On the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, I can't help but remember talking with my sister and mother about abortion when I was still fairly young. My mother taught me that even if not everyone agrees with abortion, it should always be available for women who need it. The thing that's starting to scare me is that abortion is surely under attack in America by a highly organized grassroots coalition of pro-lifers. Today, they're marching on the mall, as they do every year. What access to abortion is really starting to represent is a class divide, much like access to higher education, access to medical care, and financial security.
Abortion will always be available for (white) upper class women who need or want it. They can fly to Europe, drive to Canada, or take a quick weekend to Mexico City. Other women -- poor mothers and women of color may not always be so lucky. If the pro-life movement succeeds in criminalizing abortion, it will be the worst off that will pay the price.
If Roe is overturned, there is little any of us can do about it. The decision will likely be made by five men, the way the "partial birth" abortion ban was decided. What we've created is a world where the powerful are very powerful and the powerless cannot make their own decisions. After all, access to abortion isn't just about women or "unborn children," it is about social justice.
Cross-posted at campusprogress.org/blog.
2 comments:
Hi Kay, saw your blog on NARAL. Would you say that there is such a thing as objective truth? If so, how would you define it?
Dear 'C',
Don't bother. The only "objective truth" that people like Kay Steiger recognize is, literally, between their legs.
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