Roe v. Wade is No More

Fuck.

Not the best way to start off a blog post from an SEO standpoint but, fuck is all I have.

Anticipatory grief is the anticipation that happens before losing someone or something. The grief that occurs during the wait. Abortion rights in this country have been on life support for the past decade, in hospice for the past few months, and the leaked SCOTUS decision let us know that death wasn’t far off. Say your goodbyes now.

But there is a difference between knowing something is going to happen and that thing actually happening. As I type this I don’t think my body has caught up to my mind’s knowledge that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. I just feel numb.

And I want to be careful here because there will be a flood of Handmaid’s Tale comparisons hitting the internet – and yes I have referenced Gilead a time or twenty, but I’m not going to do that anymore. Because, for me, the comparison to Handmaid’s Tale removes us from what is occurring. This isn’t a dystopian novel; this is reality. This is the direction our country has been heading in for decades since Republicans realized that this was a winning issue, a way to fundraise and fear-monger voters into sticking with the GOP. Not to mention that banning abortions will hit marginalized communities the most NOT upperclass white women who can afford to travel to other states – other countries – for medical procedures. This is class warfare. This is control. This has nothing to do with abortions, really.

Yes there is a part of me that wants to rail on the recent history of SCOTUS – my mind is still blown that Trump was able to seat 3 Justices and effectively change the course of the court for decades to come. That history will be there and that history is important, but here’s what I encourage everyone to do that is cut up about this decision:

1. Self-care: You know how I feel about this. You can’t fight the good fight if your energy is drained. Recharge. Take breaks when you need to, but don’t give up.
2. Get involved: There will be a ton of marches and protests in the coming days, which is one way to get involved. I’m also going to be watching Planned Parenthood and organizations like it for how I can help. Remember, abortion is now up to the states to decide and there are states that have codified Roe in the event that it was overturned by SCOTUS. There will be ways to get people safe abortions while we are fighting for a new federal law, but that will require money and time and organizing. If you have anything to give financially, please consider doing so, especially for abortion access for low-income, marginalized individuals.

I’m reminded of some of the controversy surrounding RBG’s thoughts on Roe v. Wade that had pro-choice groups nervous she was against abortion. Ginsburg wasn’t, but she did feel that Roe v. Wade was too sweeping and therefore easier to chip away at and eventually overturn. I’m not even pretending to be a lawyer (does binging SVU count?), but I wonder if there is an opportunity here to promote a case that effectively reinstates abortion in this country that doesn’t allow states to deny that access and makes it harder to overturn it. Or, even better, a law passed by Congress. Could we emerge with stronger abortion rights, eventually? Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I have to find a kernel of optimism, a life-raft of sorts so I do not drown.

I had this other fleeting hope that now that the “dog has caught the car” and most Americans actually support the right to choose that the Republican Party will lose its power. The thing they’ve been working towards for decades happened. What else do they have to show for it? Why should people continue to support them? But then I realized that, of course I know what’s next: LGBTQ rights. They’ve already started fear-mongering against the trans community specifically. Same playbook, new villain.

Buckle up, this is going to be a multi-theatre war. We have to fight for new abortion laws while helping people who need abortions get them and pushing to hold on to LGBTQ rights and expand them. It won’t be easy and it won’t be quick, but we have to fight for change even if it doesn’t happen during our lifetimes. My kids deserve to have the same amount of rights (and more!) than I did at their age. Yours do too.

Living through history sucks, but we have a chance to dictate what happens next.

The next chapter is on us.

-Meredith