In the beginning of December, the heavily right-leaning US Supreme Court heard arguments on the Mississippi law that aims to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and has the potential to completely overturn Roe v. Wade. The fact that we find ourselves, in 2021, on the verge of turning back the clock to a time before 1973 seems straight out of a dystopian movie. Unfortunately, it is not! It is a troubling reality for hundreds of thousands of American women, today. A reality that includes potentially life-changing – and, in some cases, life-threatening – implications as well as the quashing of a fundamental human right. 

There are so many disturbing facets to this historical moment. For one, Senator Susan Collins has come under fire for believing Brett Kavanaugh’s pre-Supreme Court confirmation position that Roe v. Wade is ‘settled law,’ which she claimed, at the time, resulted in her supporting his confirmation as a Supreme Court justice. Another disturbing point argued by an anti-abortion lawyer for Mississippi was that the right to an abortion is no longer necessary because ‘women have it all,’ citing Justice Amy Coney Barrett as an example of a successful woman with a career and 7 children. Most disturbing of all is the real and horrifying threat of a return to the days of back alley abortions. 

My takeaway from today is best summarized by the words of Justice Sonia Sotomayor: “Will [the US Supreme Court] survive the stench that this creates in the public perception that the Constitution and its reading are just political acts?” I am afraid that if Roe v. Wade is ultimately overturned, the credibility of our highest, and most revered, Court will be irreparably damaged. 

Furthermore, the Court has not blocked the current Texas abortion law (SB8), despite allowing further lawsuits against it to procede. 

There’s no need to wait for a decision to take action. 

• Sign the petition to Attorney General Merick Garland to keep the ERA alive: ERA petition
• Contact your representatives and tell them to support the ERA – Call to Action

What are your takeaways about what is going on?  If you’d like to drop me a line or vent via email, feel free to get in touch at [email protected].

All the best, 
Doris