CINXE.COM
Why the Left Wants to Get Rid of the Term "Pregnant Women" - The Atlantic
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en" dir="ltr"><head><meta charSet="utf-8"/><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1"/><link rel="icon" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/favicon-3888b0e329526a975703e3059a02b92d.ico"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/apple-touch-icon-default-b504d70343a9438df64c32ce339c7ebc.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="76x76" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/apple-touch-icon-76x76-d5accc11b8265af76495fbfa9d38dd3b.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="120x120" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/apple-touch-icon-120x120-419ba228184c040a691628d3dd82c206.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/apple-touch-icon-152x152-aafde20dd981a38fcd549b29b2b3b785.png"/><meta name="application-name" content="theatlantic"/><meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#FFFFFF"/><meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/apple-touch-icon-default-b504d70343a9438df64c32ce339c7ebc.png"/><meta property="og:site_name" content="The Atlantic"/><meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/><meta property="fb:admins" content="577048155,17301937"/><meta property="fb:app_id" content="100770816677686"/><meta property="fb:pages" content="29259828486,1468531833474495,1061579677251147,457711054591520,370457103090695,1631141167169115,148681772342453,1510507419185410,128344747344340,128377530562508,236061986423933"/><meta name="p:domain_verify" content="68e1a0361a557708fefc992f3309ed70"/><meta name="twitter:site" content="@theatlantic"/><meta name="twitter:domain" content="theatlantic.com"/><script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","name":"The Atlantic","url":"https://www.theatlantic.com","inLanguage":"en-US","issn":"1072-7825","potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://www.theatlantic.com/search/?q={q}","query-input":"required name=q"}}</script><script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.theatlantic.com/#publisher","name":"The Atlantic","url":"https://www.theatlantic.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":224},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":224},"url":"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/files/atlantic-logo--224x224.png"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/TheAtlantic","https://twitter.com/theatlantic"]}</script><style id="_vis_opt_path_hide">#paywall,#nonMeteredNudge,#gate {opacity:0;}</style><title>Why the Left Wants to Get Rid of the Term "Pregnant Women" - The Atlantic</title><meta name="description" content="Some advocates on the left want America to talk about pregnancy and birth in gender-neutral terms. But this language change might not be so easy for the country to embrace."/><meta property="krux:title" content="Why the Left Wants to Get Rid of the Term "Pregnant Women" - The Atlantic"/><meta property="krux:description" content="Some advocates on the left want America to talk about pregnancy and birth in gender-neutral terms. But this language change might not be so easy for the country to embrace."/><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/pregnant-people-gender-identity/620031/"/><link rel="image_src" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/1THDSGT65Nh1wO5CKhzMsOcFSOg=/0x0:2000x1042/1200x625/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg"/><meta name="author" content="Emma Green"/><link rel="ia:markup_url" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/facebook-instant/article/620031/"/><meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/TheAtlantic/"/><meta property="article:opinion" content="false"/><meta property="article:content_tier" content="metered"/><meta property="article:tag" content="news"/><meta property="article:section" content="Politics"/><meta property="article:published_time" content="2021-09-17T11:00:00Z"/><meta property="article:modified_time" content="2021-10-18T20:51:10Z"/><meta name="robots" content="index, follow, max-image-preview:large"/><meta property="og:title" content="The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’"/><meta property="og:description" content="Some advocates on the left want America to talk about pregnancy and birth in gender-neutral terms. But this language change might not be so easy for the country to embrace."/><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/pregnant-people-gender-identity/620031/"/><meta property="og:type" content="article"/><meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/1THDSGT65Nh1wO5CKhzMsOcFSOg=/0x0:2000x1042/1200x625/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg"/><meta property="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/><meta name="FacebookShareMessage" content="Should Americans say ‘pregnant people’ instead of ‘pregnant women’? @emmaogreen interviews Louise Melling, an expert on LGBTQ rights at the ACLU:"/><meta name="TwitterShareMessage" content="Should Americans say ‘pregnant people’ instead of ‘pregnant women’? @emmaogreen interviews Louise Melling, an expert on LGBTQ rights at the ACLU:"/><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="The Atlantic" href="/feed/all/"/><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Best of The Atlantic" href="/feed/best-of/"/><meta name="referrer" content="unsafe-url"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-status-bar-style" content="black"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-title" content="The Atlantic"/><meta name="keywords" content="nonbinary people, pregnant people, transgender men, abortion-rights, kind of language, Louise Melling, use of gender-neutral terms, people, America’s profound gender anxietyTo, pregnant women, term birthing people, health care, transgender people, address discrimination, experiences of transgender people, good-faith argument, women’s rights, Women, need of health care, gender norms, Ann Romney, breast cancer, passing year, gender, gender stereotypes, particular role, fair amount of work, medical profession, wife of Senator Mitt Romney, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, prominent politicians, Representative Cori Bush of Missouri, lot of different angles of the law, babies.Only niche groups, real work.Green, reproductive rights, first time, waiting room, Last year, gender-neutral language, kind of cultural backlash, gender discrimination, LGBTQ rights, pregnant woman, kinds of discrimination, voting rights, lower income, potential consequences, good-faith person, trans man’s body" itemID="#keywords"/><meta name="news_keywords" content="nonbinary people, pregnant people, transgender men, abortion-rights, kind of language, Louise Melling, use of gender-neutral terms, people, America’s profound gender anxietyTo, pregnant women, term birthing people, health care, transgender people, address discrimination, experiences of transgender people, good-faith argument, women’s rights, Women, need of health care, gender norms, Ann Romney, breast cancer, passing year, gender, gender stereotypes, particular role, fair amount of work, medical profession, wife of Senator Mitt Romney, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, prominent politicians, Representative Cori Bush of Missouri, lot of different angles of the law, babies.Only niche groups, real work.Green, reproductive rights, first time, waiting room, Last year, gender-neutral language, kind of cultural backlash, gender discrimination, LGBTQ rights, pregnant woman, kinds of discrimination, voting rights, lower income, potential consequences, good-faith person, trans man’s body"/><meta name="sailthru.title" content="The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’"/><meta name="sailthru.description" content="Some advocates on the left want America to talk about pregnancy and birth in gender-neutral terms. But this language change might not be so easy for the country to embrace."/><meta name="sailthru.tags" content="atlantic-interview,politics,national,news,gender-sexuality,the-atlantic-interview,author-emma-green"/><meta name="sailthru.date" content="2021-09-17T11:00:00Z"/><link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/packages/fonts/garamond/AGaramondPro-Regular.woff2" crossorigin=""/><link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/packages/fonts/graphik/Graphik-Regular-Web.woff2" crossorigin=""/><link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/packages/fonts/graphik/Graphik-Semibold-Web.woff2" crossorigin=""/><link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/packages/fonts/logic/LogicMonospace-Medium.woff2" crossorigin=""/><link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/packages/fonts/logic/LogicMonospace-Regular.woff2" crossorigin=""/><script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Why the Left Wants to Get Rid of the Term "Pregnant Women"","alternativeHeadline":"The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’","description":"Some advocates on the left want America to talk about pregnancy and birth in gender-neutral terms. But this language change might not be so easy for the country to embrace.","url":"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/pregnant-people-gender-identity/620031/","datePublished":"2021-09-17T11:00:00Z","dateModified":"2021-10-18T20:51:10Z","isAccessibleForFree":false,"hasPart":{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccessibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".article-content-body"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.theatlantic.com/#publisher"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/pregnant-people-gender-identity/620031/"},"image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":720},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":405},"url":"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/Glg4OWrwCnNfMJqomNlIa6KGVb8=/0x0:2000x1125/720x405/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":1080},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":1080},"url":"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/r7Ey_715FeUY5SsrBqoVuRD9Q2w=/478x0:1603x1125/1080x1080/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":1200},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":900},"url":"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/2LGN8Q6dcIcTcfBCUI_hwMzph_o=/249x0:1749x1125/1200x900/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":1600},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":900},"url":"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/UVuhS9VK7Ta79yvKgSqC79Abe8I=/0x0:2000x1125/1600x900/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":960},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":540},"url":"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/aFTnjX7SgDFLj5lUGN9XUJhH0bM=/0x0:2000x1125/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":540},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","unitCode":"E37","value":540},"url":"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/QUV1rV6VoZQTtfgtStwMaE2jJ-s=/478x0:1603x1125/540x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg"}],"author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Emma Green","sameAs":"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/"}],"articleSection":"Politics"}</script><link rel="preload" as="image" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/aFTnjX7SgDFLj5lUGN9XUJhH0bM=/0x0:2000x1125/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg" imageSrcSet="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/0Ypn2hkQMM4j7oH0-Z5vpu4GQnU=/0x0:2000x1125/750x422/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 750w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/qqSJFVIEpUnzAzhZ3v9TcsbWV6M=/0x0:2000x1125/828x466/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 828w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/aFTnjX7SgDFLj5lUGN9XUJhH0bM=/0x0:2000x1125/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 960w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/NcX2JYzmCwDz7wmPAD6TUNuW9GM=/0x0:2000x1125/976x549/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 976w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/8ahPms9xo2Qjnq_Oix6aOrIOX7U=/0x0:2000x1125/1952x1098/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 1952w" imageSizes="(min-width: 976px) 976px, 100vw"/><meta name="next-head-count" content="64"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/b95b4320f6718b0c.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/b95b4320f6718b0c.css" data-n-g=""/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/0b4366e1c8817ebe.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/0b4366e1c8817ebe.css" data-n-p=""/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/e10f1f1032756c59.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/e10f1f1032756c59.css" data-n-p=""/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/0a568afbc2554cc7.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/0a568afbc2554cc7.css" data-n-p=""/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/7e60642d630ed6f4.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/7e60642d630ed6f4.css" data-n-p=""/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/0a33952225252f86.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/0a33952225252f86.css" data-n-p=""/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/46047a12f0663966.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/css/46047a12f0663966.css"/><noscript data-n-css=""></noscript><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/9587.03e639dfa3e4199a.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/webpack-516a0acb39e75310.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/framework-ca706bf673a13738.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/main-9af27423854a1f43.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/pages/_app-faecc48980ced587.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/6729-7978443139836095.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/8286-b35c81576953924b.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/436-aadfbd871a794704.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/9843-267e63e874251a37.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/899-448b91a629016ff2.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/2912-ebf029ed4116b01f.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/6772-2c0b832574392efa.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/6392-1397c4f8500d73b6.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/4947-607d15e1756278f9.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/3297-543c6448c0812417.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/365-09c3f00366a4c3f6.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/8849-ca6c5b68c97b8238.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/9310-d0d5baafd7a7f3b8.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/4742-509dbec7680a76ec.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/1730-999b0129269ea1cb.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/2093-764360aebf316f7a.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/5273-4d82a687024fdc4f.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/2381-907c18d9ebbfaace.