people have been trying to figure out how to nut without making babies as long as there have been people. the first recipe for abortifacients is written in cuneiform, i.e. the very first written language.
how does SCOTUS type out there needs to be an “increase the domestic supply of infants” and at no point among several different people does anyone say, “Ya know…. this is weird af. We’re weird af for this.”
so it’s safe to say we’ve reached the “infants are part of the supply chain” stage of capitalism…
I’m not at all surprised about Roe vs Wade tbh. Anyone who’s been following the situation surrounding trans and queer issues, especially the legalization of trans bodies, knew this was coming.
They built momentum, and they used it to sledgehammer all over reproductive rights, trans rights, and above all, poor people’s rights (bc let’s be honest, rich ppl will always be able to get the healthcare they need and that includes abortions etc).
too little people revolted so it felt like the time has come…All oppression is connected…
Roe vs Wade is a Supreme Court ruling made on January 22nd 1973 and is the ruling that has upheld the prevention of abortion bans across America. Abortion is a very sensitive topic, and there are many people calling for a total ban on abortion, regardless of circumstances.
Roe vs Wade found creating state regulation on abortion infringed on a woman’s right to privacy, meaning that no individual state could place a total ban on abortion. It was deemed to contradict the fourteenth amendment which states “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”.
In America they have a codified and entrenched constitution - this means it is written down and consistently referred to and is essentially a kind of “rulebook” from which all other judgements are made. The constitution is what is known as a sovereign body, this is the body with the most power (in the UK it is our Parliament). The Supreme Court is made up of 9 justices, always having an odd number so there is never a tie when making a decision. Each justice is appointed by a president and then has to be approved by the Senate to gain their seat. The Supreme Court’s job is to uphold the constitution and the laws written in it - theoretically placing them higher than the president themselves as they are the closest beings to the sovereign body. If a case is thought to be breaking the constitution it faces the Supreme Court (not every single one but I’m simplifying it) and they will deliberate and vote on whether they believe it to be unconstitutional or not and whether an amendment should be made to the constitution.
The constitution was written in the late 1700s and has been amended 27 times in the last 250 years. Arguably it is an outdated document but that’s a discussion for another time.
When the Supreme Court make a ruling it can lead to a constitutional amendment (rare) or it could set a precedent, and setting a precedent is exactly what roe vs wade has done.
So what is the leaked document?
On Monday the 2nd of May, a document was leaked from SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) detailing their apparent plans to overrule the Roe vs Wade decision. Because Roe vs Wade was not written into the constitution, it wouldn’t take more than a majority vote to overrule it and it is something that has been a threat since it was first ruled. The 7-2 majority ruling in favour of preventing states banning abortion, allowed women autonomy over their bodies, it allowed them to make the choices that were right for them and not be dictated by governments who they didn’t support. But it also created an uproar of people who thought this was wrong. Women going to planned parenthood have been screamed at and verbally abused for making this decision for themselves (not to mention that planned parenthood does more things than abortion and contraception). And no woman wants to have an abortion. A woman wants an abortion the same way an animal in a trap wants to chew off its own leg.
In the leaked document it was shown that a majority ruling of 5-4 had ruled to overturn the Roe vs Wade decision, allowing states to regulate abortions as they wish. This decision was made by the 9 justices, 6 of whom are male and 3 of whom are female. There were 4 men and 1 women who voted in favour of overruling the case and all 5 of them were appointed by republican presidents. The most recent being Neil Gorsuch who was appointed by Donald Trump.
If this document is followed through there have been 26 states who are confirmed/highly likely to place a total ban on abortion, with no exceptions or exemptions. This means that you cannot get an abortion under ANY circumstances, including rape, incest or damage to the mother. That’s right, your doctor can tell you that carrying this baby to term will kill you and you will still not be allowed an abortion. In fact, in some states you can be charged with murder and the doctor can be charged with accessory to murder if you try. These will each get you longer sentences than what the rapist would get.
The main argument against abortion is “pro-life”. They are anti abortion because they claim that the foetus has a heartbeat and therefore having an abortion is “murder”. However, these groups only place their focus on an unborn cluster of cells. They do nothing to help or raise awareness about the number of children growing up in orphanages, foster care or unstable home environments. These are children who have lives they are currently living and can feel pain, however, pro lifers choose to place their attention elsewhere and leave these children to suffer. If they were genuinely pro life, they would care about the lives of those who are actually alive, not an embryo that has barely developed gills.
