Profs worried TX abortion ban will harm 'trans men' who look pregnant in public
Professors at Northwestern University have argued that abortion bans harm 'trans men' by preventing them from concealing their 'transgender status.'
Boston University professors recently wrote that “the capacity to become pregnant is not restricted to people who identify as women.'
Over a dozen professors at two universities have voiced concerns about the impact of abortion bans on “trans men and nonbinary people.”
Four of these researchers, who shared their thoughts last week with Northwestern Now, the Illinois university’s news site, argued abortion is necessary because a ‘trans man’ who becomes pregnant will not be able to conceal that she is not a biological male.
[RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Action could be taken’ against students using wrong pronouns at PPU]
“As his abdomen grows due to a pregnancy for which he can no longer legally get an abortion, however, keeping identity private in public spaces may become next to impossible,” the article reads.
“Even the idea of becoming pregnant often creates dysphoria, so forcing a patient to carry a pregnancy against their will may lead to significant mental health needs in this population,” said Angela Chadhauri, one of the doctors quoted in the article.
[RELATED: Students required to learn about restrooms, attraction from ‘The Gender Unicorn’]
The terms “trans men” and “nonbinary” are examples of ‘gender-neutral’ language academics regularly use to advocate for inclusivity and transgenderism.
On September 11, twelve faculty members in Boston University’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program co-authored an opinion piece for BU Today, for example, urging the media to use “gender-neutral language” when discussing abortion because “the capacity to become pregnant is not restricted to people who identify as women.”
“This means referring to pregnant people, or people who may become pregnant, as the people targeted by abortion bans or limits,” the scholars write in the article.
Campus Reform reached out to Ricky Hill, Dr. Cassing Hammond, Lila Reynolds, Olivia McCargar, Northwestern University, and Boston University’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program but did not hear back in time for publication.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter @katesrichardson
