Motherhood Is Meaningless without Rights
Seven practical ways to fight for abortion access today
Yesterday was Mother’s Day.
My husband and kids got me candles, chocolate, and the newest Taylor Swift album, cementing my place in the Millennial Mom Hall of Fame. I am the basic bitch I always aspired to be.
It was the best.
This month is also the two-year anniversary of the leak of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned 50 years of federal abortion freedom, supposedly returning that choice to the states. Conservative judges couched their decision in the intellectually dishonest claim they were doing women and society as a whole a favor, but we know that’s a lie because:
No politician in any state knows more about what is right for a woman’s body than the woman herself.
We know from the very first pages of Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership that conservatives are planning to revoke all access to abortion — even in the most extreme circumstances. Page 6 of the document states “Dobbs was just the beginning.” If Trump is elected again, there will be a federal abortion ban. You can bet money on it.
The choice to become a mother should always be a choice. Which is why we have to fight harder now than ever to preserve our freedom. The stakes are unbelievably high since news broke this week that Senate Republicans are discussing a nationwide database tracking women’s fertility. These are the same people who think it would be a violation of freedom to have a national gun registry, but since guns have more rights than women in this country, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.
Here’s seven more things you can do to protect abortion rights.
Link arms with your local reproductive rights leaders: They know the landscape of abortion care in your state and communities. They are more than providers. They are highly educated on the issues of access. They are advocates. They are making access available and know how to help protect that access.
Do what you can with what you have when you have it. States all across our nation will have the right to an abortion on the ballot in November. Some are in the signature gathering phase right now. If your state has a ballot initiative, doing what you can could be as simple as signing your name so abortion rights appear on the ballot. Or it could be as complex as giving your time and energy to make sure there are enough signatures.
Stay in the know: Ever since the overturn of Roe, abortion has been a moving target with laws in various states changing faster than we can keep up with. Don’t worry, there’s resources available. I read Jessica Valenti’s Abortion, Every Day.
Avoid spreading fear and misinformation online. We are living in a terrifying time. A time that challenges us to keep a level head. Reality is so messed up that we don’t have to work very hard to frighten others into apathy. Check and double check yourself.
Put your anger to work. Anger over losing bodily autonomy is right and justified. It is not overreacting. I’m motherfucking angry and I’m going to get deadly educated and use every ounce of privilege I have to help. We save the love, grace and compassion for those that need it. We don’t expend it on the people that strip others of rights.
Maintain awareness about people who don’t have the same privilege as you. What we do know from history is that people who have the financial resources are able to have abortions, whether legal or not. This is not true for people who live under the poverty line. Restrictions on reproductive care disproportionately impacts people of color and the economically disadvantaged. Care more about others than your own sense of self-preservation, and look for ways to give time, money, and resources.
VOTE. THIS IS WHY VOTING MATTERS. Obviously, I want you to vote for Joe Biden for president this election, but that’s not the only race that matters. In my state, we vote for everything from president to county auditor to clerk of the Supreme Court. That’s right, even people who assist judges get elected. Listen, even the most knowledgable politicos don’t know everything about every candidate on their ballot. Find someone you trust and gather as much information as possible about the people on your ballot.
Onward Democracy Defenders!