Oklahoma. This is, to my mind, a fruitless effort to shame and stigmatize women who are seeking abortion care and it is completely and unequivocally unconstitutional.”
What do you think about Oklahoma State Rep. Justin Humphrey’s statement that a pregnant women becomes a host? Tweet us @BritandCo!
(h/t Jezebel; photos via Hero Images + Letizia Le Fur/Getty, Oklahoma State Legislature)
