fHere at GayTucson.com, we try to keep things light-hearted and uplifting. But there is something sinister snaking its way through our country. And it needs to be talked about. On June 24th, 2022 the Supreme Court of the United States of America overturned Roe v Wade. This action undid 50 years of precedence. It also stripped reproductive rights away from over half the American population.
This decision affects so many more people than just women. This is going to affect the intersex, the non-binary, and trans populations as well. It won’t matter how you got pregnant whether it was failed contraception, consensual or not… you will be forced to give birth if you belong in one of the 30 states where abortion is banned.
That’s right, less than half our country has protections for reproductive rights.
Reproductive Rights Impacting the Community
The impact of this reversal on Roe can, theoretically, extend far beyond reproductive rights. It’s the tip of the iceberg so to speak. The overturning of this landmark decision has many in the LGBTQ community fearing. Could marriage equality be next up on the chopping block? S.C.O.T.U.S. has pushed the first domino over. As a result, the rest are now about to topple.
What’s to stop the Supreme Court from letting the individual states decide if they want to allow or ban gender-confirming healthcare? There’s a reason we are all so fearful right now.
In a concurrent statement, Justice Thomas Clarence states that he believes S.C.O.T.U.S should revisit other watershed decisions. These decisions include the 1965 ruling that married couples have a right to birth control. The 2003 decision to decriminalize gay sex. And, finally, the 2015 decision that same-sex couples have a right to marry. Thomas said in his opinion,
“We have a duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those precedents.”
This line of thinking is chilling. The time to fight for reproductive rights is now, even if you don’t have a uterus.
What You Can Do
- Contact your House of Representatives. Find out who yours are here – https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
- Contact your Senators: Find yours here – https://www.senate.gov/states/AZ/intro.htm
- Sign petitions demanding reproductive rights –
- File a complaint with the United Nations, scroll down until you see complaint procedures. Then download the form which will further instruct you on how to submit it. https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/complaint-procedure/hrc-complaint-procedure-index
- Volunteer with our local Planned Parenthood – https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-advocates-arizona
- Run for office if you can – https://ballotpedia.org/How_to_run_for_office_in_Arizona
- Nullify the law if you find yourself on a jury prosecuting women. https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-procedure/jury-nullification.html
Even if you don’t have a uterus the overturning of Roe is just the beginning for our community. Now is the time to take action.
Tony Ray Baker
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Tony Ray
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