As individuals, we tend to believe that we are autonomous beings with certain unalienable rights. This has uniquely been a consideration when looking at control over our own bodies. However, more and more often, governmental forces and regulatory organizations have sought to attain control over decisions concerning our bodies. These decisions have had implications for feminism, religion, and general ethics, and have spawned a new realm of academic study deemed body politics. In an age where the role our government plays in our lives is under constant scrutiny, further study of body politics may be warranted.
First, body politics is a central issue for feminism. An example of body politics implicating feminist argument can be found in the realm of prostitution. An age old profession, the debate over whether it should be legal has raged on for years across the world. Some feminists argue that government prohibition of prostitution is an unacceptable form of body politics. They state that, given the female dominance in the industry over the years, this uniquely puts women at a disadvantage, and denies her control over what can and cannot be done to her own body. The argument often utilized in this arena of body politics is that, statistically and genetically, men have greater physical strength and capacity to build muscle mass. This unique component of their bodies has led to a higher level of representation in jobs that require physical labor. This is the manifestation of a man using his body to attain resources, just as a woman would use her body via prostitution to attain resources, but it is not prohibited. Thus, some feminists claim that the body politics involved in the prohibition of prostitution is discriminatory.
Another form of body politics that is a common hot button topic in the United States especially is that of abortion. In the landmark Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade, women of age were granted the freedom to seek and attain birth control and abortions without legal recourse. This was heralded by many as a deregulation of women's bodies, but from a religious perspective, it complicated body politics even further. The vast majority of faiths practiced in the United States, in some way, shape, or form, decries the use of abortion, calling it murder. Some churches will provide exception to this categorization (rape, incest, mother's health, etc.), but many still call for further limitations on the use of abortions in America. Multiple studies on both sides of the argument have aimed at pinning down the time at which a fetus can be termed a person, in order to determine when a mother no longer has the ability to terminate the pregnancy. In terms of body politics, the debate seeks to establish a hierarchy among different bodies, and will likely never be resolved.
Other issues of body politics transcend religion or social movements. One such example may be assisted suicide. In the 1990's, infamous physician Dr. Jack Kevorkian was convicted of murder. The context of his crime became a huge debate in the world of body politics, though, when it was revealed that the murder he had committed had been the ending of a life based on the request of a sick person who was in a great deal of pain. The question became, to what extent do we have control over our own bodies? Is it our right to seek out death? If it is ultimately a choice that we are to make, are others to be punished in the execution of said choice? These are questions that have yet to be resolved.