The US Supreme Court’s catastrophic and heartbreaking decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has guaranteed a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion for almost 50 years, has ignited a blaze of emotions across the country. From rage and fear, to sadness and pain, many of us are still coming to terms with how to process the events of Friday, June 24. This decision reaches far beyond a medical procedure and touches every aspect of women’s lives—especially those of women of color and women struggling with poverty.
As Alex Berke writes for the Daily Beast in her opinion on Friday, “women continue to be discriminated against after they give birth and are responsible for keeping their child alive.” Workplace discrimination is unlawful, but laws against it do very little to prevent it from happening in the first place. Women forced to be pregnant and give birth could be also forced to suffer discrimination that effects their ability to provide for the child they were compelled to raise.
Read Alex’s piece here for a discussion of other ways in which this decision hobbles women’s ability to stand as equal and free citizens in this country.