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/pages/%5Bchannel%5D/archive/%5Byear%5D/%5Bmonth%5D/%5Bslug%5D/%5Bid%5D-6d3cbb2be5666618.js" as="script"/></head><body><div id="__next"><div data-event-surface="article"><div></div><nav class="Nav_root__HcZek" aria-labelledby="site-navigation" data-event-module="site nav" id="main-navigation"><div class="Nav_mainNav__iPsWc"><a href="#main-content" class="Nav_skipLink__P4Y5R">Skip to content</a><h2 id="site-navigation" class="Nav_visuallyHide__Lzzui">Site Navigation</h2><div class="Nav_flexContainer__9iJ4H"><ul class="Nav_leftContainer__Xs54R"><li class="Nav_navListItem__l2afO Nav_visuallyHideOnMobile__N9bs2"><a href="/" class="Nav_navLink__34Bol"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 87.83 134" class="Nav_bigA__c1aIb"><title>The Atlantic</title><path d="M24.48 95.13c-.56 0-.74-.37-.74-.93l13.08-55.88c.19-.94.93-.94 1.12 0L50.09 94.2c0 .56-.19.93-.75.93zM48.22.19a22.54 22.54 0 01-7.66 5.05c-.75.19-.94.37-1.13 1.12l-26.72 112.5c-2 9-4.67 10.66-11.77 11.22a.88.88 0 00-.94.93v2.06a.88.88 0 00.92.93h25.6a.88.88 0 00.93-.93V131a.88.88 0 00-.93-.93c-9.53 0-10.47-2.81-8.6-10.66l4.49-19.25a1.18 1.18 0 011.12-.93h26.74a1.19 1.19 0 011.13.93l5 23.18c1.12 5-.75 6.17-7.1 6.73a.88.88 0 00-.93.93v2.06a.88.88 0 00.93.93h37.62a.88.88 0 00.94-.93V131a.88.88 0 00-.94-.93c-5.79-.56-8.22-1.5-9.34-6.73L49.34.57c-.19-.56-.75-.75-1.12-.38"></path></svg></a></li><li class="Nav_navListItem__l2afO Nav_hamburgerLi__gP6Dn"><button class="NavHamburgerButton_root__OgJkB" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="expanded-nav" aria-label="Open Main Menu"><div class="NavHamburgerButton_burger__jIWmI"><div class="NavHamburgerButton_box__J5rDn"><div class="NavHamburgerButton_inner__dKlIy"></div></div></div></button><div class="Nav_expandedNav__o5Zj_"><div hidden="" class="ExpandedNav_root__r3hKE" id="expanded-nav"><div class="ExpandedNav_mobileHeader__QEenD" data-event-element="mobile links"><button class="ExpandedNav_searchButton__85mWm" aria-label="Search The Atlantic"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 16" class="ExpandedNav_searchIcon__2EngD"><path d="M15.85 15.15l-5.27-5.28a6 6 0 10-.71.71l5.28 5.27a.48.48 0 00.7 0 .48.48 0 000-.7zM1 6a5 5 0 115 5 5 5 0 01-5-5z"></path></svg></button><div><a class="ExpandedNav_mostPopular__EbSyn" href="/most-popular/">Popular</a><a class="ExpandedNav_latest__zSrBe" href="/latest/">Latest</a><a class="ExpandedNav_newsletters__W83ni" href="/newsletters/">Newsletters</a></div></div><div class="ExpandedNav_container__sDhOz"><div class="ExpandedNav_sections__oGeXo" data-event-element="sections"><h2 class="ExpandedNav_title__C8QcN ExpandedNav_sectionTitle___xWBI">Sections</h2><ul class="ExpandedNav_sectionUl__mLUY1"><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/politics/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Politics</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/ideas/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Ideas</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/category/fiction/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Fiction</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/technology/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Technology</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/science/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Science</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Photo</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/business/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Business</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/culture/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Culture</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/projects/planet/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Planet</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/international/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Global</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/books/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Books</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/audio/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Audio</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/health/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Health</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/education/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Education</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/projects/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Projects</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/category/features/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Features</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/family/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Family</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/events/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Events</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/category/washington-week-atlantic/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Washington Week</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/progress/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Progress</a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_sectionLi__tZz7K"><a href="/newsletters/" class="ExpandedNav_sectionLink__3iXo9">Newsletters</a></li></ul></div><div class="ExpandedNav_moreLinks__G4VPb" data-event-element="more links"><ul class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksList__u0bVY"><li class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksListItem__UrTkv"><a href="/archive/" class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksItem__JhFzM"><img alt="" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV ExpandedNav_moreLinksImg__IY3fl" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/nav-archive-promo-5541b02ae92f1a9276249e1c6c2534ee.png" width="80" height="80"/><span>Explore The Atlantic Archive</span></a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksListItem__UrTkv"><a href="/free-daily-crossword-puzzle/" class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksItem__JhFzM"><svg width="80" height="80" viewBox="0 0 64 64" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksImg__IY3fl"><g clip-path="url(#crossword-promo_svg__clip0_1939_66324)"><path fill="#E7131A" d="M0 0h64v64H0z"></path><path d="M37.988 26.531H26.516v11.474h11.472V26.53zM37.988 38.805H26.516V50.28h11.472V38.805zM25.715 26.531H14.243v11.474h11.472V26.53zM50.26 26.531H38.789v11.474h11.473V26.53zM36.469 16.842c.096.183.156.39.156.612a1.326 1.326 0 11-1.326-1.327c.197 0 .384.047.552.124.167-.464.303-1.137.338-1.993h-5.287c-.039.968-.217 1.908-.527 2.584.096.183.156.39.156.612a1.326 1.326 0 11-1.327-1.327c.198 0 .384.047.552.124.167-.464.303-1.137.339-1.993h-3.58v11.474h11.472V14.258h-.992c-.038.968-.216 1.908-.526 2.584z" fill="#fff"></path><path d="M47.487 17.853a.4.4 0 010-.8c.135 0 .36-.27.552-.803a1.313 1.313 0 00-.552-.124 1.326 1.326 0 101.326 1.327c0-.222-.06-.428-.156-.612-.282.615-.674 1.012-1.17 1.012zM41.393 17.853a.4.4 0 010-.8c.135 0 .36-.27.552-.803a1.313 1.313 0 00-.552-.124 1.326 1.326 0 101.326 1.327c0-.222-.06-.428-.156-.612-.282.615-.673 1.012-1.17 1.012zM35.298 17.853a.4.4 0 010-.8c.135 0 .36-.27.552-.803a1.313 1.313 0 00-.552-.124 1.326 1.326 0 101.326 1.327c0-.222-.06-.428-.156-.612-.282.615-.673 1.012-1.17 1.012zM29.204 17.853a.4.4 0 010-.8c.136 0 .36-.27.552-.803a1.313 1.313 0 00-.552-.124 1.326 1.326 0 101.327 1.327c0-.222-.06-.428-.156-.612-.282.615-.673 1.012-1.17 1.012zM23.11 17.853a.4.4 0 010-.8c.135 0 .36-.27.552-.803a1.313 1.313 0 00-.552-.124 1.326 1.326 0 101.326 1.327c0-.222-.06-.428-.156-.612-.282.615-.673 1.012-1.17 1.012zM17.016 17.853a.4.4 0 010-.8c.135 0 .36-.27.552-.803a1.313 1.313 0 00-.552-.124 1.326 1.326 0 101.326 1.327c0-.222-.06-.428-.156-.612-.282.615-.672 1.012-1.17 1.012z" fill="#E7131A"></path><path d="M50.66 13.458h-1.476c-.072-1.85-.652-3.605-1.698-3.605-1.045 0-1.624 1.753-1.697 3.605h-2.7c-.071-1.85-.651-3.605-1.698-3.605-1.045 0-1.624 1.753-1.697 3.605h-2.7c-.072-1.85-.652-3.605-1.698-3.605-1.045 0-1.624 1.753-1.697 3.605H30.9c-.072-1.85-.652-3.605-1.698-3.605-1.045 0-1.624 1.753-1.697 3.605h-2.697c-.072-1.85-.652-3.605-1.698-3.605-1.045 0-1.624 1.753-1.697 3.605h-2.7c-.071-1.85-.651-3.605-1.698-3.605-1.045 0-1.624 1.753-1.697 3.605h-1.476a.4.4 0 00-.4.4V50.68c0 .22.18.4.4.4H50.66a.4.4 0 00.4-.4V13.858c0-.221-.178-.4-.4-.4zm-20.565.8c-.035.855-.171 1.528-.338 1.992-.192.532-.417.803-.552.803a.4.4 0 000 .8c.497 0 .888-.398 1.17-1.012.31-.676.488-1.616.527-2.583h5.288c-.036.855-.172 1.528-.339 1.992-.192.532-.417.803-.552.803a.4.4 0 000 .8c.498 0 .888-.398 1.17-1.012.311-.676.489-1.616.528-2.583h.992V25.73H26.515V14.258h3.58zm20.166 23.747H38.788V26.53h11.473v11.474zM14.243 26.53h11.472v11.474H14.243V26.53zm34.57-9.078a1.326 1.326 0 11-1.327-1.327c.198 0 .384.047.552.124-.192.532-.416.803-.552.803a.4.4 0 000 .8c.498 0 .888-.398 1.17-1.012.097.184.157.39.157.612zm-7.42.4c.497 0 .888-.398 1.17-1.012.096.183.156.39.156.612a1.326 1.326 0 11-1.326-1.327c.197 0 .384.047.552.124-.192.532-.417.803-.552.803a.4.4 0 000 .8zm-3.405 20.152H26.515V26.53h11.473v11.474zM24.436 17.453a1.326 1.326 0 11-1.326-1.327c.197 0 .384.047.552.124-.192.532-.417.803-.552.803a.4.4 0 000 .8c.497 0 .888-.398 1.17-1.012.097.184.156.39.156.612zm-6.094 0a1.326 1.326 0 11-1.326-1.327c.198 0 .384.047.552.124-.192.532-.417.803-.552.803a.4.4 0 000 .8c.498 0 .888-.398 1.17-1.012.097.184.156.39.156.612zm8.173 21.352h11.473V50.28H26.515V38.805zm20.971-28.152c.253 0 .817.96.892 2.805h-1.782c.075-1.844.638-2.805.89-2.805zm-6.093 0c.253 0 .817.96.891 2.805h-1.782c.076-1.844.638-2.805.89-2.805zm-6.095 0c.253 0 .817.96.892 2.805h-1.782c.075-1.844.638-2.805.89-2.805zm-6.094 0c.253 0 .817.96.891 2.805h-1.781c.075-1.844.637-2.805.89-2.805zm-6.094 0c.252 0 .816.96.89 2.805h-1.78c.074-1.844.637-2.805.89-2.805zm-6.094 0c.253 0 .817.96.891 2.805h-1.781c.075-1.844.637-2.805.89-2.805z" fill="#000"></path></g><defs><clipPath id="crossword-promo_svg__clip0_1939_66324"><path fill="#fff" d="M0 0h64v64H0z"></path></clipPath></defs></svg><span>Play The Atlantic crossword</span></a></li><li class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksListItem__UrTkv"><a href="/audio/" class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksItem__JhFzM"><svg width="80" height="80" viewBox="0 0 64 64" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="ExpandedNav_moreLinksImg__IY3fl"><path fill="#FAF4EB" d="M0 0h63.998v64H0z"></path><path d="M25.267 31.27h-1.171v12.138h1.17a.392.392 0 00.393-.392V31.662a.392.392 0 00-.392-.393v.002zM38.34 31.662v11.354c0 .217.175.392.392.392h1.171V31.271h-1.17a.392.392 0 00-.393.392v-.002z" fill="#000"></path><path d="M44.605 33.479c.106-.69.163-1.398.163-2.12 0-7.343-5.718-13.296-12.77-13.296-7.05 0-12.768 5.953-12.768 13.296 0 .722.057 1.429.163 2.12l-1.413.58v6.56l2.033.834a3.194 3.194 0 001.586 1.65c.411.193.869.305 1.353.305h.34V31.271h-.34c-.174 0-.345.017-.511.044a3.14 3.14 0 00-1.236.48c-.005-.145-.011-.289-.011-.434 0-6.25 4.847-11.334 10.805-11.334 5.958 0 10.805 5.085 10.805 11.334 0 .145-.005.29-.01.433a3.163 3.163 0 00-1.748-.523h-.34v12.137h.34a3.197 3.197 0 002.939-1.953l2.033-.835v-6.56l-1.413-.58v-.001zM35.71 49.806a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM30.235 50.8a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .997zM28.059 48.218a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM32.104 50.072a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM33.105 47.731a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM29.675 48.09a.498.498 0 10.996 0 .498.498 0 00-.996 0zM35.71 48.156a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM37.508 49.085a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM39 47.336a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM39.159 45.754a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM40.74 46.07a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM40.266 44.33a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM34.47 49.983a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM27.746 51.075a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM29.736 51.668a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM32.375 52.8a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM48.894 42.2a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM50.794 25.623a.497.497 0 10.7.082.497.497 0 00-.7-.082zM50.32 27.679a.497.497 0 10.7.082.497.497 0 00-.7-.082zM48.52 25.229a.497.497 0 10.78-.614.497.497 0 00-.78.614zM48.809 20.633a.498.498 0 10.616.781.498.498 0 00-.616-.781zM52.468 24.48a.497.497 0 10.78-.614.497.497 0 00-.78.615zM54.84 24.769a.498.498 0 10.617.781.498.498 0 00-.616-.781zM55.338 27.141a.497.497 0 10.782-.617.497.497 0 10-.782.617zM53.817 27.018a.497.497 0 10-.781.614.497.497 0 00.781-.614zM57.145 29.216a.498.498 0 10-.616-.781.498.498 0 00.616.781zM55.064 23.779a.498.498 0 10-.617-.782.498.498 0 00.617.782zM40.054 13.142a.498.498 0 10-.617-.781.498.498 0 00.617.781zM53.735 21.578a.498.498 0 10-.616-.78.498.498 0 00.616.78zM55.85 31.981a.497.497 0 10-.78.614.497.497 0 00.78-.614zM54.84 33.58a.498.498 0 10.617.781.498.498 0 00-.616-.78zM56.316 35.18a.497.497 0 10.617.784.497.497 0 00-.617-.783zM55.966 37.762a.498.498 0 10.616.781.498.498 0 00-.616-.781zM56.498 33.18a.498.498 0 10.617.781.498.498 0 00-.617-.781zM53.13 41.909a.498.498 0 10.617.78.498.498 0 00-.617-.78zM42.078 49.183a.498.498 0 10.617.781.498.498 0 00-.617-.781zM40.255 50.41a.498.498 0 10.616.782.498.498 0 00-.616-.782zM36.42 51.49a.498.498 0 10.618.782.498.498 0 00-.617-.782zM33.851 51.728a.498.498 0 10.617.78.498.498 0 00-.617-.78zM38.312 50.842a.498.498 0 10.616.781.498.498 0 00-.616-.78zM50.653 43.918a.498.498 0 10-.617-.78.498.498 0 00.617.78zM50.393 44.936a.498.498 0 10.616.782.498.498 0 00-.616-.782zM57.489 31.298a.497.497 0 10-.782.617.497.497 0 10.782-.617zM51.652 19.689a.497.497 0 10-.617-.784.497.497 0 00.617.784zM51.154 21.688a.498.498 0 10-.616-.782.498.498 0 00.616.782zM48.69 19.641a.497.497 0 10.781-.614.497.497 0 00-.781.614zM48.465 17.63a.498.498 0 10-.617-.782.498.498 0 00.617.781zM46.498 16.596a.5.5 0 00.554-.435.5.5 0 00-.99-.118.5.5 0 00.436.553zM46.244 18.243a.5.5 0 00.435.554.5.5 0 00.554-.436.5.5 0 00-.435-.553.5.5 0 00-.554.435zM45.325 15.307a.5.5 0 00.554-.435.5.5 0 00-.989-.118.5.5 0 00.435.553zM42.096 13.917a.5.5 0 00.554-.435.5.5 0 00-.435-.553.5.5 0 00-.554.434.5.5 0 00.435.554zM49.606 18.61a.5.5 0 00.554-.435.5.5 0 00-.989-.119.5.5 0 00.435.554zM45.478 17.63a.498.498 0 10-.616-.782.498.498 0 00.616.781zM43.392 17.311a.497.497 0 10-.782.617.497.497 0 10.782-.617zM54.34 36.596a.498.498 0 10.781-.618.498.498 0 00-.782.618zM53.384 36.69a.498.498 0 10-.617-.782.498.498 0 00.617.782zM51.95 37.01a.497.497 0 10-.7-.082c.172.217.483.253.7.083zM53.176 31.27a.498.498 0 10.616.782.498.498 0 00-.616-.781zM54.792 30.407a.498.498 0 10.616.782.498.498 0 00-.616-.782zM52.13 32.454a.498.498 0 10.617.781.498.498 0 00-.617-.781zM53.656 35.098a.498.498 0 10-.616-.781.498.498 0 00.616.781zM53.384 30.417a.498.498 0 10-.617-.782.498.498 0 00.617.782zM54.654 28.826a.498.498 0 10-.616-.782.498.498 0 00.616.782zM51.187 31.662a.497.497 0 10-.781.616.497.497 0 10.781-.616zM48.774 26.268a.497.497 0 10.7.082.497.497 0 00-.7-.082zM49.475 29.322a.498.498 0 10-.617-.781.498.498 0 00.617.781zM49.974 33.465a.498.498 0 10-.617-.782.498.498 0 00.617.782zM50.242 35.438a.498.498 0 10-.616-.78.498.498 0 00.616.78zM48.915 34.097a.497.497 0 10-.662.742.497.497 0 00.662-.742zM47.957 35.54a.497.497 0 10-.662.743.497.497 0 10.662-.743zM47.582 37.525a.497.497 0 10-.662.743.497.497 0 10.662-.743zM51.792 34.599a.498.498 0 10-.617-.782.498.498 0 00.617.782zM49.54 29.909a.498.498 0 10.617.781.498.498 0 00-.617-.781zM52.032 28.215a.498.498 0 10.617.78.498.498 0 00-.617-.78zM53.158 26.426a.497.497 0 10-.7-.082c.171.217.483.253.7.082zM48.578 32.179a.498.498 0 10-.617-.782.498.498 0 00.617.782zM50.89 30.403a.5.5 0 00.988.118.5.5 0 00-.989-.118zM46.624 25.265a.498.498 0 10.617.78.498.498 0 00-.617-.78z" fill="#000"></path><path d="M45.827 31.83a.497.497 0 10.7.082.497.497 0 00-.7-.083zM47.58 33.16a.497.497 0 10-.781.613.497.497 0 00.781-.614zM47.74 27.738a.498.498 0 10-.616-.782.498.498 0 00.616.782zM47.95 30.243a.5.5 0 00-.99-.119.5.5 0 00.99.119zM46.367 30.243a.5.5 0 00-.99-.119.5.5 0 00.99.119zM46.683 28.345a.5.5 0 00-.99-.119.5.5 0 00.99.119zM45.734 26.921a.5.5 0 00-.99-.118.5.5 0 00.99.118zM51.545 23.233a.497.497 0 10.781-.614.497.497 0 00-.781.614zM6.538 28.26a.499.499 0 10.51-.853.499.499 0 00-.51.852zM7.67 26.127a.499.499 0 10.51-.854.499.499 0 00-.51.854zM22.566 14.925a.499.499 0 10.51-.853.499.499 0 00-.51.853zM14.93 46.545a.499.499 0 10-.51.854.499.499 0 00.51-.854zM14.43 45.648a.499.499 0 10-.856-.512.499.499 0 00.856.512zM8.545 24.343a.499.499 0 10.51-.853.499.499 0 00-.51.853zM9.538 22.678a.5.5 0 10.51-.853.5.5 0 00-.51.853zM8.556 29.822a.499.499 0 10-.856-.512.499.499 0 00.856.512zM17.15 16.267a.498.498 0 10-.616-.781.498.498 0 00.616.781zM6.896 33.144a.498.498 0 10-.616-.782.498.498 0 00.616.782zM9.125 33.325a.498.498 0 10-.616-.781.498.498 0 00.616.781zM7.207 34.31a.498.498 0 10-.782.617.498.498 0 00.782-.618zM15.916 46.436a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM16.595 48.48a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .997zM18.442 49.436a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM13.869 18.485a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM18.393 15.409a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM21.04 14.363a.497.497 0 10-.701-.704.497.497 0 00.702.704zM25.524 12.75a.497.497 0 10-.702-.704.497.497 0 00.702.704zM28.182 12.285a.497.497 0 10-.702-.704.497.497 0 00.702.704zM18.673 47.005a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM12.707 42.075a.498.498 0 10-.001.997.498.498 0 000-.997zM12.512 39.8a.498.498 0 10-.07-.993.498.498 0 00.07.994zM10.954 40.65a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM11.492 41.112a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM9.543 41.143a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM14.316 40.844a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM13.704 