My statement on Reproductive Justice and Abortion Access

I stand with millions of others for reproductive justice and abortion access.

I am incredibly disheartened and feel pain for so many that this Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade will effects. My heart is here with all of you.

The Supreme Court decision does not represent the true will of the people. As much as I am disheartened, I am not surprised. At its foundation the United States is a deeply sexist, racist and homophobic nation. This nation was built on genocide, slavery and religious domination. Inequity and injustice are ingrained into the oppressive systems that have upheld for the last few hundred years and still do today… A white led, Christian, patriarchal political system run by corporate and religious agendas creates oppressive systems like the military industrial complex, the prison industrial complex and police brutality which do not serve the people, who it is said to serve. That is you and me, all of us.

I think to Angela Davis and she reminds me that this movement for reproductive justice is part of the struggle for freedom – for all oppressed people – for all of humanity – and that we must see the intersectionality of all of these struggles. Without addressing the roots of oppressive systems and understanding their intersectionality, we will never have justice for all. To overcome these systems of oppression we must see that it all intersects and we all must to come together in this struggle to dismantle these systems at their core.

The struggle for reproductive justice is part of the greater struggle against all oppressive systems and the struggle towards equity, justice and basic human rights for all.

As we try to move forward – and we have made great strides – the oppressive systems continue to try to stifle us by taking back our victories for equity, justice and basic human rights.

The oppressors want us scrambling. They want us exhausted.

We must remember to take care of ourselves. We must remember that taking care of ourselves and healing ourselves is an act of resistance.

The oppressors want to pull us apart and render us to struggling individuals. Taking care of our communities is an act of defiance. Loving and supporting one another is a core part of the solution. Accepting one another regardless of how anyone identifies as a gender or sexual orientation is part of the healing our society needs.

Together we stand strong that each of us have the right to sovereignty of our own bodies. And in a male, hetero, white dominated society we must stand strongest that women, LGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous and all people of color receive equitable access to rights and freedoms. When we speak of access to reproductive rights we must speak of equitable access. Reproductive rights are disproportionately less accessible to Black women, to Indigenous women, to many women of color, to trans folk, and to lower income communities. A conversation about abortion access and rights without addressing equitable access, is an incomplete conversation.

Together we stand for equitable access to reproductive rights, resources and support.

I, along with millions of others, in fact the majority of people in the US, am in support of the right to abortion. Not just the right, but the access. Not just the access, but the support by society.

I must be realistic that although I stand for equity and justice for all, I can not personally fight every battle at once and still be effective in my role of dismantling systems. This would result in burnout, which is exactly what the oppressors want. That is where strategic support of the activists and organizations doing the work is instrumental.I am following the leadership and guidance of the activists and organizations that have been doing this work for decades. Particularly I am providing support to organizations and activists led by and providing support to Black and Indigenous communities that receive disproportionate access and resources.

Today I support Liberate Abortion, The Afiya Center and Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda.

This is what I know I can do, put my resources into Black, Indigenous and women of color who know this work better than me I believe the more resources and power that we can put into their hands, the more we can dismantle the systems of oppression at the core.

There is one last thing that I would like to address that I have not heard as part of the mainstream conversation… We must not forget the corruption and injustice of the pharmaceutical industry and be weary of giving them any power over our bodies and communities. We have seen what they have done for the last decades. We must break free from Big Pharma through reconnecting with our Mother Earth, who can provide us with all our medicines via the plant and animal relatives we share this home with. We must break free by embracing our communities as a source of healing and care.

By working with Earth and community we can meet all our our needs in harmony with Earth, humanity and all our plant and animal relatives.

Love,

Robin