Does choice entail agency?

Often, we believe that choices are synonymous with freedom, as having choices entails that we possess the capability of choosing the course of our destiny. This is hallmarked though current social movements that are shaping our nation, including the pro-choice movement, which advocates for the right for women to choose whether or not to maintain a pregnancy. This is one of the most well-known controversies to date, as many believe that the freedom of choice may encourage the frequencies of abortions. The pro-choice movement is also generally coined as a “liberal” agenda; the term “liberalism” is usually defined as a method of discarding traditional values. The term of liberalism is derived from the word liberal, which tends to get associated with the meanings of freedom or progressiveness. This however, is misleading—liberal does not mean free. This is seen in the early twentieth century contraceptive movement, led by Margaret Sanger. Although Sanger is considered a liberalist in contemporary terms, her advocacy for the freedom to choose birth control does not necessarily mean that women were expressing agency through their choice of using contraceptives. The ability to choose should not be equivalent to agency, as choice does not always mean that the individual is operating within their own terms of freedom.

                Devices and Desires, a book by Andrea Tone discussing the history of U.S. contraceptives, attempts to discuss Margaret Sanger’s agenda for increasing the availability of contraceptives to women. Sanger is often credited as pushing a liberal agenda which gives women the right to choose to use contraceptives, with a particular emphasis on the use of female diaphragms. This is typically propagated as freedom for the woman to take control of her sexuality, and to dictate whether or not the sex should be considered procreative. While this may seem like freedom from patriarchal notions of women being subject to the concept of male sexual dominance, the “freedom” to take control of contraceptive use also meant that women were subjected to ridicule when the contraceptive use failed. Western culture subjects the majority of men to taking on the role of an alpha male that cannot control sexual desires, and therefore cannot be held accountable for the repercussions of sex.  Women that choose their methods of birth control are still held accountable when birth control fails and results in pregnancy—this notion of responsibility placed upon the women for pregnancy ties directly into the long-standing misconception that men cannot be held accountable for the consequences of sex. If anything, contraceptive use in the early twentieth century reinforced the ideals that women are to blame when sex yields undesirable outcomes, as women are now given the ultimate “choice” of preventing an unwanted pregnancy. This does not represent freedom, as their choice of preventing a pregnancy still operates within the patriarchal system that excuses men for actions of sexual misconduct. This argument is important due to the fact that the right for women to have access to birth control is still a point of controversy that is often dismissed by those who do not deem themselves as liberals—the ability for women to choose methods of contraception to prevent pregnancy will only be a tool of agency for women once society stops believing that the responsibility of sustaining a pregnancy is solely a concern of women.