38.478a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM15.03 36.2a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM14.652 33.933a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM11.635 35.752a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM12.41 33.66a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .997zM8.618 37.754a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM8.329 39.347a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM11.083 38.577a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM10.124 37.434a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM7.317 36.843a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM12.525 37.447a.497.497 0 10-.702-.704.497.497 0 00.702.704zM12.242 29.982a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM9.54 35.253a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM11.192 33.647a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM15.171 28.82a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .996zM17.296 28.661a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM16.7 29.59a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM18.282 30.064a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM19.386 21.03a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM17.714 32.372a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM16.665 33.488a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM16.225 35.07a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM16.665 36.63a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .996zM11.908 25.748a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM15.123 21.001a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM15.047 20.157a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM16.58 18.614a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .997zM15.621 17.62a.498.498 0 10.001-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM13.37 20.775a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM11.91 20.248a.498.498 0 10.001-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM11.35 21.843a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM14.343 26.426a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM13.206 25.16a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .996zM11.76 27.034a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.996 0zM9.499 25.113a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM13.357 22.923a.498.498 0 10-.07-.994.498.498 0 00.07.994zM11.248 23.943a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM9.829 30.444a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM6.477 30.706a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM40.136 14a.5.5 0 10.857.513.5.5 0 00-.857-.512zM39.218 15.744a.499.499 0 10.51-.853.499.499 0 00-.51.853zM39.038 17.507a.499.499 0 10.51-.853.499.499 0 00-.51.853zM37.456 17.982a.499.499 0 10.51-.853.499.499 0 00-.51.853zM41.253 15.885a.499.499 0 10.51-.854.499.499 0 00-.51.854zM41.353 17.536a.499.499 0 10-.857-.512.499.499 0 00.857.512zM8.566 31.717a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM9.944 31.593a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM11.185 29.07a.498.498 0 10.996 0 .498.498 0 00-.996 0zM8.995 27.706a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM10.51 28.41a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM13.48 29.227a.498.498 0 10.001-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM15.417 32.092a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM13.704 32.215a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM14.501 30.37a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .996zM44.77 48.378a.498.498 0 00-.518.85.498.498 0 00.518-.85zM44.012 45.958a.499.499 0 00.517-.85.498.498 0 00-.517.85zM42.917 46.809a.498.498 0 10-.851-.517.498.498 0 00.851.517zM46.904 44.45a.498.498 0 10.516-.849.498.498 0 00-.517.85zM46.057 44.471a.498.498 0 10-.852-.516.498.498 0 00.852.516zM44.79 43.206a.498.498 0 10-.851-.517.498.498 0 00.851.517zM46.407 46.65a.498.498 0 10-.852-.516.498.498 0 00.852.517zM44.657 47.563a.498.498 0 10-.852-.516.498.498 0 00.852.516zM46.963 47.375a.498.498 0 00-.517.85.498.498 0 00.517-.85zM39.595 48.876a.498.498 0 00-.518.85.498.498 0 00.518-.85zM41.32 47.967a.498.498 0 00-.517.849.498.498 0 00.517-.85zM36.547 47.83a.498.498 0 10.851.517.498.498 0 00-.851-.516zM33.264 45.833a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM35.394 45.468a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM36.23 46.249a.498.498 0 10.852.517.498.498 0 00-.852-.517zM37.813 44.351a.498.498 0 10.852.517.498.498 0 00-.852-.517zM47.713 45.044a.498.498 0 00-.517.85.498.498 0 00.517-.85zM49.34 44.473a.499.499 0 00-.518.85.498.498 0 00.518-.85zM48.94 46.502a.498.498 0 10-.516.849.498.498 0 00.516-.849zM50.182 41.493a.498.498 0 10.347.933.498.498 0 00-.347-.933zM49.576 40.558a.498.498 0 10-.934.348.498.498 0 00.934-.348zM46.79 42.667a.498.498 0 10-.346-.933.498.498 0 00.347.933zM47.899 39.962a.498.498 0 10-.933.348.498.498 0 00.933-.348zM51.826 41.47a.497.497 0 10-.346-.932.497.497 0 00.346.933zM49.417 38.224a.498.498 0 10-.933.347.498.498 0 00.933-.347zM50.899 38.714a.498.498 0 10-.933.348.498.498 0 00.933-.348zM49.917 36.489a.498.498 0 10-.934.348.498.498 0 00.934-.348zM51.808 37.923a.498.498 0 10.347.933.498.498 0 00-.347-.933zM25.17 15.247a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM25.17 16.549a.498.498 0 10.998 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM41.896 19.856a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM43.262 18.78a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.997zM52.1 43.393a.498.498 0 10-.414.906.498.498 0 00.414-.906zM54.618 40.212a.496.496 0 00-.494.501.496.496 0 00.502.494.496.496 0 00.494-.502.496.496 0 00-.502-.493zM54.758 37.561a.496.496 0 00-.493.501.496.496 0 00.501.494.496.496 0 00.494-.502.496.496 0 00-.502-.493zM53.63 39.454a.496.496 0 00-.502-.493.497.497 0 10.502.494zM15.092 23.477a.498.498 0 10.347.932.498.498 0 00-.347-.932zM16.58 20.122a.498.498 0 10.996 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM15.584 26.195a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM18.37 27.473a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM17.454 22.898a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM17.454 24.796a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM19.924 19.307a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM18.988 23.441a.498.498 0 10-.07-.994.498.498 0 00.07.994zM16.878 21.428a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM30.591 13.057a.497.497 0 10.346.932.497.497 0 00-.346-.932zM30.323 15.714a.498.498 0 10-.346-.933.498.498 0 00.346.933zM32.607 12.294a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM27.075 16.225a.498.498 0 10.933-.348.498.498 0 00-.933.348zM32.284 16.261a.498.498 0 10-.347-.933.498.498 0 00.347.933zM36.416 13.586a.499.499 0 10-.71-.699.499.499 0 00.71.7zM37.33 12.522a.499.499 0 10-.712-.7.499.499 0 00.712.7zM35.19 12.328a.499.499 0 10-.71-.7.499.499 0 00.71.7zM35.425 16.1a.499.499 0 10.697-.709.499.499 0 00-.697.709zM37.708 15.619a.499.499 0 10-.712-.7.499.499 0 00.712.7zM37.516 14.336a.499.499 0 10.697-.708.499.499 0 00-.697.708zM32.283 13.41a.499.499 0 10.711.7.499.499 0 00-.711-.7zM43.28 15.606a.499.499 0 10.71.7.499.499 0 00-.71-.7zM43.688 14.83a.499.499 0 10-.711-.7.499.499 0 00.71.7zM34.645 14.847a.499.499 0 10-.711-.699.499.499 0 00.711.7zM22.876 13.54a.499.499 0 10.51-.854.499.499 0 00-.51.855zM26.427 13.996a.499.499 0 10.51-.853.499.499 0 00-.51.853zM28.11 13.745a.499.499 0 10.857.511.499.499 0 00-.856-.511zM30.125 12.127a.499.499 0 10.51-.853.499.499 0 00-.51.853zM19.727 46.404a.498.498 0 10.139-.688.497.497 0 00-.14.69v-.002zM21.264 16.28a.498.498 0 10.584-.807.498.498 0 00-.584.807zM23.283 17.712a.497.497 0 10-.806-.584.497.497 0 00.806.584zM21.883 20.704a.497.497 0 10-.806-.584.497.497 0 00.806.584zM22.367 18.346a.498.498 0 10-.584.806.498.498 0 00.584-.806zM23.632 19.295a.498.498 0 10-.583.806.498.498 0 00.583-.806zM21.258 21.825a.498.498 0 10-.583.807.498.498 0 00.583-.807zM19.194 44.97a.498.498 0 10-.984-.156.498.498 0 00.984.155zM17.093 44.084a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM18.877 43.184a.498.498 0 10.156-.983.498.498 0 00-.156.983zM19.72 47.355a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM13.898 44.147a.498.498 0 10.156-.983.498.498 0 00-.156.983zM11.166 43.092a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM12.732 44.693a.497.497 0 10-.643.758.497.497 0 00.643-.758zM25.903 49.082a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM25.294 48.085a.497.497 0 10.983.156.497.497 0 00-.983-.156zM24.187 46.662a.498.498 0 10.983.155.498.498 0 00-.983-.155zM25.294 45.397a.498.498 0 10.983.155.498.498 0 00-.983-.155zM26.56 43.657a.498.498 0 10.983.155.498.498 0 00-.983-.155zM26.718 47.136a.498.498 0 10.983.156.498.498 0 00-.983-.156zM27.826 45.397a.498.498 0 10.983.155.498.498 0 00-.983-.155zM29.567 46.187a.497.497 0 10.982.156.497.497 0 00-.982-.156zM31.308 45.238a.498.498 0 10.983.156.498.498 0 00-.983-.156zM31.308 47.294a.498.498 0 10.983.156.498.498 0 00-.983-.156zM26.826 51.355a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM30.548 44.587a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM29.282 42.847a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM29.575 38.505a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM31.662 35.834a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM30.306 40.375a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM32.148 40.878a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM31.79 37.449a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM31.722 43.48a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM30.529 42.559a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM29.302 36.017a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM28.369 37.669a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM28.526 40.805a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM26.943 39.856a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM27.832 41.465a.497.497 0 10-.782.616.497.497 0 10.782-.617zM34.047 41.036a.498.498 0 10-.997 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM34.413 43.321a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM33.305 44.903a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM36.224 34.494a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM32.743 34.494a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM34.484 35.601a.498.498 0 10-.156.984.498.498 0 00.156-.984zM33.692 37.341a.498.498 0 10-.156.984.498.498 0 00.156-.984zM34.642 39.081a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM32.585 39.081a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM27.256 36.342a.498.498 0 10-.983-.156.498.498 0 00.983.156zM27.732 34.76a.498.498 0 10-.983-.156.498.498 0 00.983.156zM24.091 50.586a.497.497 0 10.2.974.497.497 0 00-.2-.974zM18.644 19.065a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM20.551 18.461a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM23.87 48.901a.498.498 0 10-.993.073.498.498 0 00.993-.073zM22.269 50.1a.498.498 0 10.072.994.498.498 0 00-.072-.994zM20.79 49.487a.498.498 0 10.072.993.498.498 0 00-.072-.993zM22.41 47.385a.498.498 0 10.994-.073.498.498 0 00-.993.073zM21.18 47.61a.498.498 0 10.072.994.498.498 0 00-.072-.993zM18.676 16.562a.498.498 0 10.934-.348.498.498 0 00-.934.348zM14.854 39.586a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM15.8 43.505a.498.498 0 10-.072-.993.498.498 0 00.072.993zM17.084 40.175a.498.498 0 10-.991-.098.498.498 0 00.991.098zM16.189 38.41a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM15.417 41.84a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .997zM17.218 42.632a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM13.37 35.253a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM49.084 22.632a.498.498 0 10.617.781.498.498 0 00-.617-.781zM50.237 24.878a.497.497 0 10.782-.614.497.497 0 00-.782.614zM45.455 19.456a.498.498 0 10-.616-.781.498.498 0 00.616.781zM47.968 22.41a.498.498 0 10-.616-.78.498.498 0 00.616.78zM44.428 24.595a.498.498 0 10.616.781.498.498 0 00-.616-.781zM46.643 19.785a.498.498 0 10.616.781.498.498 0 00-.616-.781zM43.84 20.982a.497.497 0 10.781-.617.497.497 0 10-.781.617zM45.445 23.155a.498.498 0 10.617.782.498.498 0 00-.617-.782zM47.057 24.12a.497.497 0 10.781-.614.497.497 0 00-.781.614zM45.431 22.146a.497.497 0 10.782-.617.497.497 0 10-.782.617zM23.47 16.052a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.996 0z" fill="#000"></path><path d="M32 9.223C16.56 9.223 4 19.44 4 32s12.56 22.777 28 22.777c15.438 0 27.998-10.217 27.998-22.777S47.438 9.223 32 9.223zm0 45.268C16.718 54.49 4.285 44.4 4.285 32 4.286 19.598 16.72 9.51 32 9.51c15.28 0 27.713 10.088 27.713 22.49S47.28 54.49 31.999 54.49z" fill="#000"></path><path d="M20.474 43.53c-.633 0-.633.982 0 .982s.633-.982 0-.982zM22.063 44.815c-.633 0-.633.982 0 .982s.633-.982 0-.982zM23.804 44.34c-.633 0-.633.982 0 .982s.633-.982 0-.982zM19.265 25.229c.633 0 .633-.982 0-.982s-.633.982 0 .982zM26.64 18.624c.634 0 .634-.982 0-.982-.632 0-.632.982 0 .982zM24.925 18.14c-.633 0-.633.982 0 .982s.633-.982 0-.982zM29.206 16.432c-.633 0-.633.982 0 .982s.633-.982 0-.982zM31.105 16.432c-.633 0-.633.982 0 .982s.633-.982 0-.982zM34.036 17.08c.633 0 .633-.982 0-.982s-.633.982 0 .982zM42.333 21.879c.633 0 .633-.982 0-.982s-.633.982 0 .982zM39.453 18.273c-.633 0-.633.982 0 .982s.633-.982 0-.982zM35.813 17.008c-.633 0-.633.982 0 .982s.633-.982 0-.982zM43.673 23.527c.633 0 .633-.982 0-.982s-.633.982 0 .982zM42.463 44.949c.633 0 .633-.982 0-.982s-.633.982 0 .982zM36.468 38.162a.498.498 0 100 .997.498.498 0 000-.997zM36.943 39.586a.498.498 0 100 .996.498.498 0 000-.996zM37.22 43.013a.498.498 0 10-.851-.517.498.498 0 00.851.517zM36.745 44.595a.498.498 0 10-.851-.517.498.498 0 00.851.517zM35.123 37.075a.498.498 0 10.851.517.498.498 0 00-.85-.517zM36.547 36.443a.498.498 0 10.851.516.498.498 0 00-.851-.516zM35.342 41.944c.633 0 .633-.983 0-.983s-.633.983 0 .983zM25.778 28.582a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM25.462 26.684a.498.498 0 10-.156.983.498.498 0 00.156-.983zM27.222 28.14a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .996zM24.373 25.925a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM22.79 30.037a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM24.215 30.512a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM23.581 28.297a.498.498 0 10.001-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM28.171 26.083a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM33.013 27.19a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM35.188 28.462a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM31.143 27.603a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM30.141 28.947a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM33.572 28.59a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM27.855 29.47a.498.498 0 10.996 0 .498.498 0 00-.996 0zM28.459 27.33a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM35.501 26.602a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM33.827 25.487a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM30.712 25.825a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM29.554 24.634a.498.498 0 10-.617-.78.498.498 0 00.617.78zM29.983 30.845a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM27.696 31.21a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM26.114 30.736a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM36.212 32.864a.497.497 0 10-.982-.156.497.497 0 00.982.156zM37.794 33.654a.498.498 0 10-.983-.155.498.498 0 00.983.155zM36.054 29.7a.497.497 0 10-.983-.156.497.497 0 00.983.156zM35.42 31.282a.498.498 0 10-.983-.156.498.498 0 00.983.156zM37.478 31.44a.498.498 0 10-.983-.155.498.498 0 00.983.155zM33.68 30.491a.498.498 0 10-.983-.156.498.498 0 00.983.156zM31.939 31.44a.498.498 0 10-.983-.156.498.498 0 00.983.156zM31.939 29.384a.498.498 0 10-.983-.156.498.498 0 00.983.156zM36.42 25.324a.498.498 0 10.157-.983.498.498 0 00-.156.983zM33.32 22.1a.498.498 0 10.001-.996.498.498 0 000 .997zM31.234 22.195a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM29.84 23.27a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .996zM28.256 22.479a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM27.465 24.06a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM25.725 24.218a.498.498 0 100-.996.498.498 0 000 .996zM26.516 25.958a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .997zM33.436 23.64a.498.498 0 100-.997.498.498 0 000 .996zM35.951 22.891a.498.498 0 10.997 0 .498.498 0 00-.997 0zM34.685 21.784a.498.498 0 10.996 0 .498.498 0 00-.996 0zM31.577 24.483a.498.498 0 10.156-.984.498.498 0 00-.156.984zM30.31 21.794a.498.498 0 10.156-.984.498.498 0 00-.156.984zM37.907 24.483a.498.498 0 10.156-.984.498.498 0 00-.156.984zM34.69 23.586a.498.498 0 10.983.155.498.498 