Forgive me, team. This is a long message, but I can’t stop turning this over in my head:
Since this morning's gut-wrenching ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, I’ve been distressed about the incalculable ramifications for women in this country. And I’ve been thinking a lot about the hundreds of thousands of women serving in the U.S. military. Here's why:
When you serve in the military, you don’t get to decide where you’re based. Uncle Sam tells you where to go. And a whole lot of our bases are in the American South — many in states like Texas and right here in Kentucky, whose trigger laws mean that abortion was outlawed the moment the ruling came down. And as we know all too well, our military continues to have a serious issue with sexual assault. Combined, that’s a disturbing recipe for women to get hurt, not to mention a possible readiness issue ultimately affecting our national security.
Of course it’s not only the women serving our country and military spouses who will pay the price for this abhorrent reversal of rights. It’s women all across America: poor women, women of color, rural women, students, working moms — and not just women, but any person seeking, providing, or benefiting from critical abortion care.
The consequences of this ruling are as wide-reaching as they are devastating. And as this new reality sinks in, I join millions of Americans in fear, dismay, and even despair. I want you to know that I stand in solidarity with every person who is grieving these rights.
I also feel a deep and abiding anger.
The most basic, fundamental human rights — the right to privacy, the right to personal freedom over your own body — are simply assumed in America. But only if you are a man. It doesn’t get more enraging than that.
I started The American SOS Project because our democratic systems are in grave danger. The threat of Donald Trump subverting the will of American voters to reinstall himself in the Oval Office is very real.
And right now, with this ruling, we are already seeing the effects of our weakened democracy.
This is exactly what we feared when we talk about a post-democracy America: the extremist opinions of a few all-powerful men wiping out the critical freedoms of millions of women — despite a clear majority of Americans opposing such draconian measures.
I’m not going to tell you that I have all the answers to fix this. But I will tell you that I’m ready to fight like hell.
If you’re also feeling that way right now, I hope you’ll consider supporting the folks on the frontlines of this crisis. Make a donation to the National Network of Abortion Funds right now.
The National Network of Abortion Funds isn’t a political organization — it’s a group of independent funds all across the country that are solely devoted to removing the financial and logistical barriers to abortion care that far too many women face. Their work is more important today than ever before, and donating to them right now will help address the very real, tangible needs in our communities.
The truth is, this battle needs to be waged on multiple fronts: We need to directly help people get the safe health care they need, and we also need to prevent our democracy from sliding into oblivion when the November elections come along. Stay tuned to the work The American SOS Project is doing. We must put a stop to exactly the kind of undemocratic politics that led to today.
We’re all in this together, for the sake of our country, our freedoms, and our democracy. And you know me — I’m not giving up.
Thank you for fighting alongside me.
Amy
