A Tale of Two Unconventional Love Stories

Unconventional is defined as, “not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.” The Hand Maids Tale, an adapted TV series, is a masterpiece that mixes horror, unity in the face of oppression, and unconditional love. The premise is unfathomable for any woman (or man who truly cares about women for that matter) with its audacious concept of women being nothing but incubators and servants to men. The fictionalized world of Gilead forces the viewer to think, “what if?” and places them squarely in the characters shoes.

But I digress, this review is about the documentary Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women in America, which makes that “what if” question even more terrifying. Now I know what you may be thinking, a documentary, really? Well yes, because this film tells a real life tale, one that many pregnant women across the country have experienced behind the scenes of a broken system. Personhood is about the underreported fact that many states have laws that make pregnant women into second class citizens, where her rights take a backseat, like back of the bus backseat. Not many people are aware of what can happen to a pregnant woman when an individual in a position of power deems an expectant mother’s actions dangerous or harmful to her fetus. Personhood gives an eye opening look at how laws that are aimed at banning abortion, are also being used to strip pregnant women of numerous other rights including the right to choose a natural birth over cesarean, the right to choose her own life over the life of her fetus in a worst case senario, and even the very right to be a good mother.

So why is the comparison to The Handmaids Tale so important? In Gilead we see some of the most controversial aspects of the Bible and extremist Christian beliefs come to life, as a large group of like-minded individuals come together in sedition to force their beliefs into reality for the whole of a country. In today’s America, especially in the wake of the January 6th Capital riots, the idea that something of this nature could happen at the nationwide level doesn’t seem as far-fetched anymore. Many of the far right militants who stormed the Capitol are deeply involved in the anti-abortion movement.

Personhood is a stark warning with valuable information that could one day be crucial to the women in your life if they become pregnant. The heartbreaking real life horror stories highlighted in Personhood trigger thoughts of, “does this really happen in our country?!” And “this only happens in third world countries, not here….” I am sorry to say that what you will learn in Personhood does in fact happen here in the good ole US of A, and much more frequently than one would think. And the impact is a pain and heartache that I know all too well.

Now I have a secret to share. The story at the heart of Personhood is my story. The events that unfold in the documentary happened to me in the state of Wisconsin. When the documentary first came out, I hadn’t yet watched The Handmaids Tale, but many news articles pointed out the similarities between what happened to me and the TV show. When I was finally ready to watch the series, I binge watched all the gut-wrenching, teeth clenching episodes, and then I understood the comparisons.

America doesn’t need to go down the road of Gilead. Throughout history there have been many powerful female figures that didn’t let religious, or cultural beliefs hold them back, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Mulan, Nefertiti, Queen Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great to name just a few. Now we need to follow in their example. I lived a piece of The Handmaids Tale and fought back. I made it through with a beautiful son and a loving husband. You may not believe this, so I ask you to watch for yourself, think for yourself, and see there is more to these laws than meets the eye.