Special Episode: Roe v. Wade

Welcome to BDP! I’m AMA, and today we’re airing a special episode in response to the Supreme Court ruling on June 24, 2022, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. 

The right had been granted in 1973, by way of the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, when the justices ruled that the decision of whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term was covered under the “right to privacy” clause of the 14th amendment. 

Nearly fifty years later, conservative judges appointed by Donald Trump led the court to revoke women’s right to make this choice for themselves. In response, the three liberal justices on the court wrote that the court had done grave damage to women’s equality and to its own legitimacy.

They wrote, “With sorrow — for this court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection — we dissent.”

To help make sense of this issue, we are re-airing an episode from Season 1 that looks in depth at the original Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. And to make it this episode easier to share with others, we condensed two long episodes down to just one 45 minute piece. So please, whether or not you heard it in 2020, give it a listen now, and then share it with anyone you know who may be struggling to figure out how they feel about this topic. I know it took me a lot of time researching for me to come to my own conclusions about abortion rights, so I have a lot of compassion for people who find this issue challenging. My hope is that more people will do honest-hearted, open-minded research, starting with  reading Roe v. Wade itself. But in the meantime, here’s a review of this essential text.

I want to thank my sister Lindsay again for her wisdom and for the beautiful and tender way that she approached this topic. When we recorded this episode, we could not have imagined that Roe v. Wade would actually be overturned, but since we live in a new world now, I want to close with some ways that you can take action to restore this fundamental right.

Talk to Friends and Family

Share information with the people in your life, including well-sourced articles, personal stories, and this episode of the podcast. We recommend you approach discussion openly and authentically. Helping to educate and sway minds in your community can lead to larger changes in social trends such as funding and voting behaviors. 

Volunteer on a Local Level

This week’s episode by Theresa Beauchamp and Del Ruhl was particularly inspiring to me because these two people had such different temperaments and different gifts to bring to the table. Think about what you can offer, and do something. You could volunteer to escort folks to your local abortion clinic, you could become become a talk-line advocate for people weighing their reproductive options, or you could find an abortion clinic office where you can volunteer by looking up Trust women.org. Whatever your skills are, chances are they can be helpful during this crisis. 

Protest

Look up “Reproductive Rights protest near me” and you’ll find lots of options.

-Donate to Abortion Access Funds

There has been an outpouring of donations since the overturning of Roe v Wade, but if you find yourself unable to engage directly, donations can still make a difference. People will need transportation, time off work, and cash flow to travel if and when they need an abortion. Your money can ensure they get there safely and without emptying their wallets in the process. We advise identifying an abortion fund in your area or a nearby area experiencing restricted access. The National Network of Abortion Funds can be a helpful resource in identifying these funds.  I also encourage support for Planned Parenthood, which does more than any other organization in preventing unwanted pregnancies, and Keep Our Clinics, a campaign that raises money for independent abortion clinics (which provide the majority of abortions in this country at present).

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Beyond these suggestions, we encourage you to continue to vote for and advocate for candidates and legislation defending abortion access. Elect leaders who trust women.