0 00-.983-.155zM32.858 33.265a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.996 0zM31.434 33.74a.498.498 0 10-.996 0 .498.498 0 00.997 0zM28.48 34.175a.498.498 0 00.517-.85.498.498 0 00-.517.85zM26.58 33.384a.498.498 0 00.518-.85.498.498 0 00-.517.85zM33.945 31.92a.498.498 0 00-.517.85.498.498 0 00.517-.85zM34.578 33.344a.498.498 0 00-.517.85.498.498 0 00.517-.85zM41.224 30.097a.5.5 0 10-.59-.805.5.5 0 00.59.805zM39.008 28.357a.5.5 0 10-.59-.805.5.5 0 00.59.805zM40.674 28.579a.5.5 0 10-.59-.806.5.5 0 00.59.806zM40.32 26.947a.5.5 0 10-.59-.806.5.5 0 00.59.806zM37.943 26.547a.5.5 0 00-.587-.806.5.5 0 00.587.806zM39.24 25.726a.5.5 0 10-.59-.806.5.5 0 00.59.806zM37.302 28.013a.497.497 0 10-.702-.704.497.497 0 00.702.704zM39.813 29.885a.497.497 0 10-.966.235.497.497 0 00.966-.235zM38.303 29.757a.497.497 0 10-.966.235.497.497 0 00.966-.235zM29.075 32.14c0 .632.983.632.983 0 0-.634-.983-.634-.983 0z" fill="#000"></path></svg><span>Listen to Podcasts and Articles</span></a></li></ul></div><div class="ExpandedNav_print__7d4vw" data-event-element="print edition"><h2 class="ExpandedNav_title__C8QcN ExpandedNav_printTitle__PKCL7">The Print Edition</h2><div class="ExpandedNav_printContainer__Lp_nj"><a href="/magazine/" class="ExpandedNav_printImgLink__gcbdt"><img alt="" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV ExpandedNav_printImg__hHeRU" src="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/images/current-issue.large.jpg" width="266" height="200"/></a><div class="ExpandedNav_printLinks__gNywy"><div class="ExpandedNav_topPrintLinks__UytSB"><a href="/magazine/" class="ExpandedNav_latestIssue__iDXQm">Latest Issue</a><a href="/magazine/backissues/" class="ExpandedNav_pastIssues__nkE14">Past Issues</a></div><hr class="ExpandedNav_hr__5T2Ez"/><a href="https://accounts.theatlantic.com/products/gift" class="ExpandedNav_giveAGift__vyp0c">Give a Gift</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></li><li class="Nav_navListItem__l2afO Nav_hideOnTablet__wyFPd Nav_searchLi__yxgD4"><button class="NavSearchButton_root__DcP_y" aria-label="Search The Atlantic" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="nav-desktop-search" data-event-element="search icon" data-event-verb="opened" data-event-surface="search" data-event-module="search overlay"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 16" class="NavSearchButton_searchIcon__Acpm1"><path d="M15.85 15.15l-5.27-5.28a6 6 0 10-.71.71l5.28 5.27a.48.48 0 00.7 0 .48.48 0 000-.7zM1 6a5 5 0 115 5 5 5 0 01-5-5z"></path></svg></button><div data-event-surface="search" data-event-module="search overlay" class="SearchOverlay_root__lmUcH" hidden="" id="nav-desktop-search"><div data-focus-guard="true" tabindex="0" style="width:1px;height:0px;padding:0;overflow:hidden;position:fixed;top:1px;left:1px"></div><div data-focus-lock-disabled="false" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="search-label" role="dialog"><form method="GET" action="/search/" class="SearchOverlay_searchForm___U0R_"><div class="SearchInput_root__6XLPB"><div class="VisuallyHidden_root__yoK4r"><label for="search-input-:Rbjekaqm:">Search The Atlantic</label></div><button type="submit" title="Submit" class="SearchInput_searchButton__u0CP0"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" width="20"><path d="M15.85 15.15l-5.27-5.28a6 6 0 10-.71.71l5.28 5.27a.48.48 0 00.7 0 .48.48 0 000-.7zM1 6a5 5 0 115 5 5 5 0 01-5-5z"></path></svg></button><input type="search" name="q" id="search-input-:Rbjekaqm:" class="SearchInput_searchInput__5hWhI SearchInput_hideClear__re5AE" placeholder="Search The Atlantic..." autoComplete="off" required=""/></div><div class="QuickLinks_quickLinksContainer__F_iFd"><div class="QuickLinks_quickLinksHeading__ms7Ht">Quick Links</div><ul class="QuickLinks_quickLinksList__e7x66"><li class="QuickLinks_quickLinkListItem__59_09"><a class="QuickLinks_quickLink__w_Fp0" href="/audio" data-event-element="quick link" data-event-position="1"><img alt="Audio" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV QuickLinks_quickLinkImage__FTMBA" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/files/audio/intro_sprint_2_emblem.png" width="148" height="148"/><div class="QuickLinks_quickLinkLabel__TYtIC">Audio</div></a></li><li class="QuickLinks_quickLinkListItem__59_09"><a class="QuickLinks_quickLink__w_Fp0" href="/free-daily-crossword-puzzle/" data-event-element="quick link" data-event-position="2"><img alt="Crossword Puzzle" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV QuickLinks_quickLinkImage__FTMBA" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/files/2025/crossword_icon_intro_sprint_2.png" width="148" height="148"/><div class="QuickLinks_quickLinkLabel__TYtIC">Crossword Puzzle</div></a></li><li class="QuickLinks_quickLinkListItem__59_09"><a class="QuickLinks_quickLink__w_Fp0" href="/archive/" data-event-element="quick link" data-event-position="3"><img alt="Magazine Archive" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV QuickLinks_quickLinkImage__FTMBA" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/files/archive-thumbnail.png" width="148" height="148"/><div class="QuickLinks_quickLinkLabel__TYtIC">Magazine Archive</div></a></li><li class="QuickLinks_quickLinkListItem__59_09"><a class="QuickLinks_quickLink__w_Fp0" href="https://accounts.theatlantic.com/accounts/subscription/" data-event-element="quick link" data-event-position="4"><img alt="Your Subscription" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV QuickLinks_quickLinkImage__FTMBA" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/files/YourSubscription_300x300.jpg" width="148" height="148"/><div class="QuickLinks_quickLinkLabel__TYtIC">Your Subscription</div></a></li></ul></div><button type="button" aria-label="Close Search" class="SearchOverlay_closeButton___zntA" data-event-verb="closed" data-event-element="close icon"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="SearchOverlay_closeIcon__DrMMb"><path d="M9.525 8l6.159 6.159a1.078 1.078 0 11-1.525 1.525L8 9.524l-6.159 6.16a1.076 1.076 0 01-1.525 0 1.078 1.078 0 010-1.525L6.476 8 .315 1.841A1.078 1.078 0 111.841.316L8 6.476l6.16-6.16a1.078 1.078 0 111.524 1.525L9.524 8z" fill-rule="evenodd"></path></svg></button></form></div><div data-focus-guard="true" tabindex="0" style="width:1px;height:0px;padding:0;overflow:hidden;position:fixed;top:1px;left:1px"></div></div></li><li class="Nav_navListItem__l2afO Nav_hideOnTablet__wyFPd"><a class="Nav_navLink__34Bol" href="/most-popular/">Popular</a></li><li class="Nav_navListItem__l2afO Nav_hideOnTablet__wyFPd"><a class="Nav_navLink__34Bol" href="/latest/">Latest</a></li><li class="Nav_navListItem__l2afO Nav_hideOnTablet__wyFPd"><a class="Nav_navLink__34Bol" href="/newsletters/">Newsletters</a></li></ul><div aria-hidden="true" class="Nav_middleContainer__7JzLF" data-event-element="wordmark"><a href="/" class="Nav_hideAboveMobile__1lhmL Nav_mobileBigALink__eWXD_" tabindex="-1"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 87.83 134" class="Nav_mobileBigA__9PTCs Nav_hideOnMobile__IESg8"><path d="M24.48 95.13c-.56 0-.74-.37-.74-.93l13.08-55.88c.19-.94.93-.94 1.12 0L50.09 94.2c0 .56-.19.93-.75.93zM48.22.19a22.54 22.54 0 01-7.66 5.05c-.75.19-.94.37-1.13 1.12l-26.72 112.5c-2 9-4.67 10.66-11.77 11.22a.88.88 0 00-.94.93v2.06a.88.88 0 00.92.93h25.6a.88.88 0 00.93-.93V131a.88.88 0 00-.93-.93c-9.53 0-10.47-2.81-8.6-10.66l4.49-19.25a1.18 1.18 0 011.12-.93h26.74a1.19 1.19 0 011.13.93l5 23.18c1.12 5-.75 6.17-7.1 6.73a.88.88 0 00-.93.93v2.06a.88.88 0 00.93.93h37.62a.88.88 0 00.94-.93V131a.88.88 0 00-.94-.93c-5.79-.56-8.22-1.5-9.34-6.73L49.34.57c-.19-.56-.75-.75-1.12-.38"></path></svg></a><a href="/" class="Nav_navLink__34Bol" tabindex="-1"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 214 33.24" class="Nav_logo__RLN3C"><path d="M39.39 13.2c-2.4 0-4.43 1.82-7 5.32-1.18 1.64-2.7 4-3.37 5-.38.51-.68.43-.47-.12l1.78-4.56 6.36-17.5C37 .62 34.46-.25 34 .62v.09c-1.09 2.32-3.12 3.08-6.75 2.95S16.32 1.52 10.8 1.52C3.88 1.52 0 5.78 0 10.8c0 2.82 1.85 4.64 4.34 4.55a2.27 2.27 0 002.41-1.81 1.2 1.2 0 00-1.56-1.43c-2.45.51-3.29-1.18-3.29-2.49 0-3.12 2.66-5.44 8.22-5.44 1.43 0 4.22.34 7.17.67-3.75 11.3-7.55 21.77-8.48 24.25a2.07 2.07 0 01-1.35 1.44c-1.34.42-1.77.46-2.61.67-1.27.3-1.06 1.35-.17 1.31 1.6-.09 3.67-.3 5.31-.3 2 0 5.61.17 6.16.21 1 .09 1.14-1.14.3-1.26-.59-.09-1.56-.25-2.49-.38-1.1-.13-1.43-.59-1.18-1.48.55-1.47 7-20.11 8.27-24 2 .25 3.71.42 4.84.5 2.33.14 4.57 0 6.5-1.41l-5.1 14.4-4.47 12.33c-.76 2 2.1 2.15 2.74.93a81.64 81.64 0 017.63-12.36c1.86-2.7 3.59-4.31 4.81-4.31.93 0 1.47.51 1.47 1.65 0 1.52-.71 3.88-2.15 7.89-1.89 5.23-2.61 6.62-3.24 6.66s-1.86-1.52-2.53-1.69a1.39 1.39 0 00-1.65.72c-.34.59-.12 2.49 2.74 2.62 3.42.16 6.33-3.34 8.35-8.94 1.39-3.8 1.73-5.74 1.73-7.13 0-2.7-1.26-3.97-3.33-3.97zm57.9 18.09c-2.15-.5-3-1.3-3-2.15l.09-1.77c0-1.3 1-20.49 1.22-23.36.17-2.11-2.24-2-3.25-.76l-2 2.57C87.89 8.9 78 21.68 73.17 27.67A11.5 11.5 0 0168 31.25c-.8.21-.72 1.06.17 1.06.71 0 2.82-.25 4.38-.25s4.43.12 5.15.16 1-.76 0-1c-2-.59-3-1-3-1.52s.46-1.22 1.56-2.74c.84-1.18 2.86-3.84 5.1-6.79H91c-.21 4.05-.46 8.31-.5 9.15a1.14 1.14 0 01-.93 1.14l-2.15.63c-.59.17-.85 1.27.08 1.23 2.11-.13 3.88-.3 4.81-.3 1.39 0 3.75.3 4.85.34s.94-.85.13-1.07zm-6-15.47c0 .76-.09 1.6-.13 2.49h-8.25c3.84-5.07 7.89-10.38 8.23-10.89s.67-.25.63.13c-.13 1.86-.34 5.27-.5 8.27zM55.08 13.5c-3.67-.17-7.76 4.09-9.7 10.5-1.9 6.2.21 8.77 2.53 8.77 1.69 0 4.51-2.19 6.07-4.72.55-.89.13-1.82-.71-.89-1.06 1.14-2.49 2.36-4 2.07-1-.17-1.94-1.9-.46-6.2 3.54-.17 7.71-2.19 8.77-5.53.92-2.88-.98-3.96-2.5-4zm.38 3.12c-.89 2.61-4 4.8-6.24 5.35 2.15-5.69 4.21-7.21 5.52-7.17.72 0 1.06.82.72 1.82zm53.94-1h3.42c.76 0 1.14-.21 1.3-.76.3-.72.13-1.06-.63-1.06h-3.42l1.65-4.38c.21-.59 0-.89-.34-.89h-1.77c-.46 0-.63.13-.84.72L107 13.83h-2.7c-.38 0-.68-.08-.93 1.06-.09.55 0 .76.55.76h2.4l-4.09 10.67a45.64 45.64 0 00-1.69 4.68c-.25 1.48.64 2.07 1.73 1.86 2.15-.38 5.23-2.62 8-6.12.76-1 .13-1.64-.63-.84a34.4 34.4 0 01-3.67 3.16c-1.1.72-1.64.21-1.26-.84zm38.04-1c.25-.59-.59-.76-2.53-1.13-.59-.13-.93.5-1.94 2.61a4 4 0 00-3.5-1.43c-3.08.08-6.88 2.86-10 7.12-2.49 3.42-3.25 5.78-2.78 8.31a3.11 3.11 0 003.08 2.52c2.32.08 4.64-2.11 7-4.52l1.48-1.48c.42-.42.8-.17.54.34a23.77 23.77 0 00-1.89 4.17c-.3 1.48.5 1.86 1.64 1.69 2.19-.29 5.61-2.32 8.23-5.94.75-1.06 0-1.65-.68-.85a26.62 26.62 0 01-3.75 3.29c-1.14.76-1.65.55-1.31-.34.17-.55.8-2.07 6.41-14.36zm-9.74 11c-2.66 2.45-4.81 4.22-6.29 4.22-1 0-1.47-.43-1.56-1.14-.25-1.86 1.44-4.68 2.83-6.58 2.4-3.16 5.36-5.78 7.25-5.78 1.31 0 2 .55 2.11 1.35.25 1.46-2.19 5.93-4.34 7.87zm58.58-12.71c-2.07 0-4.85 1.47-7.47 4.38-.84 1-.21 1.65.59.93a20.28 20.28 0 012.87-2.19c.89-.55 1.48-.13 1.22.67-.21.64-.84 2.2-1.3 3.25l-2.87 6.58c-.8 1.86-1.56 3.71-1.73 4.22-.38 1.31.29 2 1.35 2 2 0 4.77-1.65 7.42-4.6.84-1 .21-1.64-.59-.93a28 28 0 01-3.12 2.4c-.88.54-1.52.12-1.22-.68.21-.59.84-1.94 1.26-2.91l2.91-6.58c.85-1.94 1.82-4 2-4.55.32-1.28-.31-1.99-1.32-1.99zm2.53-10.21a2.39 2.39 0 00-2.53 2.15 2.09 2.09 0 001.85 2.45 2.43 2.43 0 002.49-2.11 2.08 2.08 0 00-1.81-2.49zm11.68 10.84c-3.71-.17-7.68 4.13-9.62 10.46s.17 8.77 2.62 8.77c1.69 0 4.51-2 6.2-4.72.55-.89.13-1.82-.72-.89-1.05 1.14-2.4 2.19-3.79 2.11s-2.37-2-.76-6.62c2.36-6.66 4-7.42 4.72-7.47s2.19 1.86 3.08 2.07a1.36 1.36 0 001.64-.71c.38-.72.14-2.83-3.37-3zm-23.95.29h-3.42l1.64-4.38c.22-.59 0-.89-.33-.89h-1.78c-.46 0-.63.13-.84.72l-1.73 4.55h-2.74c-.38 0-.67-.08-.93 1.06-.08.55.05.76.55.76h2.41l-4.09 10.67a43.34 43.34 0 00-1.69 4.68c-.26 1.48.63 2.07 1.73 1.86 2.15-.38 5.23-2.62 8-6.12.76-1 .13-1.64-.64-.84a34.33 34.33 0 01-3.68 3.16c-1.1.72-1.65.21-1.27-.84l4.71-12.6h3.42c.76 0 1.14-.21 1.31-.76.29-.69.12-1.03-.63-1.03zm-63.6 11.9a40.24 40.24 0 01-3.8 3.33c-1.1.72-1.64.21-1.26-.84L128.17.97c.17-.42.08-1-.51-1a58.6 58.6 0 00-6 .68c-.34.08-.51.59-.13.71l2.28.85c.46.17.51.38.21 1.14l-8.84 22.97a43.34 43.34 0 00-1.69 4.68c-.25 1.48.63 2.07 1.73 1.86 2.28-.38 5.52-2.62 8.35-6.29.76-1.01.13-1.64-.63-.84zm43.39.08l2.49-5c1.35-2.74 1.61-4 1.61-4.93 0-1.81-.93-2.74-2.83-2.74-2.66 0-4.77 2.11-8 6.66-.89 1.22-1.48 2.15-2.66 3.67-.38.47-.67.42-.46-.13l1.64-4.09a17 17 0 001.35-4.47c0-1.09-.46-1.6-1.64-1.6-1.44 0-3.25.76-6.41 4.77-1.14 1.47 0 1.64.38 1.18.63-.64 2-2.07 2.91-2.87s1.72-.55 1.39.42a18.36 18.36 0 01-.8 2.24l-5 12.27c-.68 1.69 2.53 2.07 3.08.8 1.73-4 5.52-9 7.08-11.22 2.28-3.25 4.26-5.48 5.69-5.48.76 0 1.1.42 1.1 1.22a5.83 5.83 0 01-.59 2l-3.54 7.55c-1 2-1.94 4.13-2.11 4.68-.42 1.31.3 2 1.43 2 2 0 4.77-1.65 7.43-4.6.84-1 .21-1.64-.59-.93a29 29 0 01-3.12 2.41c-.92.59-1.56.12-1.26-.72.21-.6.97-2.16 1.43-3.09z"></path></svg></a></div><div class="Nav_rightContainer__CBCcP"><ul class="NavAccountLinks_root__8VKLM" data-event-element="account links"><li class="NavAccountLinks_navListItem__Lxooj"><a href="https://accounts.theatlantic.com/login/" class="NavAccountLinks_navLink__ctd7M NavAccountLinks_hideOnMobile__Eokx4">Sign In</a></li><li class="NavAccountLinks_navListItem__Lxooj"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/subscribe/navbar/" class="NavAccountLinks_subscribe__2DNuJ">Subscribe</a></li></ul></div></div></div></nav><div class="Nav_fixedPosPlaceholder__0nyHE"></div><div class="Nav_overlay__zlKnQ" data-testid="overlay"></div><div></div><main id="main-content" data-event-surface="article" data-flatplan-layout="standard" class=""><aside class="ArticleBentoRecirc_root___wAIa" style="background-color:#fbfafa;color:#000000" aria-labelledby="more-in-series-heading" data-event-surface="article" data-event-module="project bar"><div class="ArticleBentoRecirc_intro__MlV2j"><div class="ArticleBentoRecirc_headingContainer__mY2V3"><h2 class="ArticleBentoRecirc_desktopHeading__YZv_N" id="more-in-series-heading"><a data-event-element="more from" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/projects/atlantic-interview/">More From <!-- -->The Atlantic Interview</a></h2><h2 class="ArticleBentoRecirc_mobileHeading__RzzKy">More From <!-- -->The Atlantic Interview</h2><span class="ArticleBentoRecirc_sponsor__zhHJ1"><gpt-ad class="GptAd_root__pAvcS Logo_root__GuE0u" format="logo" sizes-at-0="logo" data-logo-format="text"></gpt-ad></span></div><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/projects/atlantic-interview/" class="ArticleBentoRecirc_button__F1Fj9">Explore This Series</a></div><ul class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articles__qE_Gu"><li class="ArticleBentoRecirc_article__drQUh"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/babylon-bee-news-kyle-mann-wokeism/620376/" class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleLink__LBkjA"><figure class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleFigure__g9vgl" data-event-element="image" data-event-position="1"><picture class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articlePicture__wR05Z"><img alt="Kyle Mann on a background of red and blue triangles" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV ArticleBentoRecirc_articleImage__M6dMP" srcSet="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/m6Q7YtDWAw0NOiRIUu4qe7Z9fpU=/1698x0:4398x2700/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/kylenann_1_copy/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/j7GTf6QjBf_oithPPkLerfmdKHI=/1698x0:4398x2700/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/10/kylenann_1_copy/original.jpg 2x" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/m6Q7YtDWAw0NOiRIUu4qe7Z9fpU=/1698x0:4398x2700/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/kylenann_1_copy/original.jpg" width="80" height="80"/></picture></figure><h3 class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleTitle__8fFYc" data-event-element="title" data-event-position="1">The Christians Who Mock Wokeness for a Living</h3></a><a class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleAuthor__kirBf" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" data-event-element="author" data-event-position="1">Emma Green</a></li><li class="ArticleBentoRecirc_article__drQUh"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/princeton-president-racism-inequality/620340/" class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleLink__LBkjA"><figure class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleFigure__g9vgl" data-event-element="image" data-event-position="2"><picture class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articlePicture__wR05Z"><img alt="Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber on a solid yellow background" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV ArticleBentoRecirc_articleImage__M6dMP" srcSet="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/hEpmOuu1eQWkW8JOMNtL3B0ZqRI=/566x0:2254x1688/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/210917_Blesener_EISGRUBER_022_Edit_copy/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/o_VX4UhnbuNQIJX0H5fhAqp9V2s=/566x0:2254x1688/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/10/210917_Blesener_EISGRUBER_022_Edit_copy/original.jpg 2x" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/hEpmOuu1eQWkW8JOMNtL3B0ZqRI=/566x0:2254x1688/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/210917_Blesener_EISGRUBER_022_Edit_copy/original.jpg" width="80" height="80"/></picture></figure><h3 class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleTitle__8fFYc" data-event-element="title" data-event-position="2">Should Princeton Exist?