Roe v Wade has been overturned. Horrifyingly regressive moment for the US and the glibal fight for reproductive rights.

11
29

    It’s been a terrible week. Clarence Thomas previews going after Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell next. It’s horrifying.

    9
    3

      @missh: I agree. Just terrifying and infuriating. These agents of repression masquerading as ‘impartial’ judges’ are the true payoff of American fundamentalism. This movement is a different shade of the Taliban. They are the Amercan Taliban..

      8
      2

        The only personal liberty we will have left by the time they get done is the right to own a gun. They can regulate the hell out of everything else but that, apparently.

        9
        0

        Yes, I thought oh thank heavens they’re not the dreaded “activist judges” 😡
        They project onto the other side everything that they actually are. And people believe it 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

        2
        1

          @bbstl: Exactly. I used to live and work in NYC as a human rights lawyer and have American friends, family and acquaintances so am deeply, deeply worried. Additionally, now that I am living outside the US, I am even more frightened of what theocratic fascist policies and practice are like and how they are being continuously rolled out across many parts of the US. This will also have global implications as the US is important to this particular dight for reproductive rights. I know I’m depressed and likely most of you kindred spirits are too but we need to resist and continue organising wherever we are in the world. We need to create a better version of democracy where people are not disenfranchised from voting by legal, political and socio-economic factors, want to vote and elect honest, ethical, functional, literate, compassionate and progressive representatives. Our fight has only begun. These fundamentalists want a Gilead with access to some aspects of capitalism. They must be defeated.

          4
          0

      I remember reading Obama’s book last year and he said that he pleased with RBG to step down so that he could nominate another SC who was younger. I think it looked like Trump was going to win the election and he wanted to get his nominee in before that happened? I dont recall 100% but as the country is being forced back into the 50s and wire hanger abortions I keep thinking about that.

      3
      1

        @Isa: Me too. That was a catastrophic error of judgment on RBG’s part. She should have neem encouraged – no people should have begged her – to step down notwithstanding judicial sensibilities.

        1
        0

      @missh @bbstl @isa: @cubely @mmmmm @lixie @greenfields. @coriechristie
      I thought you would be interested in this (in case haven’t seen it): https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/08/british-scientist-says-us-anti-abortion-lawyers-misused-his-work-to-attack-roe-v-wade?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

      2
      1

        Thank you for sharing!

        Interesting article, but sad to see scientists’ works misused like that..

        1
        0

    Truly horrific!
    The constant reminders of how terrible humans can be are so upsetting..

    I don’t live in the US, but just like many people have lost a right overnight there, so it can happen anywhere else..

    7
    0

    I don’t know how the world has come to this point. This has implications for women everywhere. I want freedom, rights, and respect as men do. I don’t want privilege, I just want equality and fairness.

    9
    1

      @mmmmm: Exactly. The global war on women’s right is enduring and unremitting but we must continue organising and resisting. Let’s be depressed for a little while but we need to be angry for the long haul.

      5
      0

    They did the right thing. The Constitution does not give women the right to abortion. Now that it has been overturned, it is simply up to the states to decide their own abortion laws.

    2
    2

      @raonah: In legal discourse, there are two competing views about the US Constitution. One, that it is a living document and, the other, a document which is frozen in time but conveniently gets interpreted by the SCOTUS majority to conclude that corporations are “persons” within the meaning of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. That wasn’t in the Constitution so your assertion doesn’t hold water. And, oh, to leave women’s reproductive rights to states in the US at this juncture is tantamount to condemning countless women, particularly those who are poor, young and vulnerable to a likely future with further poverty, mental health issues, injury and even death. So ‘leaving it to the states’ is catastrophic for those women living in theocratic and repressive states including those who have trigger laws.
      Ban in effect
      Ala.
      Ark.
      Ky.
      Wis.
      Mo.
      La.
      S.D.
      Okla.
      8 states; 6.5 million women of reproductive age
      Likely to be prohibited or restricted
      Ban
      Gestational limit
      Ohio
      Texas
      Ga.
      Tenn.
      Idaho
      Fla.
      Utah
      N.D.
      S.C.
      Miss.
      Wyo.
      W.Va.
      Ariz.
      13 states; 20.1 million women of reproductive age
      Uncertain
      Dependent on new law or change in party control
      Iowa
      Pa.
      Neb.
      Va.
      Mich.
      Mont.
      Ind.
      Kan.
      N.C.
      9 states; 11.0 million women of reproductive age

      2
      1

      The Constitution is roughly ~230 years old and has been written entirely by men – no female representation on that drafting committee whatsoever. Medical science has evolved much since then, our understanding of women’s bodies, their health and their roles and place in society has evolved since then. Shouldn’t the Constitution keep up with the times?

      5
      1

        You know what else was decided entirely by men? Roe v. Wade! The overturning of Roe v Wade was done by people including a black person and a woman. So by your “diversity” logic, the overturn of Roe v Wade should be more just than Roe v Wade was.

        Yes, you are totally right! Medical science has improved so much in the past two hundred years and even in the last fifty years! Now, we can no longer claim that a fetus is “just a clump of cells” because now through ultrasounds we can see that it is a tiny human. At just eight weeks, we can even detect the baby’s heartbeat.
        https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/8-week-ultrasound

        From the time a baby is a zygote, it has its own DNA making it a distinct person from its mother.
        https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htm

        Also, with medical advances, we are now able to save the lives of preemie babies earlier and earlier. Now babies born at just 24 to 25 weeks have a decent chance of surviving outside the womb and yet babies are allowed to be murdered in the womb up until birth in some states.
        https://www.verywellfamily.com/worlds-smallest-preemies-2748663

        Yes, there are many things that have changed since the Constitution was written. However, murder is still wrong and murdering innocent babies is especially reprehensible.

        0
        2

          @raonah: I wanted to reach out to you and ask you to stop. I didn’t post this as a comment but on my fan wall so please stop responding. Just so you need to think about the links you have found by googling. Just in one instance, a zygote is not a baby by virtue of having its own distinct DNA. By this logic, every time we shed skin which we do constantly as humans, a potential human being with a distinct DNA is lost. This is bananas.
          Please do not respond. Feel free to write your own comment.

          3
          0

          Since @dncingemma wants to call an end to this conversation, I will not comment further. We clearly won’t agree either.

          2
          0

    Contraceptives, sex ed, universal health care, affordable housing, childcare are just a few of the things that could be focused on instead of outlawing abortions. But for the most part, the antiabortion crowd are against all that as well. There’s no interest in preventing unwanted pregnancies, or concerns about the care and support the mother and baby will need, no consideration about the responsibilities the father should have. The health-related consequences alone are going to be horrifying. It’s heartbreaking how naive and ignorant people are at best, thinking this is prolife. And terrifying that there are people who know better, but did this anyway for power and control.

    8
    2