The politics of getting pregnant in Trump's America
Should the political climate change your mind about having a baby?
In the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election, my best friend told me something deeply personal: "We're not sure if we're having another baby," she said. "We're going to wait and see what happens."
Specifically, she was waiting anxiously to see if Donald Trump would win.
Other friends shared similar sentiments during the vitriolic election season. "I hear you," I said, as footage of Trump and the words "grab 'em by the pussy" flashed across my TV screen. "These are scary times."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The truth was, my partner and I were also thinking about having another baby. And while I shared my friends' trepidations, a voice inside of me whispered: "I am ready now. Do I really have to wait?" My biology concurred, as did my partner. A week after Election Day, I threw up in the toilet. I was pregnant.
Anxiety is a normal part of parenthood. When you assume responsibility for a child's life, there comes a deep and relentless sense of vulnerability. Over the past few years, though, the emerging sociopolitical landscape — a climate of polarization and uncertainty — has heightened anxiety for both parents and non-parents across America. The American Psychological Association has recorded an increase in national anxiety among Republicans and Democrats alike; their surveys point to "election stress" and "current political climate" as significant factors. It is hardly a surprise, then, that in such conditions, people feel discouraged about starting or growing their families. Why bring children into a world that makes you despair?
This sentiment isn't just anecdotal, it is quantifiable. A recent study found that demand for long-term birth control — like IUDs and implants — rose more than 20 percent in the month after the 2016 election. While the researchers suggest one reason for the rise could be a growing concern about accessibility to birth control, I would venture to guess that anxiety about what the future would be like for kids and parents may have also have played a role here.
When I was pregnant with my first baby, the future seemed big and bright. Barack Obama was president, and hope was a natural byproduct of the "yes we can" era. For me, a white middle-class person, hope was also easy enough to take for granted. I did not follow the news obsessively because I trusted that the system, including its checks and balances, was reasonably on track. I trusted the nation's highest office was occupied by a person with dignity, values, and moral conscience. There was a strong sense that much of the world nodded in approval. Believing our country to be stable and fairly united afforded me the luxury of turning inward, towards the transformation of motherhood; a privilege for which I was — and still am — very grateful.
But now, everything feels different. Sometimes it even feels hopeless. Our country no longer welcomes immigrants in with open arms or aims to uplift families; if you work hard, there is no guarantee you will be able to pay your bills, afford health care, or climb up in the socioeconomic ranks. True, Trump cannot be blamed entirely for these injustices, but his policies inarguably further economic inequality; threaten the rights of women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community; promote xenophobia; and ignore the catastrophic impact of climate change. Hate crimes and the raging suicide and opioid epidemics have increased sharply under his regime.
After I found out I was pregnant, anxiety quickly dampened my excitement as I fretted about the future. The growing curve of my belly represented a vivid divide between the peacefulness of my inner sanctum and the toxic, fear-based culture churning on the outside. I struggled to reconcile this odd feeling of nurturing innocence during a time of turmoil, hate, and mistrust. I found myself alternating between both sides of the divide: either humming softly and turning in tenderly towards my baby — or baring my teeth and growling at the news reel like a mama wolf protecting her pup. I thought about how mothers all around the world give birth in much more extreme conditions, and the strength and courage they live by every day, and this humbled me. But in a way, I was in no hurry for my baby to come out.
On Inauguration Day, I was three months pregnant. I lay alone on the couch, curled into a ball, watching the transfer of powers on TV. While mourning the loss of the nation's first female president, I also prepared for a future of guaranteed patriarchy. I wondered: What would it mean for our two little girls to grow up during the Trump era?
My baby was estimated for arrival on the same day as a solar eclipse — one of the darkest days of the year — which felt fitting somehow. On that day, I remember the moon smudging out the sun. For a few eerie moments, darkness took over. When my baby chose a different day to be born, the sun was reassuringly high in the sky, and I felt grateful and ready for her to come out.
My baby is 17 months old now. Under Trump, American women face some dire prospects: soaring economic inequalities, rising health-care prices, rocketing educational costs and debts, along with attempts to roll back reproductive rights.
And yet, despite it all, I remain hopeful.
Every day, I watch my baby grow more independent, more fully integrated, more alive in this complicated world. When we visit the bunny rabbits at the local farm and her pudgy arms and legs dance excitedly, or she pretend-reads Goodnight Gorilla in her sister's lap, I can't help but smile. As a mother navigating the troubled waters of our times, I strive to remain optimistic for the sake of my daughters. I believe it's my job to uphold the same values of hope, love, and truth that our children unconsciously espouse. What I have come to understand, and feel ever so deeply, is that children are always a blessing — and good reminder not to succumb to the current climate of fear.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ariella Cook-Shonkoff is a licensed psychotherapist, art therapist, and freelance writer, and lives with her husband and two daughters in the San Francisco Bay area. In her spare time, she caffeinates, de-clutters, and takes child's pose.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 21, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - losing it, pedal to the metal, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Three fun, festive activities to make the magic happen this Christmas Day
Inspire your children to help set the table, stage a pantomime and write thank-you letters this Christmas!
By The Week Junior Published
-
The best books of 2024 to give this Christmas
The Week Recommends From Percival Everett to Rachel Clarke these are the critics' favourite books from 2024
By The Week UK Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published