As President Donald Trump’s first 100 Days in office have been scrutinized by literally everyone in the United States, let’s evaluate the wonderful things he has done for women around the country.
Even before his inauguration on January 20th, 2016 the President was known for his (anti)woman stance on issues such as the funding of Planned Parenthood. From tweeting about the failures of Planned Parenthood to signing the Mexico City Policy (which removes the ability for non-governmental organizations to perform or promote abortions,) Trump has clearly redefined women’s rights and human rights for the next 4 years.
How does that relate to the 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale? It’s quite simple: women around the world are now living the written reality.
“The Handmaid’s Tale”, written by Margaret Atwood, illustrates the horrors of fertile women living under a totalitarian theocracy. Set in the Republic of Gilead, Offred (the main character) depicts her life under the “Commander.” Practically living in hell, gay men are hung and strung on public walls- accused of “crossing genders”- while women are only considered human if they’re fertile. Even more extreme, women must lie down once a month and pray that the all-mighty Commander will bless her with a baby.
Every day we advance under Trump’s presidency is one step closer toward living that reality.
“There has to be some form of punishment.”
— Donald Trump on abortion, March 30, 2016
Although life now may not be strikingly similar to what Atwood writes, issues regarding the rollback on abortion policies and LGBT+ rights are shifting America back a century. While Trump is not opening hanging members of the LGBT+ community, his stance on same-sex marriage has always been shady. In “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Offred notes the absence of protection. Women have to take extra precautions to “secure their safety” while subsequently carrying out everyday errands in their highly dictated lives. These issues are masked under both societal norms and the “normality” of these instances, making change fictional.
Of course, instances such as the Women’s March or the March for Science have been prevalent and have issued responses from the presidential administration, but tweeting isn’t going to solve the world’s problems. With the increase representation of minorities in media now, I’d like to think the resistance against Trump has been… pretty okay.
There needs to be more.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” may not have been written to predict the future (or the present day today) but there will always be the question of humanity looming over these next few years. For now, however, realizing the impacts of Trump’s executive orders and stance on issues surrounding humanity will hopefully make life easier to live.
