“Our rights:” a phrase that has marked its territory in our lives more and more with each passing year.
We have tremendous privilege when countless “political issues” never touch our front door. It’s easy to watch a protest on television or catch the end of the latest news report and feel distant from how these battles can affect you. We’ve been conditioned to compartmentalize our activism from our day-to-day. If we can post or donate and not necessarily engage in the type of fear that paralyzes us, then there’s still hope, right? The truth is that boundary we set can also be the source of our inaction.
Last Friday, more than half of our country lost what should be fundamental rights. The power of five voices broke into millions of homes. It introduced the type of fear that creates the perfect recipe for blinding anger or deep hopelessness.
From the argument at your family function to the following senseless comment in your social media doom scroll, our country has been riddled with polarizing discussion over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. More so, these conversations have destroyed the boundaries that so many of us have set.
If you’re not a woman, you know a woman. Somehow, at some point, somewhere, you are affected by this decision. That reality alone should serve as the catalyst to diminish the distance you create between “your rights” versus somebody else’s.
When we fight for the most affected, true freedom can be reached. When loss and lack of direction reign, remember to use your privilege on behalf of those who need it most. Here are a few actions you can take:
- Donate to an abortion fund: abortionfunds.org
- Pressure your local government to take legislative action to protect the right to abortion in your area.
- Volunteer your time by becoming a volunteer clinic escort. You can find clinics at abortioncarenetwork.org.