Roe v. Wade 38th Anniversary Round-Up

PhotobucketInstead of a What We Missed today, I thought I’d highlight a bit of the awesome coverage we’ve seen around the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade tomorrow — after all, it is Blog for Choice Day!

It’s so incredibly important to have dialogue about the current state of reproductive justice, and even more important to start mobilizing around it — in addition to their efforts to repeal health care reform this week, Republican leaders have introduced the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which would put severe (and potentially permanent) restrictions on women’s access to reproductive health care. (Take action here.) Robin Marty gives her two cents on the bill:

[W]hy is abortion the exception when it comes to taxpayer funding?  And what if the exception rule spread?  I don’t believe in many of our overseas military activities.  I don’t believe in the death penalty, or the incarceration of people on minor drug charges.  I don’t believe or agree with tax dollars being spent on faith-based initiatives which violate the constitutional statute of separating church and state.  My tax dollars fund all of these things — I don’t receive a check off list of things that I do and don’t want to let my money go to.

We fund things we may not agree with because we are not just a land full of individuals, but a country that works together.  We occasionally support things we do not believe in because other people do the same for us.  We used to compromise.  We appear to have forgotten that in the last few years.

Andrew Jenkins at RH Reality Check talks about young people in the reproductive justice movement:

An unfortunate theme creeps into the mainstream reproductive rights movement: Young people are apathetic about reproductive rights. As a campus organizer, I have found that young people are anything but apathetic. We are concerned about the issues that directly implicate our lives.  We’re ready to transgress the current political landscape on abortion. We are working to engage the reproductive justice movement in unique and cutting-edge ways, from online activism to good old campus organizing. For our visionary creativity to shine, we need to be educated. We need to be activated. We need to have a voice at the decision-making table. Our ideas need to be taken seriously.

The Center for Reproductive Rights has a great list of activists, authors and bloggers talking about what Roe means to them, including two of our contributors! Shark-Fu says (also check out her Blog for Choice Day post):

Roe matters because of all the good that follows when we trust women and when women are educated, healthy and safe from violence and oppression. I often find myself standing on the foundation of Roe in my community, working toward a world where women of color are empowered in our lives and trusted in our decisions…where our work is valued and our labor is appreciated. So, Roe matters to me because it is the starting point of my mission to make people appreciate that the safest place for a black woman’s reproductive health care decisions is in her own hands.”

Also check out Amie Newman’s great round-up at RHRC. And don’t forget to find out what events are going on in your area for the anniversary tomorrow; here’s a pretty comprehensive list. And please link to your Blog for Choice Day posts in comments!

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