Did The Death of Roe Vs. Wade Kill The Women's Movement Too?
Local and National Reflections on the State of Women's Agenda in the United States
The anniversary of the passage of Roe v Wade was 50 years ago January 22, 2023. Every year since that date there have been both pro-choice and anti-choice demonstrations. I observed the drop off in the rally’s participation in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, and noted that it was reflected across the country.
The energy has shifted, leaving everyone’s rights in the crosshairs. We will endeavor to explore why.
One would think that pro-choice women (and men) would be energized and out in street, mad as hell after the overturn of Roe vs. Wade on June 24, 2022. But, even in Washington, D.C., the pro-choice numbers were only in the hundreds for what was called the “Bigger Than Roe” march.
To be fair, with the Supreme Court unlikely to reverse itself and the power to toughen or loosen abortion restrictions residing in states, the Women’s March shifted its focus to the states, specifically Madison, Wisconsin, where the temperatures were subfreezing yet the numbers were in the thousands.
March for Life Draws Tens of Thousands
Meanwhile tens of thousands of energized anti-choice people marched on the mall in D.C. on the anniversary day, declaring that their win was just the beginning. With the spate of anti LBGTQ+ legislation in a several states rolling out, their anti-civil rights agenda is coming into focus. Can restricting birth control access, other healthcare options, and enforcing Christian prayer in school be far behind?
Not at all, as already evidenced with bills introduced across the country, in addition to those attempting revisionist history (aka the "anti-woke" movement especially prevalent in Florida).
Absence of the Usual Sponsors
The usual sponsors near my home in Portland, Oregon — Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, and the Bans Off Our Bodies — did not speak at the demonstration. I found the link to the event through Women’s March, who used my zip code to connect with the local demonstration in our downtown’s Pioneer Square, which approximately 100 people attended.
In Portland, Maine, with one tenth the population of Portland, Oregon, their evening march was also attended by about 100 people.
Where are feminists?
Why was the anti-choice march bigger than the pro-choice march?
I’ll attempt to address this later in this piece. There will be plenty to explore. But first, since news coverage of these events rarely goes into details of what was said, let’s listen to what the Portland organizers said, which was undoubtedly repeated in the 200+ rallies in 46 states across America.
Wanda NcNealy Steps Up — Ten Days Before the Roe Anniversary
On January 12, Wanda McNealy, event organizer for Portland, Oregon, and activist, decided to act. She also happens to work in communications as Community Engagement Manager for the YWCA, which did not host this event. Wanda tried to get a permit from the City of Portland, but was denied because the city clerk's office claimed the filing deadline had been missed, and subsequently limited standard rally parameters to bare minimums. McNealy nevertheless planned an event for Pioneer Courthouse Square.
As I said, I found the link through the Women’s March website. However, no permit meant that the rally couldn’t be amplified. Even with a small crowd of perhaps 100 people, one had to move close to hear — there was no public address and microphoned system during the speeches due to noise ordinance compliance.
I literally could not hear the speakers well enough to report fully what was said, and as of publication not all of my requests for transcripts have received reply from event organizers. With that qualified, here are some excerpts I gleaned.
Ms. McNealy started her speech with a moment of silence for all the local tribes (who she named) “and all those who have died without reproductive care.” Following that, she noted that women of color have increased levels of partner violence. This can lead to increased levels of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies.
Bigger Than Roe Heralds the Erosion of Human Rights
But the larger message is that this is Bigger than Roe.
"The government starts by taking away reproductive rights through taking away the protection of Roe vs. Wade, which has a domino effect of all other human rights. We will never stop fighting until all humans have equal access to reproductive health and peace and justice for all," said McNealy.
“Restricting access to reproductive healthcare is… (an) urgent threat to our health and agency….”
After a period of call and response, Safia McLeod-Ali spoke. McLeod-Ali is a Human Resource Specialist at NIKE, and also, in her spare time, is a noted activist and Portland community impact advocate. She reminded us that "we must be here for our sisters all over the globe," then quoted Andre Lorde:
“None of us are free until all women are free.”
“Every one of our voices is crucial. We need to send a clear message: restricting access to reproductive healthcare is an immediate and urgent threat to our health and agency over our own bodies. We must have the right to make decisions on our health with medical advice and our own values. Forced births serve to create a wider wealth gap by limiting resources to those who are vulnerable.”
“Our fire will burn bright.”
Chelsea (last name withheld) is a sexual assault survivor, and owner of a prominent photography studio. She had volunteered her photography services for the event, and was the third scheduled speaker. She declared that “our fire will burn bright.“
Ms. McNealy then led the "protestors" around the square, and in more call and response.
A Trans perspective
After the march, Luna Contreras, a local chef, spoke from the trans female perspective. She was surprised at the extent of fear and need for self-protection that accompanied being female. Passionate about human rights, she reminded us again that reproductive rights are human rights and that we are all under attack.
