Opinion: Outsourced wombs

This opinion column is related to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and will attempt to persuade readers of online newspapers as well as different international organizations to take action in alleviating, if not totally eliminating, the oppression of women happening in different parts of the world.

I was recently invited by some prominent leaders of the Republic of Gilead to see for myself “in a man’s perspective” the peaceful and orderly society they have established. To say the least, it was close to a nightmarish surreal experience. The streets were almost deserted, save for some women in what looked like costumes. They wore long dresses, some in red, others in dull green, still others in red, blue and green stripes.

As soon as he saw my camera and my notepad, he gave me a suspicious stare through the rear view mirror, and then directed his attention on the road. We soon turned to what seemed to be once a town center with shops, restaurants, and movie houses, but has become a ghost town. The car slowed down as we neared a checkpoint where a couple of young men in green uniforms were stationed. The driver opened his window and showed a pass which the soldiers carefully examined.

I looked around while waiting for clearance and saw at a distance a church and a red brick wall where some odd-looking figures like scarecrows were hanging. The soldiers noticed what I was staring at and immediately directed the driver to leave and the driver as if in a rush, sped on. We soon turned to a neighborhood, affluent with large flower gardens and Victorian-style houses. As we entered a driveway lined with red tulips, I could see other black limousines and vans parked.

The driver, named Nick, led me to the patio from where I could hear an ongoing prayer session for blessing. As the door of a hall opened, women wearing flowing blue dresses came out and moved to another room presumably for tea. They were followed by women wearing those quaint costumes. Two of the women in red with veils and white winged headdresses stopped for a while to stare until an older woman in green pushed them to move along.

Soon after, an elderly man wearing a black suit, much like a Midwestern bank president introduced himself as Commander Fred, followed by Commanders Glen, Warren, and Wayne. Commander Fred explained that Gilead has been unfairly judged and vilified by international media, particularly women journalists who accuse their government of women slavery. “So, why are women dressed into their designated color of clothing?” Commander Warren smirked and curtly replied, “It’s the way Gilead puts order in society. Everyone in our society has a specific function.”

Republic of Gilead is reputed to divide women into different classifications according to their function. Women in dull green represent the Marthas, the house servants whose jobs is to clean and cook. Women in red are the Handmaids, the desired ones who are used as baby-making machines for Gilead society to succeed and prosper. What seems to be worse is that among the Handmaids, the Unwomen who are not able to bear a child is either to become a Martha or shipped to the colonies. This is reminiscent of the holocaust during World War I, in which lots of infertile females who were not able to satisfy the sexual pleasures of the soldiers were brutally slaughtered.

With shock and disbelief, I then requested to meet other handmaids of the Commander’s wives. The four handmaids, followed by the wives in blue, have mastered the art of evasive looking, as they took quick glances at the commanders and me. First, I asked each one of them their names to which there was only tense silence. Finally, one blurted out, “My name is Offred.” The other three timidly followed suit: Ofwarren, Ofglen, Ofwayne. These women were named as properties of the commanders! Noticing that one of the handmaids was bulging and very pregnant, I commented that I should congratulate her husband for the new addition to her family. When I asked the name of her husband, she looked down and shook her head. I noticed that one of the commanders was staring at her with piercing eyes. My last question before the handmaids were whisked away inside the house, “Are you happy here?” In unison, they sullenly replied, “Yes, we are very happy.”

Yes, there’s peace and order in Gilead stemming from tyranny, devoid of the rights of its citizens, especially of women. Gilead has legitimized and institutionalized the slavery of women by compartmentalizing them according to the useful function they can serve as deemed by self-serving and self-righteous authorities. These commanders have established a Gilead cult wherein faith and religion are used for their demented and demonic ends. I was asked by these commanders to present my observations of their society in the point of view of a man. This is what I have to say: they are not worthy to be called “men”, for they mask their evil intents and deeds in the noble body of “man.” Women, like all human beings, are not commodities to be traded and used. Women are not lesser human beings; they have the same and as much rights as men do.

The United Nations Committee on Human Rights should not turn a blind eye on this issue, for if the Republic of Gilead is allowed to continue with its atrocities, where can those abused in other countries go to seek redress and justice? Many international groups have decried the dystopian society of Gilead, but a resolute action must be taken by the United Nations to preserve and uphold democracy. If the once staunchly democratic United States of America was overrun totalitarianism, we who firmly believe in the principles of democracy must not allow the likes of Gilead society to prosper.