The states can now force pregnant women, trans men, and nonbinary people to remain pregnant and give birth, regardless of what they want, regardless of whether the pregnancy is wanted, regardless of whether their health is threatened by the pregnancy, regardless of whether they were raped. So much for bodily autonomy, so much for the rights of living humans.
Just wait for Republicans to try to pass a constitutional amendment or federal law banning abortion, even though a majority wants Roe to remain the law of the land. They'll try for this as soon as they have the trifecta again.
Let's note, also, that this is taking place in a country without universal health care, without parental leave, and without child care, where the maternal morbidity and mortality rate is the highest in Western industrialized nations, and where Black women's rate of maternal death is three times that of white women.
The news:
- Supreme Court Overturns Roe
- Here's what the six Supreme Court justices in the 6-3 majority overturning Roe v. Wade said during their confirmation hearings.
- Here's the decision, annotated by The NY Times. Note that it starts with a big old lie about "sharply conflicting views:" Around 62% of Americans want Roe retained.
- Justices Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor are on fire in their dissent.
- Justice Thomas wants Griswold (right to access to birth control), Lawrence (right to same-sex sexual relations), and Obergefell (marriage equality) overturned. Not Loving, though - I wonder why.
- NY Times editorial board on the problems with the decision
Why this is so very bad:
- Jia Tolentino, We’re Not Going Back to the Time Before Roe. We’re Going Somewhere Worse.
- Pregnant people will die as a result.
- How an Abortion Ban Trapped a Tourist on Malta, about an American woman who has to travel to another country for appropriate care for a miscarriage in progress.
- How Savita Halappanavar’s Death Spurred Ireland’s Abortion Rights Campaign
- Poland Court Ruling Effectively Bans Legal Abortions
- Policing and criminalizing miscarriage.You'll be seeing more of this.
- I'm not going to provide links demonstrating that every human has the right to bodily autonomy and that a fetus isn't equal to a living human. If that's not clear to you, fuck off right now.
What you can do:
- Donate to abortion funds.
- Donate to practical support organizations.
- Don't donate to Planned Parenthood. They're well funded and don't need help.
- If you're using an online period tracker, request that the data be deleted and delete the app itself. The exception is Euki, which was developed with input from reproductive rights activists. It does not collect your personal data. H/T to KW for this.
- Pressure your elected representatives at the local, state, and federal levels.
- Spread the word about self-managed abortions.
- Vote. And help others vote. There are any number of organizations providing specific ways that you can help people get registered, get voter ID where it's required, drive people to polling places, and on and on.
- Support trans rights, and fight racism and sexism. It's all related, because controlling everyone who isn't a conservative white Christian man is the whole point.
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