by ODETTE
This week the Supreme Court will potentially be voting on whether or not to overturn the 1973 legal ruling Roe v. Wade, which makes a person’s right to choose an abortion without excessive government restriction protected under the Constitution.
Control over bodies is where I draw the line at my typical attitude of “it is what it is”. I cannot imagine not having the choice and access to the medical procedure that truly saved my life. Yet, here we are. The majority of those in a position of power and with the influence to make decisions about people’s bodies are men– overwhelmingly old, cis, straight, white men- the patriarchy. Men that do not fear, or will likely never have to experience physical and mental abuse by way of penetrative rape, nor have they been pregnant without accessible and affordable resources. They don’t understand what it means to have their bodies be under another’s control, or to be powerless. And they are not alone in their crusade against reproductive rights – cis-het white women have also been pivotal supporters of these efforts, in a display of painful cognitive dissonance that doesn’t allow them to see the danger they are putting their own lives and bodies in.