Actress Anne Hathaway is expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman. This kind of news generally wouldn’t create a stir. But Hathaway is pregnant at 43. Her advanced maternal age is causing praise, astonishment, and, strangely, harsh criticism.
While on the press tour for Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, Hathaway, who plays Penelope, glowed. She looked nothing short of resplendent in her lovely maternity gowns. At 43, pregnancy looks good on her. During her appearance this week on Late Night with Seth Meyers, she joked that this pregnancy is a “buzzer-beater“, saying, “I mean, we knew what we were doing but … we were so shocked it worked!”
Online, Hathaway’s pregnancy has received quite a lot of criticism from those on the Right. Oddly, the crowd that is predominantly pro-life is a bit annoyed by her burgeoning belly. There are some who believe this is Hathaway’s first pregnancy. They would be wrong. Hathaway and Shulman have two sons, 10 and 6. Some critics argue that Hathaway waited too long and prioritized her career.
For those who are aware that this isn’t her first, the criticism is age-related. Because she’s 43, they say Hathaway shouldn’t be having a child at all and is reckless for doing so. But that’s nonsense. What’s more, it’s a bad look for the crowd that says on repeat, “Get married and have babies!”
As a 44-year-old mother of two boys, 9 and 5, I take issue with the condemnation of Hathaway for “daring” to be pregnant at 43.
Anne Hathaway is not a conservative. That doesn’t matter. Marriage and children should be encouraged. These are the building blocks of a strong present and future society. At a time when abortion still exists, why should the celebration of a new life be met with anything but congratulations?
Sadly, Hathaway has been an abortion proponent for years, saying on The View in 2022 that “abortion can be another word for mercy.” She is entirely wrong on the issue of abortion. That doesn’t mean her current pregnancy is less good. Hathaway and her husband have been married for almost 14 years. They have two children and one on the way. These are wonderful things.
When it comes to her age, the criticism is also unwarranted. It’s safe to say Anne Hathaway and her husband are aware of the factors associated with so-called geriatric pregnancies. As a wealthy member of the Hollywood elite, she undoubtedly has access to the best medical care. Yes, getting pregnant gets more difficult as a woman ages. And the pregnancies themselves are harder, carrying higher risks. Medical professionals and older mothers must be honest about the struggles. But these are still not reasons to criticize a couple for the “audacity” of adding to their brood.
We also don’t know the fertility journeys other couples have been on. In Hathaway’s case, she dealt with infertility and also a miscarriage in 2015. I can relate. My journey to motherhood included infertility and my own miscarriage in 2019. Having children at an older age doesn’t automatically mean a disinterest in parenthood and stability. To conclude otherwise is wrong, not to mention hurtful.
The fertility rate in the United States is at an all-time low. We are well below the replacement level needed for a functioning society that doesn’t require immigration to sustain it. We need more babies. We need those babies to be born into families.
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It is not beneficial to condemn a woman, even a Hollywood leftist, for being pregnant in her 40s. Celebrating human life doesn’t require that the parents subscribe to our ideology first. It also doesn’t require that their journey to parenthood look the same as ours. All unborn life is precious and should be met with joy, not ageism or political scorekeeping. Each new child is a gift.
That is the pro-life way.