I know.

I’m thinking what you’re thinking about this blog post title, and that is: I WISH there was a catchier way of talking about reproductive autonomy!

Desperate attempt to make this topic a little lighter aside, my mind went numb after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24, 2022.

Our mothers, grandmothers, and ancestors fought this fight already. We shouldn’t be here.

But here we are.

All the think pieces, posts, and positions are published. I have no answers, and I wish I did. All I have is… a tired outrage. I’m a slurried mix of contrarian ickiness: Resignation yet resolve. Despair yet hope. Fear yet bliss. It depends on the day. (You know how it is. We’ve had 2 years and 8 months of enduring mental see-sawing as a national collective.)

Opening my heart to others’ stories has helped shape my point of view on this, and that is:

This is a healthcare and human rights issue.

This is about “pro-choice” vs “anti-choice.”

(Not “pro-life” vs “anti-life.” Nobody is super jazzed about getting abortions. For a serving of laughs with a side of perspective, please watch comedian Wanda Syke’s bit about this here.)

People with capacity for pregnancy have a right to their own reproductive choices.

This includes women, trans men, and nonbinary people.

In the meantime, let’s take heart knowing that a majority of us feel this way: According to pewresearch.org, “A majority of Americans disapprove of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling overturning the Roe v. Wade decision, which had guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion for nearly 50 years. Public support for legal abortion remains largely unchanged since before the decision, with 62% saying it should be legal in all or most cases.”

If you’re feeling helpless, Well+Good has a great article on what you can do to make your voice heard about the overturning of Roe v Wade.