Roe v Wade Roundup
An internet roundup of the best quotes to understand what’s going on and what do to about the overturn of Roe v Wade
In 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion. Today it was overturned. Trigger laws make abortion immediately illegal in Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and South Dakota and more are coming down the road. Of the 23 states that will soon ban or restrict abortions, 0 offer paid family leave.
Let me get this out of the way: this isn’t about politics. This is a human rights issue. Even if you disagree, please seek to understand what’s at stake, and lead with compassion and empathy.
People deserve to decide IF and WHEN and HOW they become parents. And I say people in order to be inclusive, as this is not just about cis women, but anyone with a uterus. (Is now the right time to use rape stats, which are 1 in 3 people, which I’d bet money is much higher than the actual number due to retaliation, safety, shame, etc…)
This doesn’t have to impact you personally. I live in California where abortions are still safe and legal. And I have a support system that, should I ever need one, I am fairly certain I could get one and be okay.
I couldn’t stop scrolling through social media though I know it’s not helping. Sitting at my desk inside a bubble does nothing. Maybe it helps me feel less alone in my anger. But in my scrolling, I found some great quotes that articulated thoughts better than I could (mostly Insta and Twitter).
Best Quotes
“sorry i can’t talk about roe v. wade right now, i have to finish my article on how millions of children will go hungry this summer because congress hasn’t extended the school nutrition waivers which provided free school meals to children regardless of income.” — jenikaMC
“Constitution says u can’t kill babies unless it’s with a gun.” — jazzinmypants
“If this was about babies, there would be universal healthcare. Free education. Free daycare. Southern states would be doing all they can to drop the Black maternal mortality rate. This is about power and control” — dereckapurnell
“250+ mass shootings in the US alone, and a woman’s body is more regulated than a gun. get fucking real.” — logannschieberr
“Forced birth in a country that doesn’t have mandatory maternity leave or universal healthcare…” — Tiffany D. Jackson
“They will never end abortion. Only safe abortion. This is not about life. It’s about control.” — Sofia Bush
“I’m worried for the teenagers who, like me, are poor & the only thing standing between them & their dreams is access to a safe abortion.” — Natalie Lima
“I don’t think people realize that it is perfectly fine to be pro-life for your own body, but you can’t force that on someone else’s body. That is their decision.” — may98
“Poor women will have babies they couldn’t afford to abort. They’re creating a permanent underclass of poor kids.” — fly_sistah
“A country founded on the principle that people can be property will never be a country that will allow its citizens to have full autonomy or personhood. The beginning of freedom for all of us means an end to a country that has a vested interest in our subordination.” — writtenbyhanna
“American women are being told, once again, that our lives are not as important as the potential lives we’re supposed to be carrying to term, however much harm it may cause us.” — LEBassett. “Hysteria feels like the appropriate emotion, doesn’t it?” https://jezebel.com/roe-v-wade-dead-supreme-court-decision-dobbs-abortion-r-1849062441
“I am heartbroken for people around this country who just lost the fundamental right to make informed decisions about their own bodies.” — Michelle Obama
“Stand up, say something. This is your wife, this is your sister, this is your friend, this is your girlfriend, this is the mother of your children.” — Megan Rapinoe
“This is the first time in history that the Supreme Court has taken away a constitutional right.” — Carrie Baker of Ms. Magazine
“When you take away someone’s ability to make decisions about their own bodies, they are no longer a full citizen.” — Kristen Gillibrand
“Access to abortion is suicide prevention.” — psych_k8
“Decades of data tell us today’s decision won’t decrease the number of abortions. It will simply increase the number of dead women.” — Jeremy Faust MD
“Good time to be a gun in America. Bad time to be a woman or a kid in school.” — Wajahat Ali
“When the penalty for aborting after rape is more severe than the penality [sic] for rape, that’s when you know it’s a war on women.” — Mohamad Safa
Compiled by The Op Ed Project
“For too long, a small minority of conservative elected officials have dictated the conversation about reproductive health. But a broader lens would change this by highlighting the breadth of reproductive issues and how they are impacted by race, class and gender.” — Elizabeth Ziff, Reproductive Health Care is a Human Right
“Before you were born, Zahra, I had a choice. I had a choice to become pregnant with you. I had a choice to give birth to you as safely as possible. I had a choice to raise you with dignity and in a safe environment. But these choices have been and are being stripped away from so many others.” — Christine James, A Letter to My 7-Month Old Daughter
“Women must have reproductive autonomy and privacy. Attacks on women’s reproductive autonomy are a form of misogyny. Often attacks on abortion come from conservative political and religious factions that are against the advancement of women.” — Cynthia Farina, I am pro-life — and I support Roe v. Wade
Action items
Kate Kelly, a human rights attorney, suggests stock piling abortion pills just in case you or anyone in your community or needs a safe haven needs them.
- “No matter what those dorks @ the Supreme Court say about abortion — you can get abortion pills mailed to you no matter where you live. Mifepristone + Misoprostol @AidAccessUSA does “advanced provision” which means you don’t have to be pregnant to get them!” More info here https://msmagazine.com/2022/05/04/abortion-pills/ and here https://www.thecut.com/article/find-abortion-pill-what-to-expect.html
- If you can, donate to local orgs, NOT politicians asking for money re roe v wade.
- Go to a march if you’re able https://map.wewontgoback.com/
- Request deletion of your personal information from fertility tracking apps then delete the app *see ‘data privacy’ below*
- Help spread resources to rural or low-income communities that might not have access to social media/internet/safe abortions
- Self care… log off, go get some fresh air if you can ❤
Data privacy
-Gina Neff, Professor of Technology & Society @UniofOxford suggested deleting all fertility tracking apps on your phone, but *first* request to the company that all of your data be erased!
-Planned Parenthood has an app (haven’t used but saw on Twitter) that does NOT mine your data, but who knows for sure https://www.plannedparenthood.org/get-care/spot-on-period-tracker
-moving forward, usually the default on all apps is to “sell my information” so make sure to go in for each app individually and turn this off/deny data mining, and ask to have all data deleted always before you delete any app
-also suggested: wipe your browsing history, use a VPN and Incognito Mode on your browser (Duck Duck Go is supposedly the safest). This includes phones and devices, including smart TVs, and fertility-related search histories at public libraries
Additional Resources:
This doc covers What Will Happen Legally, What Will Happen In Your Communities, to People You Love, What Can You Do?: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRqbxh96ynlqdYUInUZB5GWrE2GIcW3FEXdtxO_n2BXMAd2HOkNssn3aP77zSXBN43TIJ3Xab2ih9vE/pub
*This was put together quickly so please excuse any typos or dead links*