Furthermore, any bans placed on abortion is unlikely to prevent abortions. Instead it will force women to travel outside of the state, it will increase the number of back alley abortions and coat hanger abortions. It will also increase the risk of infection and death in a country that already holds one of the highest maternal mortality rates.
Some current abortion laws in various states:
A Michigan judge has given a convicted sex offender joint custody of a child born to a women he raped when she was 12 years old.
Texas has already placed a ban on abortion from after 6 weeks. Some women may not even know they are pregnant by then.
In Georgia, if you miscarry you could be liable for second degree murder. This could get you 10 - 30 years in prison.
In Arkansas, rapists are allowed to sue their victims if the victim wants an abortion.
In North Carolina, consent cannot be withdrawn once sex starts.
In Ohio, using birth control such as pills, IUDs etc. that can stop the fertilised egg from implanting in the uterus is considered abortion.
Alabama already has a near-total ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. Doctors could face 99 years for providing abortions.
Some quotes from 2019 republican senators about rape:
“Rape is kind of inevitable like the weather. If it’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it.” - Clayton Williams
“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that thing down” - Todd Akin
“Rape victims should make the best of a bad situation” - Rick Santorum
“Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen.” - Richard Mourdock
“If a woman has the right to an abortion, why shouldn’t a man be free to use his superior strength to force himself on a woman? At least the rapist’s pursuit of sexual freedom doesn’t result in anyone’s death.” - Lawrence Lockamn
If the government actually cared like they claim to, they wouldn’t be regulating women’s bodies and blaming them for something that takes two people to do. They would be investing in quality sex education, more sexual health clinics and providing free contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies. But they don’t and they won’t and that is how you can tell that it is not about the baby but about having control over the woman.
This country hasn’t seen this kind of dystopian legal bullshit since Salem.
Access to almost all abortion has just been cut off for millions of people. The impact will be immediate and devastating.
The law bans abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy — before many people even know they’re pregnant. The result is that many Texans will be forced to carry pregnancies against their will.
Private individuals — including anti-abortion activists with no connection to patients — can now sue ANYONE who they believe is providing abortion or assisting someone in accessing abortion after six weeks.
This could include:
Health care workers
Clergy
Rideshare drivers
The law doesn’t just allow these lawsuits — it actively encourages private individuals to act as bounty hunters by awarding them at least $10,000 if they are successful.
This is a racial and economic justice catastrophe. Decades of racism and structural inequality within the health care system have left Black and Latinx people and anyone trying to make ends meet with few alternatives to the cruel reality that Texas politicians have created.
This is a full-scale assault on patients, our health care providers, and our support systems. This abortion ban is blatantly unconstitutional. We won’t stop fighting until it’s blocked.
If you’re pregnant, we want you to know there is a network of abortion funds and support networks that will do everything in their power to help you get the information and care you need. Go tohttp://needabortion.org to find out more, including how to contact an abortion fund.
If Roe v Wade is overturned in America, individual states will be allowed to implement their own laws on abortion. This is devastating, as it is expected that nearly half of all US states will implement harsher restrictions and that certain states will even impose a complete ban on a woman’s right to choose.
The thing that people who say they are ‘pro-life’ fail to understand is this; making abortion illegal has never and will never stop abortions from happening - it instead makes it harder for women to access the healthcare and resources they so vitally need in order for an abortion to be carried out safely. If Roe v Wade is overturned, there will be many more deaths and severe illnesses amongst women who have tried to carry out an abortion themselves as they have been denied access to healthcare. It’s not very 'pro-life’, if you ask me, to let a woman go through so much suffering and risk her life in the process. This is just one of many reasons why Roe v Wade cannot be overturned.
What you see in front of you is one of the posters for the Polish Women’s Strike created by Ola Jasionowska.
I am not sure how many of you are aware of the situation happening in Poland as I write this post. Perhaps my reach on this site is not too vast, but I want to use what I can to share this information. I don’t even know where to begin and, to my Polish sisters, if I get any information wrong, please let me know.
