During my morning dog walk along the community greenway, I observed two boys, around twelve years old, fishing from the spillway between the upper and lower pond areas. One of them had just caught a fish. Though our pond has a catch-and-release policy, I questioned whether they were aware of it. They held the fish up as they chatted, seemingly unaware of its struggle to breathe. Their focus remained on their conversation, completely disregarding the fish's welfare, viewing it merely as an object of amusement.

Normally, I wouldn’t intrude on strangers, but I found myself contemplating whether I should intervene. Eventually, the boy who caught the fish began to remove the hook, albeit slowly, still engrossed in conversation. Noticing the fish's tail twitching, I couldn’t recall how long a fish could survive out of water. Finally, I shouted,

“Put the fish back in the water — now! It can’t breathe! Stop talking and return it to the pond!”

He managed to free the hook, and the fish was soon returned to the water. As I walked away, the boys mocked me, mimicking my urgent tone in a high-pitched sing-song manner. I felt tears welling up, not out of concern for their opinions, but because their actions epitomized the upbringing of privileged white boys. They are conditioned to believe that the world exists for their enjoyment, and it was evident that this mindset had already taken root in them. This entitlement mirrors the attitudes of men who, lacking understanding of women's bodies, presume they possess the right to legislate over them.

For many of these men, nature is merely a resource for their entertainment, whether it’s fishing or exploiting land for profit. Recently, a disturbing trend called “coyote whacking” emerged, where individuals post videos of themselves running over coyotes with snowmobiles for likes on YouTube. A recent proposal to ban this practice in Jackson, Wyoming, failed to progress beyond committee discussion.

This sense of entitlement extends to women, who since the rise of patriarchy roughly 10,000 years ago, have been relegated to roles of childbearing and domestic servitude.

> "The patriarchal systems that emerged brought women for the first time under the direct control of fathers and husbands with few cross-cutting sources of support. Women as wives under this system were not social adults, and women’s lives were defined in terms of being a wife. Women’s mothering and women’s sexuality came to be seen as requiring protection by fathers and husbands."

The new restrictive laws emerging across the nation concerning women's reproductive rights reflect a lack of genuine concern for infants. If legislators truly cared, there would be equal emphasis on supporting mothers and children post-birth, including accessible birth control to prevent unintended pregnancies. Instead, those behind these laws often oppose birth control and promote abstinence-only education, if any sex education is provided at all.

The intent behind these laws is to reinforce the patriarchal expectation of women as childbearers. Many men perceive this as women fulfilling their purpose, insisting that those who engage in sex outside of marriage must accept the resultant consequences. This perspective neglects the men's role in conception and the reality that many women seeking abortions are not promiscuous, but rather mothers who are already struggling to support their families.

Since 2008, a staggering 72% of women seeking abortions have been mothers, a significant increase since the economic downturn. It also disregards the trauma of forcing a rape survivor to carry a pregnancy to term or the inhumanity of requiring a woman to endure a pregnancy with severe fetal abnormalities. Such laws disrupt the essential doctor-patient relationship regarding a woman's health.

Certain lawmakers have even referred to women as "hosts," revealing a dehumanizing view that reduces them to mere vessels for childbirth. This mentality is prevalent among powerful white men who have been raised to believe they are entitled to everything the world has to offer.

Contrary to popular belief, no one takes the decision to terminate a pregnancy lightly. Abortion is rarely viewed as a positive choice but can be a necessary one. The sanctity of life must be balanced with the quality of that life.

In 2016, 18% of children under 18 lived in food-insecure households, with 1% facing severe food insecurity.

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, a number that continues to rise.

> "Experts say that about 50 percent of the deaths of women from childbirth-related causes could be prevented if they were given better medical care... we’re one of the wealthiest countries in the world and we spend so much on medical care." – Alison Young, USA Today investigative reporter.

Those who create and support these laws, believing misconceptions about women's reproductive health, should not dictate women’s choices. They have been indoctrinated to believe that the world is theirs for the taking, and they simply need to assert their will to claim it.

Such individuals have already caused extensive damage to our planet and its inhabitants. Michael J. Novacek of the American Museum of Natural History noted that species are going extinct at thousands of times the background rate, with projections that 30 to 50 percent of all living species may vanish within this century.

> They possess no reverence for life; they only seek power and control to satisfy their egos.

Indoctrinated into a dominance hierarchy, they are taught that strength equates to righteousness. They suppress their emotions and empathy, considering them weaknesses, and have fashioned a deity that justifies their domination over the less powerful. They have determined that this entity desires to protect all babies, a notion that gained traction in the 1970s as a political strategy to rally conservatives during a period of liberal dominance. This reflects a backlash against a society that is becoming increasingly egalitarian and less hierarchical.

> In 1992, 42% of Americans believed the "father of the family is master of the house." By 2004, this rose to 52%. Thus, as women advanced in the workplace, the sentiment of male authority grew.

This anti-gender equality movement has not only hindered women's progress but also eroded fundamental democratic principles. Research indicates that male-headed authoritarian families condition individuals to favor “strong” leaders.

Thus, in 2016, a man who demeaned women, boasted about his assaults, and incited violence, was elected U.S. President.

Misogyny serves as the enforcer of patriarchy, surfacing when women deviate from expected gender norms. However, patriarchy extends beyond male control over women; it embodies societal stratification, where the strong dominate the weak. It prioritizes self-aggrandizement over genuine care, necessitating a numbness to the suffering of others.

This realization led me to tears as I walked away from those boys. Though still young, they had already learned to disregard the lives of beings deemed less important. They are inexperienced and still finding their way. Perhaps they will evolve into kinder, wiser men who appreciate life in all its forms. In these uncertain times, we need more individuals like that. Hope is all I can hold onto.

> Recently, Alabama legislator Clyde Chambliss revealed the underlying motives behind anti-abortion measures, clarifying that such laws do not concern fertilized eggs in labs, but are about controlling women.

In essence, it isn't about preserving the life of a fertilized egg; it's about exerting control over women.

© Copyright Elle Beau 2020 Elle Beau writes on Medium about sex, life, relationships, society, anthropology, spirituality, and love. If this article appears anywhere other than Medium.com, it has been published without my consent.