Kimberly, the “homeschooling mother of 4, surrogate mother of 2, and a military wife” over at A Little Crunchy, writes a bit about her decision to be a surrogate mother:
I had been assaulted sexually when I was little, it twisted my own sexuality a bit I think. When I was a teen another assault and it left me feeling like it should be my choice what happened to my body. Men had taken from me that which I did not give. In surrogacy I found my power back. I could give what others could not take and I could do it gently and with love, not with force and pain. I was reclaiming part of my soul, part of my womanhood. I am so blessed to have found a fantastic couple to help, two amazing men worthy of me and what I wanted to give. They let me make them a family, they let me heal the hurt and fill the void. TWICE! I feel so very lucky.
Kimberly’s full post, available here, is a response to a NYT opinion piece by Christine Overall (Philosophy, Queen’s [Canada]) entitled Think Before You Breed.
I was interested in Kimberly’s description of surrogacy as a way of taking control of her own body and healing after sexual assault. I also was struck by Kimberly’s self-description as “pro-life” (here), combined with her words at the end of her post: “What you do with your body is your own choice.” Kimberly critiques Overall for “trying to police motives and like any pro-lifer she is trying to guilt to make others bend to her views.”
I have asked before (here) whether one can be pro-life and a feminist, too. The post over at A Little Crunchy helps clarify to the answer for me. If by being “pro-life,” one means not wanting to choose an abortion for oneself, and if by being a “feminist” one means “what you do with your body is your choice,” then the answer seems to be that a pro-life view and feminism are entirely compatible.
-Bridget Crawford
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