One example of what the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs Wade means
This Saturday morning I am mostly feeling numb. Numb that the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the settled law of Roe vs Wade. Numb that, within a very short period, abortion for any reason will be made illegal in many US states. For any reason.
1 in 8 of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. 50% of those require a D&C procedure for the safety and often to save the life of the mother. That is 1 in 16 of all pregnancies where a simple procedure can save the life of a woman. Oh, and medically a miscarriage is called a spontaneous abortion, so many states will now outlaw this standard medical procedure.
Let me spell that out another way. In those states, even if you are trying to have a baby, you have a 1 in 16 chance of that pregnancy ending through miscarriage and a D&C being required. That will now be illegal.
Take that in.
Lying Judges
The cartoon above reflects the fact that each of the most recent four judges appointed to the Supreme Court was asked at their hearings what their view was on Roe vs Wade, Every single one of them said they would not overturn it.
Every single one of them was lying.
Honesty is core to my being, I cannot stand liars. I have nothing to do with them. Lie to me and I will cut you out of my life. Hmm. I think I emanate this as I don’t often come across liars, though I have met Boris Johnson once several years ago and he simply oozes dishonesty. I couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
Now, if Judges cannot be honest, then what hope is there for society?
There is always Hope
Yes, there is always hope. The history of humanity is one with countless threads of resilience weaved through it. This too shall pass, though only if enough of us step up. That begins with telling the truth, always. Politicians seem to constantly lie, that is why when someone steps forwards and speaks the truth at all times it feels like a breath of fresh air.
Last week I was on a Tortoise ThinkIn featuring Rory Stewart on the topic of “Is global order out of control?”. Rory Stewart left the Conservative Party after the leadership election that saw Boris Johnson come to power. He recently (with Alastair Campbell) called “The Rest is Politics” where they “disagree agreeably”. This has quickly become one of the very top podcasts in the UK. I believe this is because the two protagonists a) talk about the issues in-depth and from a point of knowledge, and b) are always, always honest and direct with their thoughts and opinions.
On that ThinkIn, the interviewer (and editor of Tortoise), James Harding, asked me to come on camera and give my thoughts on political leadership. I began by saying I have never voted Tory and never will, but I would vote for Rory as Prime Minister. (Yup, honest, open, and direct are part of who I am!). I then asked him if he felt that the loss of faith people in the UK have around both political discourse in general and the two main parties means that we are open to a UK “Macron Moment”, where a movement in the middle ground wipes out the hold of the historical parties and creates a new form of politics? Suffice to say this propagated some further interesting thoughts from the panellists!
The only constant in life is change, so I do believe in hope, and I also believe that we will see changes that reflects the positive in humanity. Of course, that does require more and more of us to step out of the shadows, to stop being silent, to lend our voices.
For women, and their male allies and partners, I would love to see more women talk about their own experiences with miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and abortions. Each of these seems to be the sort of thing that is not talked about, yet, taking involuntary miscarriage alone, 1 in 8 of all pregnancies end this way. Estimates are therefore that somewhere between 1 in 3 and 1 in 2 women will have a miscarriage in their lifetime. Take a look around (and this is particularly for men), and recognise how this is part of the life journey of so many women.
Only when we speak about this without stigma or embarrassment will we, as a society, begin to fully recognise and so be ready to act that abortion, like miscarriage, is a healthcare issue as well as an absolute right of women to choose.
Hope is always there, now what action will each of us take?
Today, through my numbness, I wrote and published this. For me, that is a start.