“we will not be delayed. we will not be masquerade. to the tale of a handmade. we will not let roe v. wade slowly fade. because when we show up today, we’re already standing up with the tomorrow we’ve made.” -amanda gorman
Hearing the SCOTUS news on Friday June 23rd, 2022 about the Roe v. Wade reversal was, although not surprising, completely gut-wrenching. I was angry, heartbroken and devasted.
I still am.
But now add to that, a deep feeling of sorrow and loss.
I’ve had to give it space. Let it sit. So that I could try to understand and process it, because there are so many negative emotions connected to this. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to process it. In the country and decade we’re living in, I can’t fully wrap my arms around this verdict and the enormous step backwards we’ve just taken.
It’s your right to believe what you believe. It’s my right to believe what I believe. I’m not here to debate if you’re wrong and I’m right or vice versa. It’s the simple concept of my body, my right, my voice. Mine. Not yours. Not his. And definitely not the government.
The topic of abortion is highly politicized and very hard to talk about. Pregnancy is a private and very personal decision. So is abortion.
Roe v. Wade was passed nearly 50 years ago to keep women physically and emotionally safe.
Decades of research tells us that the right to access safe abortion keeps many American women from falling into poverty. I'm not pro-murdering babies. I’m pro-choice for the:
twenty year old who was raped on her way home from work and found out she was pregnant
woman 12 weeks into an ectopic pregnancy (egg lodged in her fallopian tube); leading to the impossible decision of saving her life or that of the unborn baby
tween whose innocence was ripped away from her by a so-called trusted family member and now is expecting a child
single mom, working 2 jobs with 2 young children, whose husband left her with no support
woman who finally had the courage to leave her abuser only to realize she’s left carrying the barbarian’s child
I could go on. The act of forced pregnancy has many serious consequences.
But I, 100%, trust women to be responsible and make their own healthcare decisions.
For females, the right to control our own bodies now depends upon where we live and who we are. This does not work in favor for a good chunk of women in the U.S. We’ve taken a huge, primitive step in the wrong direction. Social equity? Contrary to what some may think or say... No, it simply doesn’t exist. This is about control.
All I can do is apologize to my daughter and her young friends... for they no longer have the same rights that I, or her grandmother had. I’m so afraid that the weight of society, trying to erase the rights of women, our voices and our power, will suffocate the next generation -- that of our daughters.
The work that I do when I talk about Female Rivalry and how to overcome it. It’s more than that. It’s about women bonding to be stronger and better together. To have a unified voice. To overcome adversities that impact all women.
“scream. So that one day a hundred years from now, another sister will not have to dry her tears wondering where in history... she. lost. her. voice.” -jasmin kaur
I’m a mother by choice. I’m a mother for choice. I will not let these negative emotions overwhelm me. Instead, I will channel them for the greater good in a thoughtful, deliberate and conscious way, to take the right, positive action.
Dear change makers, we’re in a crisis right now. We have so much work to do to fight this injustice because this fight isn’t over. It’s time to stand up to it. When we unite and work together to support, uplift and empower one another, we create a strong #sisterhood. I believe we can do great things. We can foster change.
It’s time, now, to do it together. You already are. It’s time TO BE.♥️ Are you ready to be a changemaker? Here’s what you can do:
Support a local Planned Parenthood
Share why you fight for abortion access: #WhateverTheReason
P.S. Stay tuned for my next blog out next week about ‘37 Words.’
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