Roe v. Wade

It’s been a tough few days, and I am still struggling. My various feeds are full of reactions, call to action, outrage, pain, and an outpouring of emotions in response to the SCOTUS decision that reversed 50 years of abortions rights in the U.S.

I arrived in California in 1989, and the following year I started working at Planned Parenthood in San Francisco. Within a short period of time, I was working in the clinic, serving women coming in for reproductive health needs (as PP hadn’t started offering primary care at this time). As I got to know my fellow co-workers, and gained other friends, I formulated a curious insight: in Sweden, most of them had not had an abortion; in the U.S., most of them had. I have been wrestling with this ever since.

It is an appalling realization to have your bodily autonomy taken away from you by people you do not know, who you don’t agree with, and who quite obviously is imposing their religious view on you. This happened today, in the 21st century, that women are no longer afforded basic human rights.

A friend of mine criticized me for voting according to ‘one issue’ – that I wanted control of my own body – and the party that respected this stance got my vote. What about economics, social issues, he said. To me, as has been the case from many women before me, is it simple: if I don’t have control over my body, I am not awarded the same opportunities or the same rights as men (giving due recognition of binary and trans people).

My belief in bestowing women the full range of reproductive rights is paramount both personally and in my work, and has been as long as I can remember – and could formulate a feminist thought; this happened when I was 6 years old. No other right is as imperative as the right to control our own bodies.

It is vital that women mobilize all their energies and efforts to take our rights back. It means voting ‘one issue’ if that is what it takes.

I have personal experience, as have so many women, of abortion. I will not let this go. Not for me, or my daughters, or any descendants.

It was more an ominous day than a sad day. Yes, I am saddened, but not despondent. I am angry. And I will continue to speak up and not be cowed into compromising my integrity on what is rightfully mine - my own body.

Here we go.

Photo by Derek French.