You may be among the many women frightened by the downfall of Roe. Although we disagree, your anxiety is understandable: The pro-abortion media is not telling you the truth. From the Democratic Party to corporate America to Hollywood, our institutions present abortion as a necessary medical treatment—one we rely on for full equality with men.
But the reality is liberating. Life changed very quickly in the 20th century. For better and for worse, new technologies upended the way humans lived for the vast majority of our existence on this earth.
We don’t often think of it this way, but contraceptive technologies changed the way we have sex. So, too, did the abortion industry that developed and then flourished after Roe, taking the procedure from dangerous back alleys into doctor’s offices. Children can now be killed with pills sent through the mail.
The left’s argument was that abortion made women equal, free to live to life’s fullest potential on their own terms. The implication of that logic is that pregnancy is the choice in question, not sex. (Except, of course, in the case of rape.) This logic insists men can have sex without carrying babies and disrupting their careers, so women must be able to do the same in order to realize equality.
We should absolutely be equal, but we should not try to be the same. This is where the truth becomes liberating. Everything from biology to psychology to common sense indicates that most women are not made to have sex without commitment. It is not good for us. Whether you’re religious or not, sex reserved for loving and committed relationships is the healthiest norm for women. Increasingly, even secular left-wing media is reckoning with this.
Janet Yellen, of all people, once co-authored a paper for the leftist Brookings Institute that determined legal abortion increased single motherhood. This may seem counterintuitive. But with easy abortion access, casual sex increased, leaving more women pregnant outside of marriage or other committed relationships.
When Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports lamented the Dobbs decision in an emergency Friday press conference, his pro-abortion position was very telling. Portnoy, like many guys in 2022, engages in hookup culture.
Legalized abortion enables men to engage in the kind of sex that hurts women. Democrats and media won’t admit it anymore, now that “safe, legal, and rare” is out the window, but abortion also causes physical and psychological scars that haunt women for years after the procedure.
You may disagree with whether women have or should have a right to choose abortion. You may disagree with whether life begins at conception. But viewed in the full sweep of history, access to high-tech abortions on demand is not natural. It is not healthy.
If you’re a millennial like me, the death of Roe felt unthinkable, like it’s always been here and always will be. But 50 years is the blink of an eye in this universe. Those of us alive in 2022 are living through a truly extraordinary moment in human history, one in which technological magic improves life immeasurably but also thrusts us into uncharted territory, some of which is profoundly anti-human.
We’re reeling from these rapid changes to our most basic functions. When you step back and see human sexuality through this lens, you are free from the exploitive norms of postmodern sexuality. You’re free to be equal, happy, and healthy.
Emily Jashinsky is culture editor at The Federalist and host of Federalist Radio Hour. She previously covered politics as a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner. Prior to joining the Examiner, Emily was the spokeswoman for Young America’s Foundation. She’s interviewed leading politicians and entertainers and appeared regularly as a guest on major television news programs, including “Fox News Sunday,” “Media Buzz,” and “The McLaughlin Group.” Her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Real Clear Politics, and more. Emily also serves as director of the National Journalism Center, host of The Hill’s weekly show “Rising Fridays,” and a visiting fellow at Independent Women’s Forum. Originally from Wisconsin, she is a graduate of George Washington University.
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