Feminist Rage Against The Duggars And Christianity Over Latest Pregnancy
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News broke four days ago that the Michelle Duggar was pregnant with what will be her 20th child. A post at Feministe has lead to a steady stream of hate directed at the Duggar family. First from the post.
In all seriousness, though, the newest Duggar always prompts debates across the feminist blogosphere about the appropriateness of criticizing women who choose to have large families. And certainly it’s generally accepted that it’s antifeminist to tell a mother how (or in what volume) she should parent. And it’s certainly a woman’s choice to be (or not be) a stay-at-home mom, have babies, have tons of babies, and/or measure her proudest accomplishment on the success of her family. (No snark intended there–God knows the world would benefit from a well-rounded and educated next generation.)
But concentrating on that aspect of the large-family discussion misses one essential element of the Duggar superfamily debate: the patriarchal, fundamentalist Christian dogma that influences women like Michelle Duggar to carry 20 pregnancies, particularly in light of #19, which was traumatic (verging on fatal) for both mother and micro-preemie baby.
It’s not that the subject of biblical patriarchy never comes up. When the “personhood amendment” came up–and, gloriously, went down–in Mississippi, it was a clear sign from fundamentalists that a potential life was more valuable than the walking incubator that carried it…
And some highlights from the comment section:
sabrina 11.11.2011 at 2:22 pm
I don’t think any of the criticism should be lobbed at michelle. She is just doing what she has been told to do under fear of eternal suffering. On the other hand, I hold jim bob in utter contempt. He is a despicable human being who is brain washing his daughters with the same rhetoric that he brain washes their mother. That man is responsible for the most disgusting form of domestic violence and gets away with it because waaa waaa waa religious freedom. He belongs in jail.Lindsay Beyerstein 11.11.2011 at 3:46 pm
The ideology that a woman should have as many babies as God “sends her” deserves to be criticized.
A woman should have as many babies as she wants, if that turns out to be the number of babies she ends up with by never using birth control, mazel tov.
If Duggar really wants a twentieth child and she’s prepared to undergo a high-risk pregnancy, that’s entirely up to her.
However, I reserve the right to criticize the ideology that Duggar says is guiding her choices. It’s profoundly irresponsible to deliberately leave the size of your family up to the vagaries of biology and luck. I’m not talking about an unplanned pregnancy, which can happen to anyone, I’m talking about the ideology that says that family planning is wrong, per se.
The Duggars seem to want a Biblically large family for its own sake and they’re fortunate enough to be able to provide for all these kids. But not everyone who shares their religious beliefs is going to want, or be able to take care, of a huge family. The doctrine that women should let nature decide how many babies they have is anti-feminist and morally reprehensible.
vanessa 11.11.2011 at 5:45 pm
I am going to go ahead and put on my Bad Feminist Hat, because I absolutely judge the Duggars. Completely and without shame. I think that what they are doing is dangerous, plain and simple, and is part of a larger push within certain fundie circles to make women and children more or less expendable, or only useful as part of some kind of army (see also: child abuse w/i fundie families).
Lindsay Beyerstein 11.12.2011 at 9:27 am
Samanthab, what I’m judging is the idea that a woman should “let God decide” how many children she will have, instead of making up her own mind. If she wants 2, or 20, or 0, that’s fine by me. It’s not up to me to tell her how much medical risk she should accept.
However, I am disgusted by any religious doctrine that requires a woman to give up control over her body and her life. Someone–namely Michelle Duggar–should be making decisions about how many children she wants and how much risk is too much.
The backbone of the Christian patriarchy philosophy is female submission, not pro-natalism, per se. You’re supposed to hope that God sends you a lot of babies, but the larger point is that what you want is irrelevant. This is about submission. It’s not a bug in this system that the number of kids you want, or the risks of pregnancy you’d be willing to accept will diverge from what “God sends you,” it’s a feature.
The larger religious point is that women must submit and accept their religious/biological destiny, even when they really don’t want to.
Isn’t feminism wonderful?
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2 Responses and Counting...
I though America was based on religious tolerance for ALL kinds of religions..if she were Jewish or Black would everyone be jumping on her like she is some kind of criminal?? It's her life, her body, her family, her beliefs…LEAVE HER ALONE!!!
If she were black you better believe they would be jumping down her throat. We don't need more black babies sucking up all the welfare /sarcasm.
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