Written by Mary Hall-Williams, Y-WE Staff
History has shown that criminalizing abortion does not reduce abortions but instead increases the likelihood of unsafe and potentially life threatening abortions and we know that poor people and people of color, especially those living in rural areas, the midwest, and south will bear the brunt of this decision.
We in the Y-WE community are reeling from the impact of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade and leave the question of abortion legality up to the states.
Today we are reminded that for every injustice there are sites of resistance – sites of harm reduction and support that arise in direct response to systemic gaps and intentionally harmful policies.
- To the doctors who risked their livilihoods to provide safe abortions to people with uteruses pre Roe v Wade.
- To the grassroots organizers and volunteers who ran “illegal” networks for safe underground abortions.
- To the people who crossed state lines. Who purchased plane tickets. Who walked with and held hands in doctors offices.
- To the clergy networks who provided council and aided access to safe abortions.
- To the many that have held the intimate stories of their loved ones, neighbors, and strangers with tenderness.
We claim our rage as righteous. Our bodily autonomy as sovereign. We thank you for paving the way. Your examples remind us that power is in the people. May we recognize our heartbreak as a call to deep care.
