People Explain What The Average American Can Do In Response To Roe V. Wade Being Overturned
The news that the Supreme Court had published a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that once protected a person's right to choose reproductive health care without excessive government restriction, was not a surprise.
That doesn't mean the development hasn't shocked and angered citizens nationwide. Activists have already taken to the streets in protest. But what can the average American do in response, especially at a time when confidence in the Supreme Court and our democratic institutions is so low?
We heard some recommendations after Redditor johnnybeefcakes asked the online community,
"What can the average American do in response to Roe v. Wade being overturned?"
"Consider: The day Iceland's women went on strike https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34602822"
seolchan29
Yup. A general strike is best led by the existing unions. If you're in one, talk to your leadership. If you're not, spread the word and follow their lead.
"A general strike..."
"Voting is pissing into the wind the way our government is structured. It's not completely ineffective, but how many women will we allow to suffer and die between now and however many voting cycles this takes?"
"A general strike that grinds this country to a halt will have abortion rights enshrined in the Constitution within two weeks, and I'll tell you why.
"Paralyze the economy, shut this country down, fill the streets and REFUSE TO BACK DOWN and this will be resolved in no time."
whattothewhonow
This is exactly it. Corporations are the gods our politicians look up to. We need to hit them where it actually hurts.
"Adding this..."
"Adding this as a top level comment as well. CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. All these posts saying "vote"? Yes, you need to vote- but your representatives need to hear from you *now and often* about what is important to you. Tell them what you want, and why you are voting. That is what "remain engaged" looks like."
me2x
This is how the gun legislation just got passed. There was a huge coordinated push of people contacting their representatives. Even Republicans were getting consituent calls at a ratio of 10:1 in favor of reasonable measures- so they felt confident in voting for a bill with the support of their voters.
"The 18-24 adult voting group votes way less than any other age group. It would make a solid difference if that wasn’t the case."
akap21
This is the first year many young people will be able to vote. It pays to keep them motivated, now and into 2024 and beyond.
"Help young women and young men obtain birth control. Pass out condoms. Be willing to buy Plan B. Educate. Educate. Educate. Don’t shame. Meet people where they are."
dualsplit
We need more secular public squares that don’t just exist on the internet.
"If you’re in Michigan (or other states where pro-choice folks are fighting to get it on the ballot), figure out where they’re collecting signatures for the petition to get it on the ballot in November, sign, and volunteer to help find more people to sign the petition." - User Deleted
And here’s a link!
"The state Democratic Party..."
"This is a little bit of a long one, but the story is important."
"In 2011 in Virginia, Republicans swept statewide elections. They had the governor, lieutenant governor, both houses of the legislature, and they had appointed the majority of justices on the state Supreme Court."
"They immediately began trying to ban abortion. House Bill 1 was a fetal personhood bill and there were about a dozen more ugly ones too. These bills were expected to sail through with no real hurdles."
"A grassroots movement sprung up, a core group of people who had met and networked during the Occupy protests began planning protest actions. They were able to attract support from people who were not your typical protest crowds, and throughout the actions a lot of suburban, older women drove into Richmond to participate."
"Over several protests about 2 dozen people were arrested (and later acquitted), protests were confronted by riot police as well as 'little green men' hiding in the bushes with assault rifles. However the protests largely remained peaceful."
"The state Democratic party and organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL were literally calling the organizers and begging them to stop antagonizing the Republicans, but the organizers remained steadfast."
"In the end, we won. Most of the bad bills were defeated, and Republicans proceeded to lose every statewide election for the next ten years. They ultimately lost both houses of the legislature as well, for the first time since the 90s. Bob Marshall, who authored HB1, was defeated by Virginia's first openly transgender legislator, Danica Roem."
"So ultimately, here is what I would say to remember. The protests are important. What's more important is the networks that form at them. When you attend, try to meet people. Have potlucks. Get to know each other. You will come to rely on each other more than you think."
"Voting is important too, but only showing up to vote every 2 or 4 years and posting angry memes in between is not going to save us. Our institutions have repeatedly failed us despite more people voting in every election. We will be the ones to save ourselves."
Diet_Coke
Yes, 1000000 percent this. Labor, abortion, everything needs to be well organized and unrelenting. None of this will be handed to you, it needs to be fought for.
"Stock up on pregnancy tests, plan B, and birth control. I've already noticed a shortage of pregnancy tests in the last week. Be an advocate and an educator for any woman you know that may need help."
whattheplfuke
Being an advocate for others is so crucial! They need our help and our kindness.
"Vote in your local elections and force abortion rights to be election issues. R v W says that abortion rights is now up to the state government, so vote accordingly and let them know how they can get your votes."
ClownfishSoup
To add to this, vote even if you live in a state that will not ban abortion. It should be clear to everyone now that we take our rights for granted because it could be taken away one day. So vote, no matter what.
Much to do in the coming days, months, and years.
The 2022 midterm elections are coming up in a few months and only time will tell whether the Supreme Court's ruling will negatively impact certain politicians at the polls.
Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!
Much of the nation continues to reel from the news that a leaked draft opinion indicated the Supreme Court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization will move to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that protects a person's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.
Many people remember what it was like in the days before women could seek an abortion; many innocent women died in the absence of proper medical care or were forced to birth children they could not afford, trapping them in poverty.
But could a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade signal the loss of other rights in the future, especially those decided on the right to privacy, on which Roe was hinged?
