As we recognize the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which was overturned this summer, All Souls member Barbara Bannon reminds us of the importance of continuing to fight for reproductive justice.
When a person’s reproductive organs are controlled by the State they are owned by the State! If we want to remain free citizens capable of making our own family planning and reproductive choices we are apparently going to have to band together and be considerably more vocal about our desire to remain free.
This isn’t just about abortion. The draconian bills and laws that are being proposed, and some already approved, in Oklahoma and across the U.S. don’t just address abortion, they address access to birth control, make criminals out of many citizens, and literally force families and individuals who can least afford it (mentally, physically and financially) go through the birthing process. This is about our civil liberties, our rights to basic freedom guaranteed through the U.S. Constitution. We can’t afford to leave it up to a few organizations to speak for us, we can not afford to lose this battle.
As open-minded citizens we have been respectful of the anti-abortion movement, we would fight for any women’s right to have access to the kind of reproductive care she, and the significant others in her life, choose. But it is becoming more and more clear that they are not respectful of our reproductive choices or for our individual rights as citizens. If there is any doubt these ‘personhood’ laws should make it clear to the citizens of this State and Country that the people proposing and supporting such laws believe a newly fertilized egg is valued above those who bring life into this world, we the women!
Barbara Bannon has recently retired as owner and principle consultant of Human Resource Investments (HRI), a consulting firm specializing in human resource management and organization development. She is the author of the book, Risky Business, Overcoming Fear and Mastering the Art of Conflict Resolution, and co-author of The Empty Desk Survival Guide. Though Barbara’s specialty is in conflict management and meditation, she also designs and instructs workshops on a variety of leadership and management topics. Barbara has been an All Souls member since 2010.
Join the fight! All Souls for Reproductive Justice meets the third Sunday of each month, in person and online at allsouls.me/asrj. For information please contact reprojustice@allsoulschurch.org.
Cover photo by Elia Pellegrini on Unsplash
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