How Women & Allies Can Mobilize After the Loss of Roe V. Wade
Let’s face it. We’re tired. Being a woman isn’t always easy…. In fact being a HUMAN in these unprecedented times isn’t easy. But this week feels harder than most. Having what we feel is a basic right taken away following the overturned decision of Roe V. Wade, is hard to stomach. Let us be clear, we don’t think for a minute this is a battle between pro-life or pro-choice. This is a battle for control, and right now, women are losing.
We’ve long struggled for equality… from voter rights to today’s struggle to close the gender pay gap. But fighting for the right to our own bodies seems extra cruel. Abortion isn’t just about the woman who doesn’t want a baby. It’s about a woman who was assaulted resulting in a pregnancy borne out of violence. It’s about a woman who has an ectopic pregnancy who needs to abort to save her life. It’s about a woman who discovers a fetal abnormality and the baby won’t survive. Women are not just vessels for babies, yet the overturning of Roe v. Wade takes any agency that a woman has over her body away.
Protestors take to the streets. Image: Mark Reinstein/Shutterstock.com
It’s ALSO about the children born into a system that is continually cutting federal programs designed to help single and low income households. We expect women to bear the burden of pregnancy, the medical costs, the recovery of a vaginal or cesarean birth, and then also find childcare for her child so that she can immediately go back to work. It’s often a zero sum game, a never ending cycle of living paycheck to exhausted paycheck so that she can afford to live and raise a child in a completely unsupported society. It’s cruel, indentured servitude, especially if the child was unwanted in the first place.
We don’t profess to be experts on this topic. But we do have a voice. And with enough of us speaking on the topic, it amplifies all our voices. When we talk to our friends, anger is the first emotion that comes through. Let’s take those emotions and channel it into something productive.
The first begins with voting. The Supreme Court is nominated to a life tenure by the President and confirmed by the Senate. This means we CAN effect change by voting the right people in office. Currently, the Supreme Court is unbalanced and consists of 9 judges, with 3 being nominated by Former Twice Impeached President Trump. The Supreme Court mentality does not reflect the sentiment of the public. In fact, the majority of Americans do not agree with what's happening in the political arena right now. According to The Gallup Poll, the court’s approval ratings have plummeted to a historic low at 25%. The Supreme Court has gone from a credible, unbiased body meant to support the will of the country, to a completely political weapon being wielded by Conservatives seeking to execute their personal agenda over public good. According to Forbes “Gallup polls show Americans’ support for abortion in all or most cases at 80% in May 2021, only sightly higher than in 1975 (76%)...” And it’s not just abortion rights they’re after. We fear that LGBTQ, IVF, and contraceptive rights are also being targeted.
The second course of action is putting our money into the hands of those who need it. From supporting abortion and family planning providers to Planned Parenthood, to politicians willing to fight for women’s rights, all of these fights require funds. If you don’t have the money to vote with your wallet, time is as equal a commodity. Volunteer. (List of links below).
Lastly, it’s about taking it to the streets. Let’s amplify our voices and write, protest, volunteer and bring the RIGHT message forward that fights the misinformation spread by many. We may feel at times overworked and under-appreciated but when we feel attacked, we must get in formation.
Helpful Links:
Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP)
How to Support Abortion Access in a Post-Roe America
