I’m sure you’re all aware of Politico’s leaked Supreme Court opinion outlining the possible and probable decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. For me, this is a continuing chapter in American history where white privileged men (and in this case, a woman) are trying to drag our country backward in terms of progress and the rights of its citizens.
There are many strong opinions on both sides of the political spectrum regarding the possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade, and rightfully so. That is our CHOICE as free Americans.
But what I’m starting to understand is this isn’t just about abortion any longer. It’s part of a much more concerning movement to return to an America where white privileged men were all-powerful and controlling in the governmental offices they worked, the communities they lived in, and the places they called home.
In her wonderfully crafted opinion piece on CNN, author and lawyer Jill Filipovic writes, “It was never just about abortion. It’s about the broader and much more radical cultural shift the reactionary American right wants: A return to traditional gender roles, with men occupying the public, economic, and political spheres; women dependent on men and at home with children; and LGBTQ people pushed back into the shadows.”
In short, the extreme right wants years of progress, and the struggles so many men and women have fought to overcome, to be erased entirely. Instead, they want America to return to the “old boys club” where white privileged men are sexist and racist with antiquated and misguided beliefs about how America’s citizens should conduct their lives.
Is that really the America we all want to live in?
We can argue all day long about abortion rights. For the record, I’m pro-choice, regardless of my Catholic upbringing. At the end of the day, NO ONE has the right to tell anyone what they can and cannot do with their body. Period.
There are situations and circumstances that a woman can experience (which white privileged men know NOTHING about) that make the availability of abortion appropriate. As long as those circumstances remain, so should Roe v. Wade.
Suppose the sexist and racist white privileged men in Washington have their way. In that case, they could control everything from who has the ability to vote and who doesn’t, what textbooks you can read, what conversations you’re allowed to have in public, and even who you can and cannot marry legally. That is not a democracy, my dear readers. That’s a dictatorship.
Please don’t have the naivety of Senator Susan Collins to believe what comes out of the mouths of both the Supreme Court and Republicans when they say one thing publicly, but act much differently behind closed doors.
Wake up America. Our very way of life, our very freedoms, are being challenged by a group of white privileged men whose goal is to make society submissive to them and their beliefs of how America should be run.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “The Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years, not just on women but on all Americans. Under this decision, our children will have less rights than their parents.”
In our society, filled with hope, promise, and opportunity, stripping the rights of American citizens is not about progress or what’s right. It’s about control by a group of individuals who has no business being in power.
