a review of “the Palestinian sperm smugglers”
i am deeply moved by this story. and this also begs the question of my knowledge of the impacts of the Palestine-Isreal conflict. *mental note to research further on this*
this reminds of the 6th season of OITNB where Blanca is trying to get pregnant (in a prison, that does not allow conjugal visits) for her lovely boyfriend Diablo, before she enters menopause… they have to resort to desperate measures like: Diablo masturbating into nylon sachets in dingy prison bathrooms, and Blanca getting her fellow inmates who have no knowledge of obstetrics and gynaecology to help her inseminate herself without alerting the prison guards.
it is difficult to imagine the struggles of incarcerated people who are trying to get children before they pass their reproductive years.
it more difficult to imagine the struggle of incarcerated people when the (in)justice system denies them conjugal visits in hopes “to erase people, to break social bonds and recast collective struggle as individual defeat”.
it is especially unjust when Israeli prisoners are allowed conjugal visits and Palestinian prisoners are not.
reading this article, i thought of reasons why incarcerated people and spouses of incarcerated people would still want children, despite the hardship they already face, but then the last bits of the essay made me understand why:
“[“This is the challenge,” says Abu Fayed, “saying I’m here and I exist.” Her daughter, who will be six when her father gets out, was born in 2014. They named her Hurriya, which means “freedom.”]”
“[“Amir’s birth, and the warmth of his presence beside her, are a different kind of victory, a triumph against despair, brown-eyed and chubby-cheeked, not a slogan but a life.”]”
… that for them, it represents another form of hope. of freedom. perhaps it could be said to be a selfish quest, but it is a valid quest.
arụsị reads 