Handmaids and the Plight of Abortion
The Handmaid’s Tale was never written as a prophecy for America’s abortion debates. Margaret Atwood drew from historical precedents to explore the dangers of coercion, not to demonize motherhood or family. The fact that women today freely wear costumes and protest proves the opposite: America is not Gilead. In our system of federalism, states have the right to govern differently, and individuals have the freedom to make choices within that structure. What protestors who dress up at handmaids to "stand" for abortion rights often miss is that the world of Gilead was defined by totalitarian control , where women had no say in whether they became mothers, workers, or even readers— far removed from America today, where women not only vote, work, and speak openly. Citizens retain freedom of movement and choice under the law in America, where the elected officials who uphold the interest of citizens are voted into those offices by those very citizens. That reality stands in stark ...