</h3></a><a class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleAuthor__kirBf" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" data-event-element="author" data-event-position="2">Emma Green</a></li><li class="ArticleBentoRecirc_article__drQUh"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/claremont-ryan-williams-trump/620252/" class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleLink__LBkjA"><figure class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleFigure__g9vgl" data-event-element="image" data-event-position="3"><picture class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articlePicture__wR05Z"><img alt="Ryan williams, a blue circle, and a red line" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV ArticleBentoRecirc_articleImage__M6dMP" srcSet="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/IBFyRZf6BhL1A0Cb16sVPB8yN-I=/2100x0:4800x2700/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/RYANWILLIAMS/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/FrSNZeA-VpUe0DaYwnwofQsKSiU=/2100x0:4800x2700/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/10/RYANWILLIAMS/original.jpg 2x" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/IBFyRZf6BhL1A0Cb16sVPB8yN-I=/2100x0:4800x2700/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/RYANWILLIAMS/original.jpg" width="80" height="80"/></picture></figure><h3 class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleTitle__8fFYc" data-event-element="title" data-event-position="3">The Conservatives Dreading—And Preparing for—Civil War</h3></a><a class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleAuthor__kirBf" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" data-event-element="author" data-event-position="3">Emma Green</a></li><li class="ArticleBentoRecirc_article__drQUh ArticleBentoRecirc_hideAtBreak__gKcJW"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/millennials-babies-climate-change/620032/" class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleLink__LBkjA"><figure class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleFigure__g9vgl" data-event-element="image" data-event-position="4"><picture class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articlePicture__wR05Z"><img alt="A black-and-white image of a baby with a red globe as his head" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV ArticleBentoRecirc_articleImage__M6dMP" srcSet="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/3UKhhJpoTrWpvSMSnv_IKDPBL00=/547x0:1953x1406/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/09/climate_change_no_babies/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/La5maNDv62r3q_QKQ9lRBqsH3Bw=/547x0:1953x1406/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/09/climate_change_no_babies/original.jpg 2x" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/3UKhhJpoTrWpvSMSnv_IKDPBL00=/547x0:1953x1406/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/09/climate_change_no_babies/original.jpg" width="80" height="80"/></picture></figure><h3 class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleTitle__8fFYc" data-event-element="title" data-event-position="4">A World Without Children</h3></a><a class="ArticleBentoRecirc_articleAuthor__kirBf" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" data-event-element="author" data-event-position="4">Emma Green</a></li></ul></aside><article class="ArticleLayout_article__RHFMN article-content-body"><header class="ArticleHero_root__3w7kV ArticleHero_articleStandard__2tcdv" data-event-module="hero"><div class=""><div class="ArticleHero_defaultArticleLockup__vb8lz"><div class="ArticleHero_rubric__e4rjD"><div class="ArticleRubric_root__HNhbf" id="rubric" data-flatplan-rubric="true"><a class="ArticleRubric_link__nl9hy" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/" data-event-element="rubric">Politics</a></div></div><div class="ArticleHero_title__PQ4pC"><h1 class="ArticleTitle_root__VrZaG" data-flatplan-title="true">The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’</h1></div><div class="ArticleHero_dek__EqdkK" data-flatplan-description="true"><p class="ArticleDek_root__P3leE">Some advocates on the left want America to talk about pregnancy and birth in gender-neutral terms. But this language change might not be so easy for the country to embrace.</p></div><div class="ArticleHero_byline__iFT6A"><div class="ArticleBylines_root__IBR5V"><address id="byline">By <a class="ArticleBylines_link__kNP4C" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" data-event-element="author" data-flatplan-author-link="true">Emma Green</a></address></div></div></div><div class="ArticleLeadArt_root__nRSLU"><figure class="ArticleLeadFigure_root__Bj81R ArticleLeadFigure_standard__20Izv"><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__R1npW" data-flatplan-lead_figure_media="true"><picture><img alt="Louise Melling in black and white on a background of colorful geometric objects" class="Image_root__XxsOp ArticleLeadArt_image__HZS4B" sizes="(min-width: 976px) 976px, 100vw" srcSet="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/0Ypn2hkQMM4j7oH0-Z5vpu4GQnU=/0x0:2000x1125/750x422/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 750w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/qqSJFVIEpUnzAzhZ3v9TcsbWV6M=/0x0:2000x1125/828x466/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 828w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/aFTnjX7SgDFLj5lUGN9XUJhH0bM=/0x0:2000x1125/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 960w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/NcX2JYzmCwDz7wmPAD6TUNuW9GM=/0x0:2000x1125/976x549/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 976w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/8ahPms9xo2Qjnq_Oix6aOrIOX7U=/0x0:2000x1125/1952x1098/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 1952w" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/aFTnjX7SgDFLj5lUGN9XUJhH0bM=/0x0:2000x1125/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg" id="article-lead-image" width="960" height="540"/></picture></div><figcaption class="ArticleLeadFigure_caption__Byu7W ArticleLeadFigure_standardCaption__PsDkd" data-flatplan-lead_figure_caption="true">Molly Kaplan / ACLU; The Atlantic</figcaption></figure></div></div><div class="ArticleHero_articleUtilityBar__JbQFj"><div class="ArticleHero_timestamp__bKhcB"><time class="ArticleTimestamp_root__b3bL6" dateTime="2021-09-17T11:00:00Z" data-flatplan-timestamp="true">September 17, 2021</time> </div><div class="ArticleHero_articleUtilityBarTools__ZHw8s"><div class="ArticleShare_root__Mq0RB" tabindex="-1"><button class="ArticleShare_shareButton__X0cIe" aria-haspopup="true" aria-controls=":Rp2pb32qm:" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Open Share Menu" data-action="click share - expand" data-event-verb="shared" data-event-element="share dropdown">Share<svg width="15" height="15" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="ArticleShare_buttonIcon__B86vV"><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M7.335.272a.25.25 0 01.337 0l4.623 4.204a.25.25 0 01.017.353l-.336.37a.25.25 0 01-.353.016L8.004 1.926v7.9a.25.25 0 01-.25.25h-.5a.25.25 0 01-.25-.25V1.924l-3.62 3.291a.25.25 0 01-.353-.016l-.336-.37a.25.25 0 01.016-.353L7.335.272zM.5 7.545a.25.25 0 00-.25.25v6.75c0 .138.112.25.25.25h14a.25.25 0 00.25-.25v-6.75a.25.25 0 00-.25-.25H14a.25.25 0 00-.25.25v6H1.25v-6a.25.25 0 00-.25-.25H.5z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button></div><button class="SaveButton_saveButton__7LYFZ" aria-label="Save"><span class="SaveButton_text__fiZgx">Save<!-- --> </span><svg width="12" height="16" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="SaveButton_icon__HFNiD SaveButton_unsaved__bP4MN"><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M6 10.828l5 3.31V1H1v13.139l5-3.31zM.776 15.486A.5.5 0 010 15.07V.5A.5.5 0 01.5 0h11a.5.5 0 01.5.5v14.57a.5.5 0 01-.776.416L6.138 12.12a.25.25 0 00-.276 0L.776 15.486z" fill="currentColor"></path><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M5.572 8.75c0 .138.111.25.25.25h.5a.25.25 0 00.25-.25V6.57H8.75A.25.25 0 009 6.32v-.5a.25.25 0 00-.25-.25H6.572V3.25a.25.25 0 00-.25-.25h-.5a.25.25 0 00-.25.25v2.32H3.25a.25.25 0 00-.25.25v.5c0 .138.112.25.25.25h2.322v2.18z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button></div></div><gpt-ad class="GptAd_root__pAvcS ArticleInjector_root__I7x9v LeadArticleAd_root__tdCqm s-native s-native--standard s-native--streamline" format="injector" sizes-at-0="mobile-wide" targeting-pos="injector-article-start" sizes-at-976="desktop-wide"></gpt-ad><div class="ArticleInjector_clsAvoider__dqIAm" style="--placeholderHeight:298px"></div></header><section class="ArticleBody_root__2gF81" data-event-module="article body" data-flatplan-body="true"><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">Last year, a brand-new labor-and-delivery hospital opened on the well-to-do Upper East Side of New York City. Its name, the Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns, might strike most people as innocuous or straightforward. But to some people, the suggestion that a hospital where babies are born is for women is offensive, because transgender and nonbinary people who do not identify as women can also get pregnant and deliver babies.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">Only niche groups tend to care about how Americans discuss gender and pregnancy—including whether it’s better to use the term <i>pregnant people</i> instead of <i>pregnant women</i>. But those groups care a lot. Representative Cori Bush of Missouri<a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=857778011444386"> used the term</a> <i>birthing people</i> in a hearing, causing a mini-uproar on social media. “When we talk about ‘birthing people,’ we’re being inclusive. It’s that simple,” the pro-abortion-rights group NARAL <a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://twitter.com/NARAL/status/1390391199077437443?s=20">tweeted</a> in her defense. Others, however, see this kind of language as exclusionary because it erases women and mothers as worthy categories of identity. Ann Romney, the wife of Senator Mitt Romney, <a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://twitter.com/AnnRomney/status/1403507171300679688?s=20">tweeted</a> angrily in June, “The Biden administration diminishing motherhood to ‘birthing person’ is simply insulting to all moms.” It was the first time she had tweeted all year.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">And yet, Americans who don’t mainline niche political or linguistic fights probably don’t even know this is a debate. When I texted a friend in a small, liberal-ish city about this topic recently, he had no idea what I was talking about.</p><p id="injected-recirculation-link-0" class="ArticleRelatedContentLink_root__VYc9V" data-view-action="view link - injected link - item 1" data-event-element="injected link" data-event-position="1"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/americas-profound-gender-anxiety/484856/">Read: America’s profound gender anxiety</a></p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">To understand the contours of the debate, I called Louise Melling, the deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, who leads projects on women’s rights and LGBTQ rights. Although she does not identify as transgender or nonbinary, she is one of the country’s most influential progressive legal thinkers on gender norms and the law. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Emma Green:</b> Why do you believe it’s important to shift our language around gender and pregnancy?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Louise Melling: </b>First of all, if we’re talking about “pregnant people,” that language says to people—to transgender men and to nonbinary people—“we see you.” It should do a fair amount of work to help address discrimination. If we talk about “pregnant people,” it’s a reminder to all of us to catch ourselves when we’re sitting in the waiting room at the GYN that we’re not going to stare at the man who’s there. We’re not going to be disconcerted.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">More importantly, we’re not going to behave in a way that makes that person uncomfortable—that signals discrimination and unwelcomeness to them. And that’s incredibly important when we think about the kinds of discrimination that continue to be pervasive against transgender people and nonbinary people.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">It’s nothing short of heartbreaking to read about the experiences of <a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/being-trans-shouldnt-exempt-me-from-health-laws/613261/">transgender people seeking health care</a>. If somebody is hostile to you, you’re not going to go back. So we have really serious consequences for transgender people—people who already are really in need of health care, who are often of lower income because of all the discrimination they face.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">It is the reality that not only women seek abortions. It is not only women who are birthing. It is not only women who are seeking mammography and pap smears and other care. And recognizing that does real work.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green:</b> This may be hard to summarize, but where do things stand—both in terms of how these terms are used legally, but also how they’re used in the culture?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling: </b>It’s interesting to me, for example, that the CDC website now <a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/pregnant-people.html">speaks</a> of “pregnant people.” With every passing year, it’s more pervasive. My GYN just talked to me about this: “Oh, I just learned this,” and was really working to change her language.</p><p id="injected-recirculation-link-1" class="ArticleRelatedContentLink_root__VYc9V" data-view-action="view link - injected link - item 2" data-event-element="injected link" data-event-position="2"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/07/lila-rose-anti-abortion/593404/">Read: When your pregnancy is political</a></p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green: </b>Within the legal worlds you run in—at organizations like the ACLU—is there consensus on the use of gender-neutral terms to refer to pregnancy? Or is there some remaining debate?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling: </b>In the spaces in which I find myself most commonly, people are really committed to talking about “pregnant people.” People are really committed to using <a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/06/gender-neutral-pronouns-arent-new/619092/">gender-neutral language</a>. Historically, people have been punished for deviating from gender norms. That includes women, that includes transgender people, that includes nonbinary people. I see commonality, not difference, in this struggle.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">I work on reproductive rights. I work on women’s rights. I work on LGBTQ rights. My colleagues are people who are in pain. My colleagues are people who are excluded because of language. They are threatened because of language. When you think about <a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/anti-transgender-children-laws-unconstitutional/618864/">the bills that passed this year</a>, they try not only to attack, but almost <a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/gops-war-trans-kids/618579/">obliterate transgender people</a>. A total erasure from the language has huge consequences.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">The depth of the discrimination, the pain of the discrimination, the urgency of opening up space for people to be seen—that’s something I’ve really learned from my colleagues.