6 Ways to Support Reproductive Justice
Photo by Casey Reit / @reit_angle via Instagram
I am exhausted.
I have been in a brain fog since the Roe v. Wade ruling was made. Like many Americans, I felt hopeless. Defeated. Dazed and confused, wondering why as a country we are stuck in a time warp.
Perhaps it is because we have a government that does not reflect the actual population it is meant to represent. We have a Supreme Court, where 7 of the 9 justices appointed were by a party that hasn’t won the popular vote in over 2 decades, dictating exactly who gets the right to bodily autonomy, whose love is constitutional, and choosing exactly which voices get to be heard.
Perhaps it is America’s need for subjugation, a history that does not remain in the past, but is weaved into our reality, hidden by our criminal justice system and promulgated by policies disproportionately effecting those impacted by poverty and the melanin in their skin.
Regardless of what it is, it’s clear that we cannot wait for something to directly effect us to take action. We must act now, and we must do more than vote:
- Donate. Contribute to the National Abortion Fund. If you have the financial means, please donate to funds and organizations supporting those in crises.
- Support. If you are in a state where abortion is still legal, open your home to someone seeking an abortion.
- Employers. If you are an employer, how are you supporting reproductive justice not just for your employees, but the communities you operate in?
- Share. Lend your expertise and volunteer for a reproductive justice organization. Or better yet, sit on their board. Share your talents and skills, as non-profits are usually underfunded and can benefit from additional resources.
- Volunteer. Reach out to campaigns in states we need to flip. How would they benefit with your extra set of hands?
- Run for office. Be the change you wish to see. RunForOffice will give you a list of open seats in your district with a timeline of when they will be vacant. This is where you rise.
In 2020, we saw the largest mass uprising in history, but the fight isn’t over. Our fight extends beyond a black square or an interoffice memo. We cannot go back to where we were.
We will not let a court steeped in white supremacy take away our freedoms, a liberation our ancestors fought for and one we continue to fight for each day.
This is not the country my grandmother dreamt of raising three generations of her family in.
This is not the country I was taught to believe in.