Reproductive Freedom

The problem with letting people have rights is that they get used to them and react badly when you come back to take those rights away.

I’m talking of course about the June 24 Supreme Court decision that takes away women’s Constitutional right to control their own reproductive functions.

In January 2017, anticipating the coronation of Donald Trump, I wrote Warrior Woman, included on the Seasons album by the Crow Women. It’s appropriate now. My warrior woman self is enraged. I invite you to use our song in your magic and protests. A tsunami of music by pagan musicians is rising, to take form as The Red Album. More about that later in this post.

I am Warrior Woman, I am strong; the Goddess lives within me.
You are Warrior Woman, strong and true, the Goddess lives within you, too.
We are Warrior Women, we rejoice. The Goddess is our inner voice.
Strong and kind, fierce and loving; artist, teacher, healer, mother.
We are warriors, we stand tall, the Goddess is within us all.
Arm in arm we walk together, the Goddess is within us all

For more on this song, you can read my post I Am Warrior Woman and Deb’s post We Are Warrior Women. I also recommend Kellianna’s post; A Warrior in Every Woman.

Comstock rises from the grave

The decision by the right wing justices who now control the court to overturn Roe v. Wade takes women back to the bloody coathanger days, to 1873 when anti-vice activist Anthony Comstock got Congress to pass the stunningly repressive Comstock laws that made not just agents of abortion but also contraception illegal. It banned “obscene” literature and “articles of immoral use,” also sex toys or mailing any information about banned items, even in personal letters. So much for First Amendment freedom of speech or the press.

About half the states passed related laws. See lots more on Wikipedia under Comstock Law. Also see abortion history in the U.S., Roe v. Wade, and midwifery. You can get a feel for this time with the book The era of progress for reproductive freedom

The Supreme Court overturned restrictions on contraceptives in Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965, but that was only for married couples. The 1972 Eisenstadt v. Baird decision opened it to unmarried people. Then the Roe v. Wade decision proclaimed women’s right to abortion based on a right to privacy “implied” in the Constitution. It also said fetuses weren’t entitled to 14th Amendment protections. The issue then and now is when does life begin – at joining of egg and sperm, at implantation in the uterus, at birth, somewhere in between?

Roe v. Wade said the state has a “compelling interest” in protecting “potential life” at the point of viability.

An American Legacy

Before Comstock, like when the Constitution was drafted and ratified, and into the mid 1800s, abortions apparently were provided fairly routinely by midwives. In the early 1800s, methods were published on how to end an early pregnancy. Under Common Law, abortion wasn’t allowed after “quickening,” generally around 15 to 20 weeks, when fetal movement started.

After the early May leaked draft Supreme Court decision, National Public Radio reported that Benjamin Franklin produced an Americanized version of a British pamphlet of useful household information. Franklin’s version included information from a 1734 medical handbook in Virginia that included remedies for various illnesses, things people could do at home, such as “for the suppression of the courses,” meaning a missed period. It had all the best known herbal abortion and contraception agents of the time. Apparently this info was no big deal back then, but the leaked draft opinion claimed, “a right to abortion isn’t deeply rooted in the nation’s history and traditions.”

Conservative influence

By the 1860s, medical doctors (mostly male) were gaining more power and campaigning aggressively against midwives (female). Of course now many of the most fervent anti-abortion campaigners are themselves biologically incapable of being pregnant. They can cause pregnancy, and then walk away if they choose. They don’t want the woman to have that choice.

And the Red states that are so aggressive at banning abortion are also notorious for their lack of social safety net programs to help the low income women most likely to be affected by these bans, and the children they are forced to bring into the world.

Church and State

The U.S. Supreme Court, ultimate legal arbiter in this country, is dominated by right wing conservative Catholics who are issuing rulings opposed by a majority of Americans. Yes to ever more guns out on the streets, no to women’s control of their own bodies. It’s not about Constitutional originalism! It’s about patriarchy. It’s the conservative Catholic justices using their positions to impose Catholic restrictions on the rest of us.

On June 27 they ruled in favor of a Christian high school football coach who prays in the center of the field at the end of each game, surrounded by his players who supposedly are not coerced by peer pressure into participating. Would that ruling be the same if the coach was a Pagan, a Muslim, or any non-Christian? What do you think?

In states controlled by the GOP, we have blurring boundaries between politics and right wing Christianity, and subversion of democracy itself. It’s very distressing to see one of our major political parties working diligently at the state and national level to overthrow democracy.