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green: </b>Your gig covers a lot of different angles of the law—you work on women’s rights, and you work on LGBTQ rights. And I wonder: Is there a cost to gender-neutral language around pregnancy for women? For example: An employer sees a pregnant woman and notices her bump starting to grow and immediately thinks, “Oh, I need to take her off that project because she’s going to become a mom and she’s going to want to step back from work or stay home.” For better or worse, I don’t know if employers would have the same kind of attentiveness to changes in a trans man’s body, at least not around pregnancy.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">If, legally speaking, you treat pregnancy like it’s gender-neutral, do you think that could end up hurting women, who face different kinds of discrimination than trans and nonbinary people?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling:</b> I don’t see it as an either/or. For example, I think it’s critical that we talk about “pregnant people,” that we use language that tries to address discrimination, that lets transgender people and nonbinary people feel seen.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">At the same time, I also talk about the ways in which restrictions on abortion constitute gender discrimination and, in particular, target women. When legislators are passing these measures, they have women in mind, and they’re passing these measures as part of a historic trend of trying to press women into one particular role. Abortion restrictions perpetuate gender stereotypes and thwart prospects towards equality.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">You can acknowledge that, while women may be the dominant group hurt by this particular restriction, abortion is not a service sought only by women.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green: </b>On the one hand, you can think about terms like <i>pregnant people</i> as being more inclusive: They provide legal cover to the broadest universe of people who might experience pregnancy, and they also invite us to reimagine who might have this kind of experience.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">But aspects of these terms are also exclusionary. Talking about “birthing people” means you are not talking about “women giving birth” or “birth moms.” That’s an affirmative identity that people really care about.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">Do you agree with that at all—that gender-neutral language around pregnancy may be exclusionary in some way?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling: </b>Not if we’re doing it right. You can talk about birthing as an experience that is common to so many women, as well as an experience for transgender men and nonbinary people. You can have more expansive language. This is how people sometimes<a data-event-element="inline link" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/BIPOC"> talk about BIPOC</a>: That’s a broad category, but then you can be more specific about how certain restrictions affect Indigenous people or Black people. You can put emphasis in different places while still recognizing broader harm. You just have to be more intentional. You have to do more work.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">One analogy that I think might help is breast cancer. I don’t even remember when I first heard about men who get breast cancer. I will admit: I hadn’t thought about it. The man who has breast cancer has his own fear of the diagnosis. Then he’s going to struggle going into a whole host of places that are gendered. We addressed a gap in care to try and encourage women to come forward and have a community. But we also need to make space so that men with breast cancer can be recognized both by the medical profession and by the rest of us.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green: </b>It seems like there’s also a flip side to that example: Without specific, gendered targeting around particular health needs, women might also miss out on care. Pregnancy is really hard! And it’s often a super gendered experience. You’re chained to your body, and gender really shapes how people view you and what you’re going through.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">I think at least some women navigate that by affirming their new identity: <i>I am a mother. This is part of being a woman. I see myself in that. I find solace in it.</i> So I guess this comes back to the same question: Do you think there’s something lost in trying to create a more inclusive vision of pregnancy?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling: </b>I don’t think the increasing reliance on language like <i>pregnant people</i> means you can’t define yourself as a mother, or say this is an experience many women go through, or recognize that I’m experiencing this in really gendered ways. One of the things that Ruth Bader Ginsburg emphasized was the way in which gender stereotypes, gender roles, and gender norms hurt all of us by locking us into some kind of vision. Women can speak about our experience, but that doesn’t preclude men from speaking about how gender has affected them, too.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">Talking about birthing and gender discrimination is still something that women can do. We just also simultaneously want to talk about the ways in which we’re not recognizing trans men as parents. If we’re doing this right, we’re creating more, not less, conversation, because we’re talking about the many different ways in which gender expectations are playing out on who we are.</p><p id="injected-recirculation-link-2" class="ArticleRelatedContentLink_root__VYc9V" data-view-action="view link - injected link - item 3" data-event-element="injected link" data-event-position="3"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/04/medical-religious-exemptions-doctors-therapists-mississippi-tennessee/478797/">Read: When doctors refuse to treat LGBTQ patients</a></p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green: </b>Is there any part of your feminist self that has worried about the potential consequences of this as a cultural and legal move?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling: </b>No, because I see the commonality. That’s one of the beauties of being at the ACLU. You live intersectionality in terms of conversations about the law and conversations you have in the kitchen—in your collegiality as well as your legal theory.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green: </b>This may be an unwelcome imaginative exercise. But I wonder if you have spent time thinking about why this makes some people on the right so mad. Why do you think people care about this?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling: </b>Look, why do people get mad that people marry the person they love? If you want to have a child on your own, why do people get mad? If you fall in love with somebody of another race? I think there may be some people who are confused at first—changes in language have to come with education. But for those prominent politicians, whether it’s on abortion rights or transgender rights or voting rights, there’s clearly an effort to have society be more narrow in imagination and inclusivity.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green: </b>Do you think it’s possible to make a good-faith argument against the use of <i>birthing people</i>?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling: </b>I definitely think there’s a good-faith person who wants to ask a question. Change is hard. People want to hold on to their particular world. Or maybe it is not intuitive to people. But maybe it was hard for people to all of a sudden have a woman be the person at the law firm who managed their case, too.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Green: </b>This may be another unwelcome imaginative exercise. But I’m sure you’ve heard the argument from some people on the right that the left has a culturally authoritarian streak. They embrace certain buzzwords and ways of thinking that are often reflective of academic thought, and it can seem like overnight, everyone is expected to use those words. If you don’t use the right language, you’re considered a bigot, or you get canceled.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">Do you worry about that? That trying to shift something as fundamental as people’s perception of motherhood might further fuel this kind of cultural backlash?</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><b>Melling: </b>I think this characterization is exaggerated and not true in really profound ways. Nobody is stopped from speaking about her motherhood or the importance of that. I go out of my way to talk about parenting so that men can be seen as parents. Not ‘You’re not a mother,’ but [opening] up space so that we no longer have the cultural expectation that women are the caregivers.</p><p class="ArticleParagraph_root__4mszW" data-flatplan-paragraph="true">We need to do a good job of explaining why we care—explaining what the goals are here and talking about the ways in which gender stereotypes really do lock everybody into different kinds of roles.</p><div class="ArticleBody_divider__GpNxD" id="article-end"></div></section><div data-event-module="footer"><div class="ArticleWell_root__fueCa"><div data-event-module="author footer" class="ArticleFooter_authorFooter__5NsdY"><div class="SectionHeading_root__3GnqT"><h3 class="SectionHeading_heading__iNkek">About the Author</h3></div><div class="ArticleBio_root__ua8zj"><address id="article-writer-0" class="ArticleBio_author__6pDyl" data-event-element="author" data-event-position="1" data-flatplan-bio="true"><div class="ArticleBio_content__O0ZVF"><div class="ArticleBio_topContainer__QYRU4"><a class="ArticleBio_headshotContainer__Am2nR" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" data-event-element="image"><img alt="" loading="lazy" class="Image_root__XxsOp Image_lazy__hYWHV ArticleBio_headshot__6Aykd" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/XUwokP8ydyP2OG4xAMDf2bD8V-M=/836x0:4180x3344/120x120/media/None/BW/original.jpg" width="60" height="60"/></a><div><div class="ArticleBio_bioNameMulti__gvg_b"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" data-event-element="author name">Emma Green</a></div></div></div><div class="ArticleBio_bioSection__Hef4P"><div class="ArticleBio_bioSection__Hef4P" data-flatplan-bio="true"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" class="author-link" data-label="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/" data-action="click author - name" >Emma Green</a> is a staff writer at <em>The New Yorker</em>. Previously, she was a staff writer at <em>The Atlantic</em>, covering politics, policy, and religion.</div><div class="ArticleBio_moreStories__LKpwT"><p class="ArticleBio_contentHeading__cmbmT">More Stories</p><a class="ArticleBio_storyLink__xuRiU" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/11/arabella-advisors-money-democrats/620553/" data-event-element="more stories" data-event-position="1"><p>The Massive Progressive Dark-Money Group You’ve Never Heard Of</p></a><a class="ArticleBio_storyLink__xuRiU" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/babylon-bee-news-kyle-mann-wokeism/620376/" data-event-element="more stories" data-event-position="2"><p>The Christians Who Mock Wokeness for a Living</p></a></div></div></div></address></div></div></div></div><gpt-ad class="GptAd_root__pAvcS ArticleInjector_root__I7x9v s-native s-native--standard s-native--streamline" format="injector" sizes-at-0="mobile-wide,native,house" targeting-pos="injector-most-popular" sizes-at-976="desktop-wide,native,house"></gpt-ad><div class="ArticleInjector_clsAvoider__dqIAm"></div></article><div></div></main><div></div><div></div></div></div><script id="__NEXT_DATA__" type="application/json">{"props":{"isLoggedIn":false,"hasPaywallAccess":false,"hasAdFree":false,"pageProps":{"id":"BlogArticle:620031","isTnfCompatible":true,"layout":"standard","hasMeter":true,"url":"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/pregnant-people-gender-identity/620031/","dateModified":"2021-10-18T20:51:10Z","__typename":"BlogArticle","notFound":false,"urqlState":{"12766243":{"data":"{\"article\":{\"primaryCategory\":{\"__typename\":\"Channel\"},\"editorialProject\":{\"river\":{\"edges\":[{\"id\":\"PromoEdge:620376\",\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"},{\"id\":\"PromoEdge:620340\",\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"},{\"id\":\"PromoEdge:620252\",\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"},{\"id\":\"PromoEdge:620032\",\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"}],\"__typename\":\"RiverConnection\"},\"__typename\":\"EditorialProject\"},\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\"}}"},"25782732":{"data":"{\"article\":{\"id\":\"BlogArticle:620031\",\"isTnfCompatible\":true,\"layout\":\"standard\",\"hasMeter\":true,\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/pregnant-people-gender-identity/620031/\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-18T20:51:10Z\",\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\"}}"},"2021745665":{"data":"{\"breakingNews\":null}"},"4047160854":{"data":"{\"article\":{\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\",\"id\":\"BlogArticle:620031\",\"authors\":[{\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/\",\"displayName\":\"Emma Green\",\"__typename\":\"Author\",\"id\":\"Author:4582\",\"isFollowable\":false,\"biography\":{\"default\":\"\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/\\\" class=\\\"author-link\\\" data-label=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/\\\" data-action=\\\"click author - name\\\" \u003eEmma Green\u003c/a\u003e is a staff writer at \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c/em\u003e. Previously, she was a staff writer at \u003cem\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c/em\u003e, covering politics, policy, and religion.\",\"__typename\":\"Biography\"},\"headshot\":{\"width\":120,\"height\":120,\"srcSet\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/XUwokP8ydyP2OG4xAMDf2bD8V-M=/836x0:4180x3344/120x120/media/None/BW/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/E6buU38FJFC-Or2wMU5Z4GgK-KY=/836x0:4180x3344/240x240/media/None/BW/original.jpg 2x\",\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/XUwokP8ydyP2OG4xAMDf2bD8V-M=/836x0:4180x3344/120x120/media/None/BW/original.jpg\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"river\":{\"edges\":[{\"cursor\":\"MjAyMS0xMS0wMiAwNjowMDowMHw2MjA1NTM=\",\"node\":{\"id\":\"BlogArticle:620553\",\"title\":\"The Massive Progressive Dark-Money Group You’ve Never Heard Of\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/11/arabella-advisors-money-democrats/620553/\",\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\"},\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"},{\"cursor\":\"MjAyMS0xMC0xNCAwNDowMDowMHw2MjAzNzY=\",\"node\":{\"id\":\"BlogArticle:620376\",\"title\":\"The Christians Who Mock Wokeness for a Living\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/babylon-bee-news-kyle-mann-wokeism/620376/\",\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\"},\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"},{\"cursor\":\"MjAyMS0xMC0xMCAwNzowMDowMHw2MjAzNDA=\",\"node\":{\"id\":\"BlogArticle:620340\",\"title\":\"Should Princeton Exist?\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/princeton-president-racism-inequality/620340/\",\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\"},\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"}],\"__typename\":\"RiverConnection\"},\"slug\":\"emma-green\",\"socialMedia\":[{\"platform\":\"TWITTER\",\"url\":\"https://twitter.com/emmaogreen\",\"__typename\":\"SocialMedia\"}]}],\"authorContext\":null,\"categories\":[{\"slug\":\"gender-sexuality\",\"__typename\":\"Category\"},{\"slug\":\"the-atlantic-interview\",\"__typename\":\"Category\"}],\"content\":[{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"Last year, a brand-new labor-and-delivery hospital opened on the well-to-do Upper East Side of New York City. Its name, the Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns, might strike most people as innocuous or straightforward. But to some people, the suggestion that a hospital where babies are born is for women is offensive, because transgender and nonbinary people who do not identify as women can also get pregnant and deliver babies.