On October 22nd, the Polish (un)Constitutional Tribunal through its ruling (bypassing the parliamentary vote) banned abortion in cases of severe foetal defects and the ruling party is now working towards banning abortions in cases of rape. Polish government has long been under the influence of the catholic church and this influence is only growing stronger, to the point in which Poland is basically beeing ruled by the clergy it seems. The politicians outright state that giving birth to a child which will be dead in hours/days will not have any negative effects on the mother (and parents in general). One lunatic has also stated that a woman could sell the child conceived from rape. Jarosław Kaczyński, the man actually pulling the strings in the ruling party, called the people to protect the churches from the protesters. They are not going to stop now - right now they are coming for us women, tomorrow they will hunt you. They have and are already trying to pursue the GRSM people and are calling us an ideology instead of people, trying to dehumanize us.
Right now they are painting us as the offenders, calling us fascists - apparently, we are a threat to people, a threat to families and the idea of the perfect family, we are a real threat to the police (attacks on the police actually happened several times in several cities in different circumstances - sometimes in self defence, I am not going to hide that). From today onwards, the military is going to be involved. They are trying to use everything we do and say as we are this fucking angry to paint us as the monsters, and to be honest, we are sick of that.
Today is going to be the sixth day of protests, each day bringing more and more people to the streets. It is a wonderful feeling seeing people from balconies and shop windows cheering and supporting the protesters. As we walk and block the streets, people form cars cheer for us, bus drivers wave at us. However, we cannot forget the ongoing pandemic, as our beloved government is now blaming us for spreading the virus. It is telling though, when your citizens are feeling threatened more by their government, than by the pandemic. Trzeba było nas nie wkurwiać.
Thank you so much for sharing the message. If you want to support us further or get information on the ongoing protests, here are more sources in English:
I invite you all to share these on instagram and facebook. We wish to be heard and the more people know how backwards this country is, the better. TW for rape, misogyny, homophobia, incest
What you see in front of you is one of the posters for the Polish Women’s Strike created by Ola Jasionowska.
I am not sure how many of you are aware of the situation happening in Poland as I write this post. Perhaps my reach on this site is not too vast, but I want to use what I can to share this information. I don’t even know where to begin and, to my Polish sisters, if I get any information wrong, please let me know.
On October 22nd, the Polish (un)Constitutional Tribunal through its ruling (bypassing the parliamentary vote) banned abortion in cases of severe foetal defects and the ruling party is now working towards banning abortions in cases of rape. Polish government has long been under the influence of the catholic church and this influence is only growing stronger, to the point in which Poland is basically beeing ruled by the clergy it seems. The politicians outright state that giving birth to a child which will be dead in hours/days will not have any negative effects on the mother (and parents in general). One lunatic has also stated that a woman could sell the child conceived from rape. Jarosław Kaczyński, the man actually pulling the strings in the ruling party, called the people to protect the churches from the protesters. They are not going to stop now - right now they are coming for us women, tomorrow they will hunt you. They have and are already trying to pursue the GRSM people and are calling us an ideology instead of people, trying to dehumanize us.
Right now they are painting us as the offenders, calling us fascists - apparently, we are a threat to people, a threat to families and the idea of the perfect family, we are a real threat to the police (attacks on the police actually happened several times in several cities in different circumstances - sometimes in self defence, I am not going to hide that). From today onwards, the military is going to be involved. They are trying to use everything we do and say as we are this fucking angry to paint us as the monsters, and to be honest, we are sick of that.
Today is going to be the sixth day of protests, each day bringing more and more people to the streets. It is a wonderful feeling seeing people from balconies and shop windows cheering and supporting the protesters. As we walk and block the streets, people form cars cheer for us, bus drivers wave at us. However, we cannot forget the ongoing pandemic, as our beloved government is now blaming us for spreading the virus. It is telling though, when your citizens are feeling threatened more by their government, than by the pandemic. Trzeba było nas nie wkurwiać.
“These cases include pregnant women who have been arrested for falling down stairs, drinking alchol, giving birth at home, being in a ‘dangerous’ location, having HIV, experiencing a drug dependency problem, or attempting suicide,” the organization tweeted. “The majority of women subjected to pregnancy-based prosecutions are low-income women, drug-using women, and women of color.”
-fae
“Ms. Poolaw’s case is a tragedy,” NAPW said. “She has suffered the trauma of pregnancy loss, has been jailed for a year and a half during a pandemic, and was charged and convicted of a crime without basis in law or science.”
Laws like this endanger and criminalize people for being vulnerable.
