ABSTRACT
Considering the currency associated with fertility, this chapter explores Lisa Loomer’s use and manipulation of a ghosting presence for many women—that of the potential for pregnancy—in her play, Expecting Isabel. Loomer’s framing around Miranda’s story allows us to interrogate deeper questions of what it is we as a society hold as precious and what we allow individuals to lay claim to, based on their gender. Pride and shame are not equally shared when it comes to conception and as such, we find that the ghost of pregnancy potential haunts even those who never sought a child to begin with. Moreover, the medical establishment in the U.S. has consistently tried to establish control and dominion over women’s bodies and we see this manifest in how Miranda’s reproductive capabilities are turned into a commodity that is shared only by the men who attempt to “fix” a problem that isn’t even there.