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"Only niche groups tend to care about how Americans discuss gender and pregnancy—including whether it’s better to use the term \u003ci\u003epregnant people\u003c/i\u003e instead of \u003ci\u003epregnant women\u003c/i\u003e. But those groups care a lot. Representative Cori Bush of Missouri\u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=857778011444386\\\"\u003e used the term\u003c/a\u003e \u003ci\u003ebirthing people\u003c/i\u003e in a hearing, causing a mini-uproar on social media. “When we talk about ‘birthing people,’ we’re being inclusive. It’s that simple,” the pro-abortion-rights group NARAL \u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://twitter.com/NARAL/status/1390391199077437443?s=20\\\"\u003etweeted\u003c/a\u003e in her defense. Others, however, see this kind of language as exclusionary because it erases women and mothers as worthy categories of identity. Ann Romney, the wife of Senator Mitt Romney, \u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://twitter.com/AnnRomney/status/1403507171300679688?s=20\\\"\u003etweeted\u003c/a\u003e angrily in June, “The Biden administration diminishing motherhood to ‘birthing person’ is simply insulting to all moms.” It was the first time she had tweeted all year.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"And yet, Americans who don’t mainline niche political or linguistic fights probably don’t even know this is a debate. When I texted a friend in a small, liberal-ish city about this topic recently, he had no idea what I was talking about.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleRelatedContentLink\",\"idAttr\":\"injected-recirculation-link-0\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/americas-profound-gender-anxiety/484856/\\\"\u003eRead: America’s profound gender anxiety\u003c/a\u003e\",\"index\":0},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"To understand the contours of the debate, I called Louise Melling, the deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, who leads projects on women’s rights and LGBTQ rights. Although she does not identify as transgender or nonbinary, she is one of the country’s most influential progressive legal thinkers on gender norms and the law. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eEmma Green:\u003c/b\u003e Why do you believe it’s important to shift our language around gender and pregnancy?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eLouise Melling: \u003c/b\u003eFirst of all, if we’re talking about “pregnant people,” that language says to people—to transgender men and to nonbinary people—“we see you.” It should do a fair amount of work to help address discrimination. If we talk about “pregnant people,” it’s a reminder to all of us to catch ourselves when we’re sitting in the waiting room at the GYN that we’re not going to stare at the man who’s there. We’re not going to be disconcerted.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"More importantly, we’re not going to behave in a way that makes that person uncomfortable—that signals discrimination and unwelcomeness to them. And that’s incredibly important when we think about the kinds of discrimination that continue to be pervasive against transgender people and nonbinary people.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"It’s nothing short of heartbreaking to read about the experiences of \u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/being-trans-shouldnt-exempt-me-from-health-laws/613261/\\\"\u003etransgender people seeking health care\u003c/a\u003e. If somebody is hostile to you, you’re not going to go back. So we have really serious consequences for transgender people—people who already are really in need of health care, who are often of lower income because of all the discrimination they face.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"It is the reality that not only women seek abortions. It is not only women who are birthing. It is not only women who are seeking mammography and pap smears and other care. And recognizing that does real work.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen:\u003c/b\u003e This may be hard to summarize, but where do things stand—both in terms of how these terms are used legally, but also how they’re used in the culture?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling: \u003c/b\u003eIt’s interesting to me, for example, that the CDC website now \u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/pregnant-people.html\\\"\u003espeaks\u003c/a\u003e of “pregnant people.” With every passing year, it’s more pervasive. My GYN just talked to me about this: “Oh, I just learned this,” and was really working to change her language.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleRelatedContentLink\",\"idAttr\":\"injected-recirculation-link-1\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/07/lila-rose-anti-abortion/593404/\\\"\u003eRead: When your pregnancy is political\u003c/a\u003e\",\"index\":1},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen: \u003c/b\u003eWithin the legal worlds you run in—at organizations like the ACLU—is there consensus on the use of gender-neutral terms to refer to pregnancy? Or is there some remaining debate?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling: \u003c/b\u003eIn the spaces in which I find myself most commonly, people are really committed to talking about “pregnant people.” People are really committed to using \u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/06/gender-neutral-pronouns-arent-new/619092/\\\"\u003egender-neutral language\u003c/a\u003e. Historically, people have been punished for deviating from gender norms. That includes women, that includes transgender people, that includes nonbinary people. I see commonality, not difference, in this struggle.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"I work on reproductive rights. I work on women’s rights. I work on LGBTQ rights. My colleagues are people who are in pain. My colleagues are people who are excluded because of language. They are threatened because of language. When you think about \u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/anti-transgender-children-laws-unconstitutional/618864/\\\"\u003ethe bills that passed this year\u003c/a\u003e, they try not only to attack, but almost \u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/gops-war-trans-kids/618579/\\\"\u003eobliterate transgender people\u003c/a\u003e. A total erasure from the language has huge consequences.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"The depth of the discrimination, the pain of the discrimination, the urgency of opening up space for people to be seen—that’s something I’ve really learned from my colleagues.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen: \u003c/b\u003eYour gig covers a lot of different angles of the law—you work on women’s rights, and you work on LGBTQ rights. And I wonder: Is there a cost to gender-neutral language around pregnancy for women? For example: An employer sees a pregnant woman and notices her bump starting to grow and immediately thinks, “Oh, I need to take her off that project because she’s going to become a mom and she’s going to want to step back from work or stay home.” For better or worse, I don’t know if employers would have the same kind of attentiveness to changes in a trans man’s body, at least not around pregnancy.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"If, legally speaking, you treat pregnancy like it’s gender-neutral, do you think that could end up hurting women, who face different kinds of discrimination than trans and nonbinary people?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling:\u003c/b\u003e I don’t see it as an either/or. For example, I think it’s critical that we talk about “pregnant people,” that we use language that tries to address discrimination, that lets transgender people and nonbinary people feel seen.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"At the same time, I also talk about the ways in which restrictions on abortion constitute gender discrimination and, in particular, target women. When legislators are passing these measures, they have women in mind, and they’re passing these measures as part of a historic trend of trying to press women into one particular role. Abortion restrictions perpetuate gender stereotypes and thwart prospects towards equality.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"You can acknowledge that, while women may be the dominant group hurt by this particular restriction, abortion is not a service sought only by women.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen: \u003c/b\u003eOn the one hand, you can think about terms like \u003ci\u003epregnant people\u003c/i\u003e as being more inclusive: They provide legal cover to the broadest universe of people who might experience pregnancy, and they also invite us to reimagine who might have this kind of experience.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"But aspects of these terms are also exclusionary. Talking about “birthing people” means you are not talking about “women giving birth” or “birth moms.” That’s an affirmative identity that people really care about.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"Do you agree with that at all—that gender-neutral language around pregnancy may be exclusionary in some way?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling: \u003c/b\u003eNot if we’re doing it right. You can talk about birthing as an experience that is common to so many women, as well as an experience for transgender men and nonbinary people. You can have more expansive language. This is how people sometimes\u003ca data-event-element=\\\"inline link\\\" href=\\\"https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/BIPOC\\\"\u003e talk about BIPOC\u003c/a\u003e: That’s a broad category, but then you can be more specific about how certain restrictions affect Indigenous people or Black people. You can put emphasis in different places while still recognizing broader harm. You just have to be more intentional. You have to do more work.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"One analogy that I think might help is breast cancer. I don’t even remember when I first heard about men who get breast cancer. I will admit: I hadn’t thought about it. The man who has breast cancer has his own fear of the diagnosis. Then he’s going to struggle going into a whole host of places that are gendered. We addressed a gap in care to try and encourage women to come forward and have a community. But we also need to make space so that men with breast cancer can be recognized both by the medical profession and by the rest of us.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen: \u003c/b\u003eIt seems like there’s also a flip side to that example: Without specific, gendered targeting around particular health needs, women might also miss out on care. Pregnancy is really hard! And it’s often a super gendered experience. You’re chained to your body, and gender really shapes how people view you and what you’re going through.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"I think at least some women navigate that by affirming their new identity: \u003ci\u003eI am a mother. This is part of being a woman. I see myself in that. I find solace in it.\u003c/i\u003e So I guess this comes back to the same question: Do you think there’s something lost in trying to create a more inclusive vision of pregnancy?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling: \u003c/b\u003eI don’t think the increasing reliance on language like \u003ci\u003epregnant people\u003c/i\u003e means you can’t define yourself as a mother, or say this is an experience many women go through, or recognize that I’m experiencing this in really gendered ways. One of the things that Ruth Bader Ginsburg emphasized was the way in which gender stereotypes, gender roles, and gender norms hurt all of us by locking us into some kind of vision. Women can speak about our experience, but that doesn’t preclude men from speaking about how gender has affected them, too.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"Talking about birthing and gender discrimination is still something that women can do. We just also simultaneously want to talk about the ways in which we’re not recognizing trans men as parents. If we’re doing this right, we’re creating more, not less, conversation, because we’re talking about the many different ways in which gender expectations are playing out on who we are.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleRelatedContentLink\",\"idAttr\":\"injected-recirculation-link-2\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/04/medical-religious-exemptions-doctors-therapists-mississippi-tennessee/478797/\\\"\u003eRead: When doctors refuse to treat LGBTQ patients\u003c/a\u003e\",\"index\":2},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen: \u003c/b\u003eIs there any part of your feminist self that has worried about the potential consequences of this as a cultural and legal move?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling: \u003c/b\u003eNo, because I see the commonality. That’s one of the beauties of being at the ACLU. You live intersectionality in terms of conversations about the law and conversations you have in the kitchen—in your collegiality as well as your legal theory.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen: \u003c/b\u003eThis may be an unwelcome imaginative exercise. But I wonder if you have spent time thinking about why this makes some people on the right so mad. Why do you think people care about this?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling: \u003c/b\u003eLook, why do people get mad that people marry the person they love? If you want to have a child on your own, why do people get mad? If you fall in love with somebody of another race? I think there may be some people who are confused at first—changes in language have to come with education. But for those prominent politicians, whether it’s on abortion rights or transgender rights or voting rights, there’s clearly an effort to have society be more narrow in imagination and inclusivity.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen: \u003c/b\u003eDo you think it’s possible to make a good-faith argument against the use of \u003ci\u003ebirthing people\u003c/i\u003e?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling: \u003c/b\u003eI definitely think there’s a good-faith person who wants to ask a question. Change is hard. People want to hold on to their particular world. Or maybe it is not intuitive to people. But maybe it was hard for people to all of a sudden have a woman be the person at the law firm who managed their case, too.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eGreen: \u003c/b\u003eThis may be another unwelcome imaginative exercise. But I’m sure you’ve heard the argument from some people on the right that the left has a culturally authoritarian streak. They embrace certain buzzwords and ways of thinking that are often reflective of academic thought, and it can seem like overnight, everyone is expected to use those words. If you don’t use the right language, you’re considered a bigot, or you get canceled.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"Do you worry about that? That trying to shift something as fundamental as people’s perception of motherhood might further fuel this kind of cultural backlash?\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"\u003cb\u003eMelling: \u003c/b\u003eI think this characterization is exaggerated and not true in really profound ways. Nobody is stopped from speaking about her motherhood or the importance of that. I go out of my way to talk about parenting so that men can be seen as parents. Not ‘You’re not a mother,’ but [opening] up space so that we no longer have the cultural expectation that women are the caregivers.\"},{\"__typename\":\"ArticleParagraphContent\",\"subtype\":null,\"idAttr\":\"\",\"innerHtml\":\"We need to do a good job of explaining why we care—explaining what the goals are here and talking about the ways in which gender stereotypes really do lock everybody into different kinds of roles.\"}],\"editorialProject\":{\"river\":{\"edges\":[{\"node\":{\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/babylon-bee-news-kyle-mann-wokeism/620376/\",\"title\":\"The Christians Who Mock Wokeness for a Living\",\"authors\":[{\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/\",\"displayName\":\"Emma Green\",\"id\":\"Author:4582\",\"slug\":\"emma-green\",\"__typename\":\"Author\"}],\"riverImage\":{\"id\":\"Image:1555124:80x80:1x,2x\",\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/m6Q7YtDWAw0NOiRIUu4qe7Z9fpU=/1698x0:4398x2700/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/kylenann_1_copy/original.jpg\",\"srcSet\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/m6Q7YtDWAw0NOiRIUu4qe7Z9fpU=/1698x0:4398x2700/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/kylenann_1_copy/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/j7GTf6QjBf_oithPPkLerfmdKHI=/1698x0:4398x2700/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/10/kylenann_1_copy/original.jpg 2x\",\"reducedMotionSrcSet\":null,\"width\":80,\"height\":80,\"altText\":\"Kyle Mann on a background of red and blue triangles\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"}},\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"},{\"node\":{\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/princeton-president-racism-inequality/620340/\",\"title\":\"Should Princeton Exist?