Untidy Feminist Entanglements

IN MARCH 2017, then–vice president Mike Pence tweeted a photo of himself at a table with members of the House Freedom Caucus discussing plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replace it with the American Health Care Act (AHCA). A key issue was whether to repeal the ACA’s 10 “essential health benefits,” which include women’s health policies like maternity and newborn care as well as breast cancer screenings. Reactions to Pence’s post were swift and critical. “This is outrageous,” tweeted Democratic congressman Jim McGovern. “Not a single woman in the room as [Mike Pence and the House GOP] propose removing maternity coverage.” Democratic senator Patty Murray described it as “a rare look inside the GOP’s women’s health caucus.” Just months earlier, a similar photo had made the rounds on social media, with Planned Parenthood wryly captioning it “Donald Trump signs an anti-abortion executive order surrounded by men.” These statements assume that only women can adequately represent women’s reproductive rights and care.

The problem with this seemingly commonsensical position is easy to identify. One need look no further than...