The Witch Burnings That Never Stopped
They can’t burn us as witches or lock us in Magdalene asylums anymore, so they call us baby killers instead.
When I see news articles about Christian hospitals in America denying pregnant people life-saving care or the zealots closer to home who harass women outside clinics, I often comment, “They can’t burn us as witches or lock us in Magdalene asylums anymore, so they find new ways to abuse and kill us.” This comment always seems to resonate with people, so I wanted to elaborate…
I recently enjoyed a BBC documentary on witch hunts in Scotland over the holidays. It’s well worth a watch. Links are at the end for anyone who is listening rather than reading.
I watched: Lucy Worsley Investigates: The Witch Hunts (1)
You may already know that witch hunting was driven by beliefs in God and fear of the devil, as well as the Genesis-inspired belief that women are inherently evil. The witch hunts occurred against a backdrop of the Reformation, with churches of various denominations battling for absolute authority. A significant percentage of the victims of the witch hunts—around 85%—were women and girls.
In the 1500s came John Knox, the leader of the Reformation, who spread a new kind of Puritanism in Scotland that has taken a long time to fade (although, according to the census, the majority of the population is now, finally, non-religious). Puritanism drove a paranoia and fear that was often directed at women during a time when there was no access to rational explanations for the events happening in the world.
By the end of the century, King James VI of Scotland wrote Demonology, which cites Ecclesiasticus from the Old Testament, containing gems such as: “Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die,” and “Give me any plague, but the plague of the heart: and any wickedness, but the wickedness of a woman.”
As the BBC documentary points out, the investigations of accused witches were highly sexualised. Women were treated worse than the murderers imprisoned alongside them. The accused were often the only woman in a courtroom full of men.
This reminds me of the targeting of women during a vulnerable time outside sexual health clinics. It brings to mind women in the UK being accused of causing their own miscarriages and subjected to criminal investigations. It reminds me that most abortion bans are decreed by rooms full of men.
The zealous and extremist men of the modern church are as foolish, ignorant, and evil as they’ve always been. Maybe they aren’t allowed to stick pins in women and search for a "devil’s mark," but they can certainly scream “baby killer” at her outside a clinic (or at least they could do this perfectly legally until the buffer zone legislation passed in Scotland and then the rest of the UK last year).
The religiously motivated witch hunting of women in Scotland has never stopped; it has only shape-shifted.
Ireland is most famous for its shameful history of Magdalene laundries, but we had them here in Scotland too—institutions designed to terrorise, abuse, and enslave women. The enslaved women were called sinners and often subjected to sexualised humiliation rituals. Frequently, those imprisoned had been abused, sometimes by men of the church. *She was always to blame.
And now the Pope, Mr Nice Guy with the good PR team, has used his massive platform to attack abortion rights… again. Whipping up his base and encouraging them to hate and oppress women. With the rise of fascist ideologies, do not be surprised if the church takes the opportunity to elect a very right-leaning pope after this one dies. I was recently chastised by a man on Bluesky for not being grateful that this Pope is doing slightly less harm to women than predecessors. Why can’t you just be NICE, Gemma?
Despite Scotland now being an undeniably secular nation, the religious right keeps its grip. In Scotland, an anti-abortion organisation described as extreme (2) and who have (3) significant access to children, indoctrinating them into an anti-abortion ideology that gets women killed, and threatening women (me!) who speak out against this (4).
The screams of the baying mob may change, but the vitriol and hatred never does.
Witch!
Fallen woman!
Baby killer!
On that note, and while you’re here: if you believe young people should have the right to opt out of religious observance, you could respond to and share this government consultation. It’s actually quite a quick one. Open until 26th January, so be quick! (5)
Right now, in these worrying times, joy and rest are a form of resistance, so here are some book and film recommendations:
If you like witch hunt history, I really enjoyed Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials by Marion Gibson.
I have pre-ordered How to Kill a Witch from the founders of the Witches of Scotland podcast (also well worth a listen), Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell.
If you haven’t seen Wicked, it will be good for your soul.
Abortion Pills Go Global by Dr Sydney Calkin is informative and fascinating. Legal reform is important, but pills being so safe, effective, and easy to transport has been a game changer.
When I noticed that Conclave was upsetting all the right people, I knew it would be worth a watch, and I was not disappointed.
The Six Triple Eight, about an all-Black women’s battalion, was absolutely phenomenal.
No Pasaran!
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https://consult.gov.scot/education-reform/religious-observance-education-legislation-schools/