\",\"authors\":[{\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/\",\"displayName\":\"Emma Green\",\"id\":\"Author:4582\",\"slug\":\"emma-green\",\"__typename\":\"Author\"}],\"riverImage\":{\"id\":\"Image:1554945:80x80:1x,2x\",\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/hEpmOuu1eQWkW8JOMNtL3B0ZqRI=/566x0:2254x1688/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/210917_Blesener_EISGRUBER_022_Edit_copy/original.jpg\",\"srcSet\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/hEpmOuu1eQWkW8JOMNtL3B0ZqRI=/566x0:2254x1688/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/210917_Blesener_EISGRUBER_022_Edit_copy/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/o_VX4UhnbuNQIJX0H5fhAqp9V2s=/566x0:2254x1688/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/10/210917_Blesener_EISGRUBER_022_Edit_copy/original.jpg 2x\",\"reducedMotionSrcSet\":null,\"width\":80,\"height\":80,\"altText\":\"Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber on a solid yellow background\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"}},\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"},{\"node\":{\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/claremont-ryan-williams-trump/620252/\",\"title\":\"The Conservatives Dreading—And Preparing for—Civil War\",\"authors\":[{\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/\",\"displayName\":\"Emma Green\",\"id\":\"Author:4582\",\"slug\":\"emma-green\",\"__typename\":\"Author\"}],\"riverImage\":{\"id\":\"Image:1554467:80x80:1x,2x\",\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/IBFyRZf6BhL1A0Cb16sVPB8yN-I=/2100x0:4800x2700/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/RYANWILLIAMS/original.jpg\",\"srcSet\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/IBFyRZf6BhL1A0Cb16sVPB8yN-I=/2100x0:4800x2700/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/10/RYANWILLIAMS/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/FrSNZeA-VpUe0DaYwnwofQsKSiU=/2100x0:4800x2700/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/10/RYANWILLIAMS/original.jpg 2x\",\"reducedMotionSrcSet\":null,\"width\":80,\"height\":80,\"altText\":\"Ryan williams, a blue circle, and a red line\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"}},\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"},{\"node\":{\"__typename\":\"BlogArticle\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/millennials-babies-climate-change/620032/\",\"title\":\"A World Without Children\",\"authors\":[{\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/emma-green/\",\"displayName\":\"Emma Green\",\"id\":\"Author:4582\",\"slug\":\"emma-green\",\"__typename\":\"Author\"}],\"riverImage\":{\"id\":\"Image:1553263:80x80:1x,2x\",\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/3UKhhJpoTrWpvSMSnv_IKDPBL00=/547x0:1953x1406/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/09/climate_change_no_babies/original.jpg\",\"srcSet\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/3UKhhJpoTrWpvSMSnv_IKDPBL00=/547x0:1953x1406/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/09/climate_change_no_babies/original.jpg, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/La5maNDv62r3q_QKQ9lRBqsH3Bw=/547x0:1953x1406/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/09/climate_change_no_babies/original.jpg 2x\",\"reducedMotionSrcSet\":null,\"width\":80,\"height\":80,\"altText\":\"A black-and-white image of a baby with a red globe as his head\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"}},\"__typename\":\"PromoEdge\"}],\"__typename\":\"RiverConnection\"},\"__typename\":\"EditorialProject\",\"displayName\":\"The Atlantic Interview\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/projects/atlantic-interview/\",\"accentColor\":\"#fbfafa\",\"textColor\":\"#000000\",\"presentedByUrl\":\"\",\"presentedByDisplayName\":\"\",\"foundationLineArticle\":\"\",\"slug\":\"atlantic-interview\"},\"primaryCategory\":{\"__typename\":\"Channel\",\"displayName\":\"Politics\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/\",\"slug\":\"politics\"},\"reviews\":[],\"embeds\":[],\"preview\":null,\"tags\":[],\"layout\":\"standard\",\"secondaryByline\":\"\",\"dek\":\"Some advocates on the left want America to talk about pregnancy and birth in gender-neutral terms. But this language change might not be so easy for the country to embrace.\",\"url\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/pregnant-people-gender-identity/620031/\",\"shareText\":\"Should Americans say ‘pregnant people’ instead of ‘pregnant women’? @emmaogreen interviews Louise Melling, an expert on LGBTQ rights at the ACLU:\",\"shareTitle\":\"The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’\",\"title\":\"The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-17T11:00:00Z\",\"editorsNote\":null,\"leadArt\":{\"__typename\":\"LeadArtImage\",\"image\":{\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/aFTnjX7SgDFLj5lUGN9XUJhH0bM=/0x0:2000x1125/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":540,\"srcSet\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/0Ypn2hkQMM4j7oH0-Z5vpu4GQnU=/0x0:2000x1125/750x422/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 750w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/qqSJFVIEpUnzAzhZ3v9TcsbWV6M=/0x0:2000x1125/828x466/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 828w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/aFTnjX7SgDFLj5lUGN9XUJhH0bM=/0x0:2000x1125/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 960w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/NcX2JYzmCwDz7wmPAD6TUNuW9GM=/0x0:2000x1125/976x549/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 976w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/8ahPms9xo2Qjnq_Oix6aOrIOX7U=/0x0:2000x1125/1952x1098/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 1952w\",\"reducedMotionSrcSet\":null,\"altText\":\"Louise Melling in black and white on a background of colorful geometric objects\",\"captionText\":\"\",\"attributionText\":\"Molly Kaplan / ACLU; The Atlantic\",\"attributionUrl\":\"\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"}},\"audio\":null,\"hasAudioRights\":null,\"narratedAudioImage\":{\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/DHZjEqVwC3U56EsWigmxnUMYBhU=/478x0:1603x1125/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"srcSet\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/DHZjEqVwC3U56EsWigmxnUMYBhU=/478x0:1603x1125/80x80/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 80w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/L4Yq5ob9VsFUA8l--ATx_yBXC5Q=/478x0:1603x1125/96x96/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 96w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/AHm60sBnaWVbdLFhrto1OOzENps=/478x0:1603x1125/128x128/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 128w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/eJIB5ZkfHifbiNvGbu2zgdiJvtc=/478x0:1603x1125/160x160/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 160w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/IltL9UCkw7gB5WrU6EPsqgT3c_Y=/478x0:1603x1125/192x192/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 192w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/ClN5APLq13kM-zxmJJxeaLYzT6A=/478x0:1603x1125/256x256/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 256w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/vsvIhlQxYWvPk5K3RoIHz9acOxY=/478x0:1603x1125/384x384/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 384w, https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/eZSGhSnyqUPwBFf0BNgzO1SZ-KQ=/478x0:1603x1125/512x512/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg 512w\",\"width\":80,\"height\":80,\"altText\":\"Louise Melling in black and white on a background of colorful geometric objects\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"seoTitle\":\"Why the Left Wants to Get Rid of the Term \\\"Pregnant Women\\\"\",\"hasMeter\":true,\"channels\":[{\"slug\":\"politics\",\"__typename\":\"Channel\"},{\"slug\":\"national\",\"__typename\":\"Channel\"},{\"slug\":\"news\",\"__typename\":\"Channel\"}],\"primaryChannel\":{\"slug\":\"politics\",\"__typename\":\"Channel\",\"displayName\":\"Politics\"},\"shareDek\":\"Some advocates on the left want America to talk about pregnancy and birth in gender-neutral terms. But this language change might not be so easy for the country to embrace.\",\"fbiaUrl\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/facebook-instant/article/620031/\",\"canonicalUrl\":\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/pregnant-people-gender-identity/620031/\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-18T20:51:10Z\",\"syndication\":\"ALL\",\"shareImage2x1\":{\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/1THDSGT65Nh1wO5CKhzMsOcFSOg=/0x0:2000x1042/1200x625/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"height\":625,\"width\":1200,\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"shareImageGift2x1\":{\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/mSL4AZCqidqVxxiEU2vvRGvpL-M=/0x0:2000x1042/1200x625/filters:watermark(https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/files/badge_2x.png,-20,20,0,33)/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"height\":625,\"width\":1200,\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"shareImageGiftSmall\":{\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/x1rvhblJxrJWrkMgS-D4fg_aZUs=/4x0:1996x1046/960x504/filters:watermark(https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/files/badge_2x.png,-20,20,0,33)/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"height\":504,\"width\":960,\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"shareImageSmall\":{\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/YgEbrX2zrxpqVjXGb952Um7Xsns=/4x0:1996x1046/960x504/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"height\":504,\"width\":960,\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"watsonInfo\":{\"keywords\":[\"nonbinary people\",\"pregnant people\",\"transgender men\",\"abortion-rights\",\"kind of language\",\"Louise Melling\",\"use of gender-neutral terms\",\"people\",\"America’s profound gender anxietyTo\",\"pregnant women\",\"term birthing people\",\"health care\",\"transgender people\",\"address discrimination\",\"experiences of transgender people\",\"good-faith argument\",\"women’s rights\",\"Women\",\"need of health care\",\"gender norms\",\"Ann Romney\",\"breast cancer\",\"passing year\",\"gender\",\"gender stereotypes\",\"particular role\",\"fair amount of work\",\"medical profession\",\"wife of Senator Mitt Romney\",\"Ruth Bader Ginsburg\",\"prominent politicians\",\"Representative Cori Bush of Missouri\",\"lot of different angles of the law\",\"babies.Only niche groups\",\"real work.Green\",\"reproductive rights\",\"first time\",\"waiting room\",\"Last year\",\"gender-neutral language\",\"kind of cultural backlash\",\"gender discrimination\",\"LGBTQ rights\",\"pregnant woman\",\"kinds of discrimination\",\"voting rights\",\"lower income\",\"potential consequences\",\"good-faith person\",\"trans man’s body\"],\"__typename\":\"WatsonInfo\"},\"shareImage1x1\":{\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080,\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/r7Ey_715FeUY5SsrBqoVuRD9Q2w=/478x0:1603x1125/1080x1080/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"shareImage16x9\":{\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/UVuhS9VK7Ta79yvKgSqC79Abe8I=/0x0:2000x1125/1600x900/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"shareImage4x3\":{\"width\":1200,\"height\":900,\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/2LGN8Q6dcIcTcfBCUI_hwMzph_o=/249x0:1749x1125/1200x900/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"shareImageDefault\":{\"width\":960,\"height\":540,\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/aFTnjX7SgDFLj5lUGN9XUJhH0bM=/0x0:2000x1125/960x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"shareImageSquareDefault\":{\"width\":540,\"height\":540,\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/QUV1rV6VoZQTtfgtStwMaE2jJ-s=/478x0:1603x1125/540x540/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"shareImageLeadArt\":{\"image\":{\"width\":720,\"height\":405,\"url\":\"https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/Glg4OWrwCnNfMJqomNlIa6KGVb8=/0x0:2000x1125/720x405/media/img/mt/2021/09/0821_Emma_Katie_Melling/original.jpg\",\"__typename\":\"BasicImage\"},\"__typename\":\"LeadArtImage\"},\"slug\":\"pregnant-people-gender-identity\",\"grapeshot\":{\"segments\":[\"gv_safe\",\"gb_safe\",\"pos_gucci\",\"pos_mastercard\",\"pos_oceangate\",\"pos_safety_delta\",\"gs_health\",\"shadow9hu7_pos_bofa-kwlist\",\"politics_tbs_anyrisk\",\"shadow9hu7_pos_lexus_fy23\",\"gs_healthylvng\",\"shadow9hu7_pos_israel_conflict\",\"gs_society_lgbt\",\"gs_healthylvng_women\",\"shadow9hu7_pos_safe_strict\",\"tbs_anyrisk\",\"gt_negative\",\"gs_perscelebrations\",\"gs_perscelebrations_birth\",\"shadow9hu7_pos_goldman_sachs\",\"shadow9hu7_pos_jpmc\",\"shadow9hu7_pos_safe_core\",\"gs_health_sexuality\",\"gs_law\",\"gs_family\"],\"__typename\":\"Grapeshot\"}}}"}},"urqlClient":null},"isSocialBot":false},"page":"/[channel]/archive/[year]/[month]/[slug]/[id]","query":{"channel":"politics","year":"2021","month":"09","slug":"pregnant-people-gender-identity","id":"620031"},"buildId":"3681e1a8cb","assetPrefix":"https://cdn.theatlantic.com","runtimeConfig":{"GTM_CONTAINER_ID":"GTM-NTQTB9V","GTM_CONTAINER_ID_NONCONSENTED":"GTM-5839GV7","GRAPHQL_API_URL":"https://graphql.theatlantic.com","GRAPHQL_API_KEY":"JakhyMEXwa9odtB8gBxFI63ITyKqDGkn7ciGVIJf","ADS_LIB_URL":"https://www.theatlantic.com/packages/hummingbirdjs/hummingbird.min.js","ACCOUNTS_FRONTEND_URL":"https://accounts.theatlantic.com","ENABLE_FEATURE_ARTICLE_RENDER":"false","RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY":"6Lc9Z7AUAAAAAEYS1dgAG2_6tT3KLqZQ1z4kbDRc","BETA_ENV":false},"isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[9587,50649],"gip":true,"appGip":true,"scriptLoader":[]}</script><script nomodule="" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/polyfills-c67a75d1b6f99dc8.js"></script><script async="" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/9587.03e639dfa3e4199a.js"></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/webpack-516a0acb39e75310.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/framework-ca706bf673a13738.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/main-9af27423854a1f43.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/pages/_app-faecc48980ced587.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/6729-7978443139836095.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/8286-b35c81576953924b.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/436-aadfbd871a794704.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/9843-267e63e874251a37.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/899-448b91a629016ff2.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/2912-ebf029ed4116b01f.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/6772-2c0b832574392efa.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/6392-1397c4f8500d73b6.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/4947-607d15e1756278f9.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/3297-543c6448c0812417.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/365-09c3f00366a4c3f6.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/8849-ca6c5b68c97b8238.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/9310-d0d5baafd7a7f3b8.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/4742-509dbec7680a76ec.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/1730-999b0129269ea1cb.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/2093-764360aebf316f7a.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/5273-4d82a687024fdc4f.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/2381-907c18d9ebbfaace.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/chunks/pages/%5Bchannel%5D/archive/%5Byear%5D/%5Bmonth%5D/%5Bslug%5D/%5Bid%5D-6d3cbb2be5666618.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/3681e1a8cb/_buildManifest.js" async=""></script><script src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/3681e1a8cb/_ssgManifest.js" async=""></script></body></html>