Reproductive Control In The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale: The Ceremony as a Warning of the Dangers of Reproductive Control
Reproductive control and the exploitation of women's bodies have been used throughout history as a means of exerting power and control over women. This has been demonstrated in the fictional novel The Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood and in the real-world, including the comfort women system during the Second World War.
Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale explores the dangers of a society that seeks to control women’s bodies and their reproductive rights. In the novel, a ritualized sexual act known as the “Ceremony” occurs monthly where a handmaid is forced to have sex with the Commander she serves which is intended to result in pregnancy and increase the population of Gilead. This act demonstrates that the handmaids have no agency over their bodies as they are reduced to a role of only being a reproductive vessel and are forced to endure this dehumanizing act. While the “Ceremony” is a fictional creation in the novel, there are many examples throughout history of governments and societies using sexual coercion and control to maintain their power over women including the comfort women system during the Second World War.

The women were trained to provide sexual and emotional comfort to the Japanese soldiers. This was done through forcing the women to work in brothels that were set up by the Japanese military, where they were subjected to rape, torture and other forms of sexual violence on a daily basis. Many of the women who were forced into the comfort women system were underage and the abuse they suffered had a profound impact on both their physical and mental