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor thisiscubes asked the online community,
"Americans of Reddit, what are your thoughts on Roe v. Wade being overturned by SCOTUS as per draft reports?"
"It was the single most traumatizing..."
"I used to be pro-life for the most part but felt abortion was necessary in certain situations (i.e. rape, incest, whatever). I thought I would have never had an abortion myself. I thought I could always give up the baby for adoption."
"Until I gave birth last month. It was the single most traumatizing experience I've ever gone through. I'm healthy and my pregnancy was not complicated but my heart stopped working after getting an epidural. I coded."
"Once they got me stabilized again, my baby then starting decompensating. They literally had to rip him out of me because I was too far along to convert to C-section."
"I still can't control feces leaking out of me, even 6 weeks later. What a quality of life improvement /s."
"I wanted this child so having my body absolutely wrecked for the safety of my child seemed worth it, despite the pain and complications I experienced from it."
"But now, having gone through that, I cannot imagine any woman being FORCED to go through what I went through. Against their will. So I’m pretty pro choice now."
tensorfascialatte
We are so sorry you had to go through that. We agree that giving birth can be harmful and traumatic, even for a wanted child, and no woman should have to go through that.
"I am currently..."
"I am currently in an OB triage hospital room waiting for a shot of methotrexate, which is considered an abortion."
"This pregnancy was so wanted. I had a miscarriage in February. I wanted this baby. But it is ectopic and it will kill me. And I am still crying so hard."
"My doctors have been amazing and caring and made this process so much easier. F*ck anyone who thinks the legal system needs to be involved here."
DuckDuckBangBang
We are so sorry you have to go through that. It’s none of the government’s business.
"Roe wasn't the start of abortions. It was the end of women dying from abortion."
badhmorrigan
We can't clap enough for this one.
"A back-alley abortion..."
"I’d rather kill myself than be forced to carry an unwanted child. A back-alley abortion would probably do the job for me, if I’m being honest. I will never allow someone - politician or otherwise - to shackle me with my own biology. I will protest against these despicable trigger laws tooth-and-nail until the day I die."
Sugar-Soul
Many women undoubtedly feel the same way.
"I think it's completely insane..."
"I think it's completely insane and infringes upon so many human rights. But I got my tubes tied back in March so I'm not really concerned for myself as much as I'm concerned for others."
evergreenessence
Empathy goes a long way. Even if you will not be affected (or as impacted), many others will be and they need our help and support.
"Get our your wallets..."
"You think our social services are overwhelmed now. Get out your wallets because there is about to be a generation of babies born where moms won't have the means to feed, clothe, and care for them."
milk2317
Sadly, this is all too true. It is a crisis in the making.
"My cousin had to terminate..."
"I had an abortion at 21 that saved my life. It was a terrifying and isolating experience, and the best decision I have ever made."
"My cousin had to terminate her pregnancy in the second trimester due to the fact that the fetus developed without a brain. She described the care she received as what kept her alive through her grief."
"If abortion was not an option, she would have had to carry to term."
I’m sick to my stomach over this. Women, especially women of color, are going to die."
kates6666
Sadly, the statistics are on your side on this. Many women, especially women of color, are going to die, and many children will grow up impoverished.
"Scared."
"Scared. I work with survivors of sexual violence. I am a survivor myself. I, and many other folks, have had our bodily autonomy stolen from us before. To see it on a federal level is horrifying."
ParticularAd2645
It is indeed frightening and survivors of sexual violence no doubt feel victimized alll over again.
"My daughter will never have..."
"As a woman, I will be legally lesser than males because I have a womb. My daughter will never have full autonomy over her body. Intersectionally speaking, women of color and under resourced women will bear the brunt of this. Nothing will change for white women of means."
LadyOfTheOddNight
White women of means can fly wherever they wish and get an abortion there. That will never change.
"The foster care system is proof the government doesn’t care about unwanted children yet want to force more to be born. It’s all politics though guarantee if any of them ever got in a sticky situation illegal or not an abortion will be had available."
jessiealabama
The United States' welfare system is also awful and that seems to be by design.
"My wife had a miscarriage last year. Because we were well past the point of most miscarriages (not quite to the stillbirth cutoff, but not far away), we were told the odds of my wife passing the fetus on her own were slim and that surgery was the safest option."
"We were required by law to acknowledge in writing that the procedure would terminate the (dead) fetus and that it came at risk of infertility and death. Our doctor was required to tell us the developmental age of the (dead) fetus and which developmental milestones occur around that time, as well as offer us an ultrasound to see the (dead) fetus."
"We cried the entire time. We desperately wanted this child. Our doctor cried, apologizing every step of the way that we had to go through this insensitive BS on top of losing the pregnancy."
"This fetus was dead in every sense of the word but because the procedure in question is also used for abortions we had to jump through these goddamn hoops to avoid putting my wife's health at risk."
"And it's not like my state doesn't offer alternatives for nonviable fetuses, conception due to rape or incest, or instances where health is at serious risk. This WAS the alternative. If we were actually getting an elective abortion it would have been significantly more time consuming and soul-crushing. You literally have to take an online course."
"Abortion access in this country is already a joke. All this is going to do is get people killed."
broganism
This is a heartbreaking story and we are sorry that you and your wife had to go through that.
As you can see, overturning Roe v. Wade has significant consequences. While the actual opinion will not be released until the summer, it's safe to say that the United States is entering a new era and that an entirely new wave of activism has begun.
Have some thoughts of your own? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!
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