As of 2022, a profound fear of many women across the United States became a reality when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — a landmark Supreme Court decision that had protected the right to abortion since 1973. Since abortion is no longer protected under the constitution’s due process clause and has become a state issue, many states such as Alabama, Arkansas and Idaho have passed near or total bans on abortion with limited exceptions, such as in a medical emergency that would save the mother’s life. Roe v. Wade was a controversial decision yet vital as it granted women the freedom to make personal choices about their own reproductive health without government interference. As election season approaches, the issue of abortion is at the forefront of everyone’s choice to vote and may decide the winner of the 2024 presidential race.
The pro-life movement supports the overturning of Roe v. Wade, basing their arguments on Christian ideals and philosophical principles, particularly pertaining to the idea of the sanctity of life. They argue that life begins at conception, equate abortion with murder and believe that protecting the unborn is a moral imperative. However, this perspective often fails to consider the complexities of women’s lives and the realities they face. This mindset also feels like a scam to dehumanize women who face the decision of what to do with their bodies every day. This theme of dehumanization echoes through the harrowing experience of Rosemary Woodhouse in Roman Polanski’s film, “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968).
“Rosemary’s Baby” takes place in 1965 and follows a young couple, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse (played by Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes, respectively), as they move into a recently built New York City apartment ridden with a dark history of cannibalism and satanism. Rosemary is eager to have children, and Guy is a somewhat successful actor with high ambitions for himself. Unaware of her situation, Rosemary is already trapped in an unequal power-dynamic relationship. She runs to Guy’s beck and call to please him with items of his choice, like sandwiches and beers. Guy pushes her around by critiquing her haircut, resenting her friends and insisting she finish dinner when she clearly stated she didn’t like it. Yet, above all, Rosemary is an accommodating and devoted wife who is willing to put up with her husband’s self-centered and loathsome qualities. While this new apartment may be the domestic bliss that Rosemary longs for, there are threats made to her and her unborn child that reveal the film’s themes of women’s ownership of their bodies and the struggle to maintain that very ownership in the face of a society rooted in religion and misogyny.
Once they move in, they meet their eccentric neighbors, Minnie and Roman Castevet (played by Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer, respectively), whom Rosemary is wary of but Guy takes a liking to. The Castevets weasel their way into Rosemary’s life by showing up unannounced and giving her home-cooked meals.
Initially perceived as overly friendly, the Castevets gradually reveal their true nature as members of a satanic cult that has chosen Rosemary as the vessel to bear the antichrist. Guy, who is drawn by the promise of fame, colludes with them and sacrifices his wife’s autonomy for his own ambitions. Ultimately, Rosemary’s body is used as an instrument to fulfill the Castevets’ satanic cult goals and Guy’s film career.
A pivotal moment in the film happens when Guy and the Castevets drug Rosemary with one of their home-cooked meals and she becomes unconscious. She has haunting dreams of satanic rituals, where she is tied down and violated by members of the cult, Guy and a literal depiction of Satan. “This is no dream! This is really happening!” she cries during the “dream.” While at first for the viewer, it is quite ambiguous if this is truly happening in reality, it is in fact, to Rosemary’s horror, real. Rosemary awakens with no memory of the event and scratches on her body. Guy has just sold his wife’s body to the devil, and when she questions who did this to her, he dares to say, “I didn’t want to miss baby night.” Although Guy admits to raping Rosemary, we learn that it was, in fact, Satan who raped Rosemary, and he was covering for the group of occultists.
Guy’s joke about raping his wife while she was unconscious is a little too similar to the current “rape culture” in our society. Women are constantly policed by being asked pointed questions, like “What were you wearing?” and are also the punchlines of jokes about rape. Their sexual choices and preferences are rarely accepted in society as they are told to think of a male’s sexual preferences first, as shown in Rosemary’s case.
To Rosemary’s delight, she is pregnant under the assumption that it’s Guy’s child. However, the Castevets being the overly friendly neighbors they are, want to control every aspect of Rosemary’s pregnancy. From choosing the vitamins she takes to the doctor she sees (who is a member of their cult), everything they do is self-advantageous. Rosemary’s doctor, Abraham Sapirstein (played by Ralph Bellamy) instructs her to not talk about her pregnancy with her friends and family, leaving her isolated and alone. When she comes to the doctor with concerns about her pregnancy and her health, Dr. Sapirstein invalidates her suspicions, leaving her more vulnerable to trust those who seek to control her. Just as Rosemary is manipulated by those around her, many women today are faced with societal pressures that undermine their agency when making healthcare decisions. Their health is influenced and controlled by political agendas, societal norms and institutional biases.
Rosemary longs to take control of her surroundings and get second opinions from a doctor of her choice, but she is met with resistance and belittlement from Guy and the Castevets who insist she trusts their choices. She attempts to reestablish her independence by getting a new haircut, but even that is met with critiques. This dismissal reflects the real-life treatment women face when seeking autonomy over their reproductive rights: their desires are dismissed for others’ agendas. For example, women who seek abortions often face barriers that reflect societal agendas. Their health is curtailed because of restrictive laws, and their well-being is second to political ideologies. Just like in the film, Guy and the Castevets are completely fine controlling Rosemary as she is used as a pawn in their satanic cult.
The ending leaves off on a depressing note: Rosemary gives birth to the child of Satan, leaving her in a situation she never consented to. “What have you done to its eyes!” she cries, embodying the anguish she feels in betrayal. Yet, in the final scene, she rocks the baby to sleep, accepts her fate and takes on the role of mother. There is something so horrific about Rosemary still caring for the baby despite everything she has been through up to that point. Rather than running for her life, her motherly instinct kicks in and she cares for him. This last scene epitomizes domestic horror: being trapped in motherhood due to the pressure of societal expectations.
Although this film does not feature the popular “final girl” trope wherein Rosemary kills all the cultists with a shiny knife and takes back her individuality and autonomy from those who took it from her, its ending encapsulates the modern realities of women. Rosemary goes from being a kind, caring mother-to-be to a gaunt, pale shell of who she used to be, consumed by fear and despair and epitomizing the horror one has when one loses autonomy.
While all of these events seem out of a nightmarish scenario, the real horror comes from the fact that this 56-year-old film should be an artifact of the past (a pre-Roe v. Wade world) is still relevant today. The cult’s disinterest in Rosemary and her health and their only concern with the baby inside her is eerily similar to the pro-life movements concerned with protecting the unborn, even if it’s not what the mother wants, and at the expense of her. Roe v. Wade’s overturning makes women’s choices about their reproductive health at the hands of lawmakers, just like Rosemary’s reproductive health is in the hands of the cult. While politicians have promised to reinstate Roe v. Wade and have abortion protected, the fact that this debate is even an issue is concerning enough. Women should not have to be reliant on the means of others; a denial of autonomy is ultimately a denial of women’s rights.