Freedoms threatened

I think we are on the cusp of Big Brother digital surveillance and cancellation of fundamental rights like freedom of travel and freedom of speech as part of keeping women from ending unwanted pregnancies. The Comstock laws in the digital world. Once established, that repression can be turned to other areas.

For now, Pagans and Wiccans aren’t on the radar for repression in the U.S., and we’d be advised keep it that way. LBGTQ+ people can’t say the same. Their hard-won rights could be next to be cancelled, along with any right grounded in a right to privacy that isn’t specifically listed in the Constitution.

States controlled by the GOP are banning books from school libraries, and even community libraries, on grounds of obscenity – meaning about LGBT+ people and issues. That in effect says LGBT+ people are themselves obscene. But hate speech is fine.

Call to Activism

So where do we turn? Probably street protests and civil disobedience, such as helping women in Red states access surgical or medication abortion; but being mindful that those actions now carry physical and legal risks. Violent resistance? I hope not. But if gun rights count for more than women’s reproductive rights, should we be shocked and surprised if someone uses Second Amendment means to express their outrage?

Move to Canada? Nothing against Canada, but I like where I live now (fortunately a blue state). We need to stand together, not just women and our friends of alternative sexuality, not just Wiccans and Pagans, but everyone who wants to protect our country from what’s happening.

There’s also voting, a fundamental right and responsibility. It’s an election year, and democracy is seriously at risk.

If you need some energy to fuel your committment to fighting for justice, watch this powerful video of Fire, the 3rd movement of Elements by Katerina Gimon. The sheet music is here.

Voters need to closely read and follow the instructions on their ballot. In my county, where the county clerk is very supportive of voting rights, there are voter mistakes, such as failing to sign their ballot envelope, where the clerk will contact them and give them a chance to fix the problem. Other mistakes such as returning a ballot in an envelope it didn’t come with, or more than one ballot in an envelope, cannot be fixed.

In contrast, Red state legislators have passed assorted gotcha rules that will invalidate your ballot. I’m thinking around 25,000 ballots were thrown out in Texas earlier this year because of one of these requirements.

Around the country, the GOP is running candidates for local and state election offices who support Donald Trump’s ongoing Big Lie about the 2020 election and promise to rig the conducting and counting of votes to favor the GOP. That has to be stopped!

In May I attended a reproductive rights rally in response to the Supreme Court’s anticipated overturning of Roe v. Wade, now become reality. It was organized by several high school students. Participants included women, men, young, old, gay, straight, even a few anti-abortion people. As best I could tell, they were not harassed. Would they be that civil if it was their rally?

The Red Album

And then, of course, there is activism through music. As I write this, pagan musicians are joining together to create a musical response to this situation. Here’s the first draft of the working group’s mission statement.

On Friday, June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe vs Wade, reversing the ruling that constitutionally protected the right to an abortion in the United States and once more proving that government cannot give rights, only protect or remove them.

On the heels of this landmark reversal, many states enacted trigger laws curtailing or outright denying abortions for any reason.

Throughout that day and beyond, outrage bubbled up and burst forth – chants of “My body, my choice!”, howls of rage, protests, backlash of all kinds spread. It is still rippling outward.

This is but the latest curtailment of human rights. Bodily autonomy is considered one of the most basic and necessary rights in the world. The denial of a woman’s right to choose, the institution of forced pregnancy, cannot go unanswered.

They kicked a hornet’s nest.

Buzzing up from the angry hive, we bring you The Red Album. While we, the musicians who are building this project, are hurt and angry, we are also determined to give voice to the voiceless, make a rallying point in song, give our time and energy to making it clear that ALL human rights must be defended and that rulings such as the overturning of Roe cannot stand.

We’re putting our art and our money where our mouths are – all proceeds from the sale of The Red Album will support human and reproductive rights.

We’re still in the planning stages, although well underway. Keep in touch for updates!

The pagan musical community is ready to join the fight, with music as our magical tool. Music has such power to teach and inspire. See Tara’s post on Singing for Social Justice for more on the history of protest music.

Self-care for rage and grief

In summer 2020, stressed out by the presidential campaign, I created a mantra to settle myself: “All is well, I cast this spell. Peace and justice will prevail.” I’m needing it again, especially to clear my mind before bed. It works for me, even though I know it doesn’t jibe with reality. All the angry, distressed, fearful thoughts go into a mental lock box for the night. Sometimes it’s hard to keep them there.

I’ll leave you with this tune from Kiva: Empowerment.

It’s what we need now.

For more self-care ideas, check out the Aphrodite Rising posts by Molly of Crow Women