A woman in the crowd reminded us to vote. I later heard her fired up about possible changes to the Federal Medicare Tax and Labor Act, which governs the types of medications that can be paid for by Medicare. Some states would like to see drugs used for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, among other emergency medications not covered or banned, because they may also have abortive effects. This could lead to serious morbidity and mortality in states with strict anti-choice laws.
Recent News Developments Confirm Assault on Healthcare
We know that access to the Plan B prescription via the internet and mail is considered illegal by some conservatives, per a case currently before a Federal judge in Texas. Making healthcare a human right is now opposed by the Alt-Right in part because it includes making abortion on demand a right.
Already, LBGTQ+ rights are being taken away in many states. Taking away access to birth control and gay marriage may be next.
Where it will end?
We know that in many evangelical churche cultures, women are encouraged to stay with abusive husbands in subservient roles. Is "no fault" divorce subsequently in jeopardy?
Will women eventually be forced by tort to stay with abusive husbands because their relationship is "sanctified" by marriage--legally?
The White House released a proclamation affirming the right to marry and women’s reproductive choice, and while President Biden has issued an executive order to protect doctors and hospitals that perform abortions as part of emergency services, this doesn’t cover elective abortions. Even if Biden did create such an order, it could easily be walked back, rescinded, by a next president.
Where is everyone?
Perhaps 100 people may not be bad for ten day’s notice, but it’s a poor showing in a supposedly liberal city with 49 years in the making of a 50th Roe anniversary.
Why weren’t our women’s organizations stepping forward to organize this traditional rally months ago?
Are women in my home state of Oregon complacent because abortion is safely, and foreseeable, legal here? How does this resolve questions about low turnout and fewer rallies across the country? Are we Oregonians (and similarly liberal states) complacent because even if abortions were made illegal by national codification, the mostly white, affluent city folk could afford to go to Canada?
Because clearly, the majority of white women voted for Trump, and it was his Supreme Court appointees who were instrumental in overthrowing Roe.
So it is not a stretch to say that white women are responsible for the end of their own reproductive freedom.
Yet, we know that even in conservative states, the majority of people support the right to abortion, especially in early pregnancy. But when has the support of the majority ever influenced legislators, with any issue?
Have our far-left organizers alienated their more moderate sisters?
HYPER-CAUSISM
Are we just plain burned out and demoralized?
Is there empathy overload?
Perhaps a diffusion of responsibility wherein everyone else thought someone else would organize a rally, and too late realized it wasn’t happening? Could just keeping our women’s organizations going be taxing enough in this age of inflation, hyper-causism, and COVID?
Have being shut in, and shut out, made us complacent?
Rising Expectations and Demonstrations
And there is another possibility that might explain both the decline of liberal demonstrations and the rise of conservative ones. Typically people demand their rights when there are rising expectations that have not caught up with the reality for people. This was the case in the 1960s, where a postwar growing economy was not lifting the lower classes, and especially non-white marginalized populations.
With the conservative majority on the supreme court, conservatives sniff change in the air, but it is not coming fast enough for them.
The converse may also hold merit.
In a society where the next generation does not expect to do as well as the last, the energy for protests demanding equality will be less. These lowering of expectations create fear and resentment, however, which could give rise to authoritarian and fundamentalist impulses.
It’s the economy, stupid may have more validity than we imagine. The economy may hold the answer to our inertia making the addressing of bread and butter issues even more crucial.
Also, while Democrats have been focussed on national politics, GOP conservatives have been working on the state by state and local municipal levels; electing conservatives to legislatures, school boards, and getting conservatives on judicial benches.
There is a real divide in this country, and it is daunting to find a way to counteract that. It is also worth noting that conservative states are, by and large, poorer and less educated ones with the possible exception of Alaska and Texas — homes to epic (and endlessly funded) oil and gas interests.
Yet, as the Portland speakers emphasized, this is a global struggle encompassing people who do not have the privilege and understanding we do. We have many fronts to fight on, including economic.
We cannot give in, or give up.
What is the best approach?
I have also been thinking about approaches.
Who was more effective: Malcom X, with his fiery indictments and threats of violence, or Martin Luther King, Jr., who strove to inspire us nonviolently? Probably, there is no one answer in the short term. Martin Luther King is commemorated in a special holiday, as well as street names, but how can we measure how much real change he engendered? And where are the public elementary schools and libraries named for Malcom X?
How important is charisma? Who has it? (Please don’t say Trump!) How best can charisma owners best use it? Are we past the era of a charismatic leader? Can a collective lead us?
Europe, UK, Greenland, Latin and South America have used general strikes to make a point, and done it effectively. Has the internet and social media so fragmented us that we have we lost the will to coalesce and fight?
Thanks must go to the organizer of my local event, Wanda McNealy, and her employer the YWCA. Though YWCA wasn’t a rally sponsor, it has maintained for decades many programs supporting women suffering from domestic violence, senior and youth services, family preservation, social justice, and more--in very practical and sustained way the women's national movement would do well to emulate..
Please feel free to comment with your views (provided they are respectful).
