Margret Atwood’s, “The Handmaids tale” is an accurate depiction of a dystopian world.  Women are the predominate target  in Gilead, the theocratic society under the dictatorship of a male regime stripes the rights and liberties  women previously held  and  treat them  more like appliances rather than people. Much like a machine prized for its function,  Offred as a fertile woman is forced to engage in bizarre mating rituals to counter the drop in birth rate. This depiction of a world in which women no longer have the right to reside over their bodies is a large contrast to the movie Juno.

The movie, in turn,  portrays  pregnancy in a positive light and even  as a better alternative to abortion.  Perhaps, the most contrasting point between “The Handmaids Tale” and Juno is this question of choice. Where Offred is horribly forced into becoming a dehumanized vessel for child birth, Juno decides against abortion by choice. Though, Juno’s actions seem a bit arbitrary, in that she decides against an abortion based on a last minute decision, she none the less was not coerced into her choice.  Moreover, it seems  these stories create opposing  effects. Where “The Handmaid’s Tale”  emphasizes the importance of choice, Juno advocates a more pro-life approach.  As Dr. Heather Latimer writes in her article, “Popular culture and reproductive politics”  popular media seems to make abortion a ‘dirty word’. Indeed, it can be said that ‘juno’ has an anti-abortion feel- as when Juno’s class mate protests in front of the abortion clinic. Yet, this is  perhaps for comic effect rather than a serious stance on abortion. Overall, if one can take anything from these narratives it might be the knowledge that  pregnancy and the right to one’s own body continues to be an issue reflected  in literacy and popular media.