It happened.
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My angels! So much has changed since we last spoke! Every time I go away for longer than a weekend I miss you - espesh in times like these. On the 24th, here in Aotearoa, we celebrated Matariki - the beginning of the Māori new year. On the 24th in the “United” States, the constitutional right to get an abortion was taken away. A rollercoaster is an understatement.
Before I go any further, I want to say to those in America affected by this (i.e, everyone in some way, but primarily those who can get pregnant) I’m so fucking sorry. I’m scared for you, upset for you, but mostly, here for you - in whatever weird way I can be from the other side of the world.
As always, I’m going to take you through what I got up to this weekend, but from then on I want to use this newsy to help - in whatever way we can - make sense of this absolute nightmare, and give some ways that we can help (or at least feel more hopeful.)
So to celebrate Aotearoa’s first-ever long weekend in honour of Matariki, my flat and I packed up and headed to Lake Ōkāreka, just outside of Rotorua. We stayed in the cutest house (it belongs to one of my flattie’s relatives and was built in the 1930s) right on the lake. When we got there we put the boat in and did a little tour around the lake, Flo and I took a walk (and saw a truck that drove straight from the land into the water and became a boat), the boys caught a trout (they’ll kill me if I don’t put that in here), and we just hung out.
The next day was Matariki, (and Toms birthday), so after an early morning foggy walk around lake Tikitapu (and an early morning fish for the lads) we celebrated with mimosas and presents, and then had a relaxing day of exploring, reading, and crosswords (duh.) That evening we all went up the gondola and went night luging (a luge is like a mini downhill go-cart) and it was the SICKEST THING EVER.
On the 25th (24th in the US) I woke up to the notification that Roe V Wade had been overturned, which meant I started working - not because I felt like I had to - but because this is literally why SYSCA exists! To help people make sense of big stories like this. I sat in the little lounge with my plunger coffee to make sense of it myself before all the flatmates trickled in, and as they each got up we chatted about the news of the day. Each of them was shocked (we had a lot of great conversations with the boys about it, and it was a really educational day for us all) and it consumed our conversations for the rest of the trip really. We headed into Rotorua to see the geothermal pools (you can’t go to Rotorua and not do that eh?? I mean it’s a volcanic wonderland!!) I’ve seen them before when I was a kid, but they’re honestly AMAZING and seeing them as an adult (am I???) was just as cool!!
On Sunday we all travelled home and I got to make my bed with the new linen sheets that I’d ordered (told you I was an adult!! I even bought new pillows!!!) so I’m currently writing this for you as cozy as can be, feeling ready for the week ahead (and ready to fight!!)
I hope your weekend was as good as it could’ve been, and if you’re in Aotearoa you took the chance to reflect on the year and enjoy some good kai (food) with your whānau (family) 💘
Abortion is no longer a constitutional right in America
How and why did this happen?
Who is this affecting most?
A bit of information on abortion pills
How Aotearoa reacted
Wtf can we do to help?
Abortion is no longer a constitutional right in America
On the 24th, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion after almost 50 years. This doesn't mean that it automatically becomes illegal in all of America - it means it’s up to each individual state to decide whether they're going to ban it or not. But don’t get excited - it’s America we’re talking about - so already it’s looking like it will become illegal in about half of all states.
Abortions have already been banned in nine states, and a bunch more have trigger bans in place that will come into effect in the next few days. The New York Times are tracking where abortion is banned in real time here if you want to follow it more closely (how fucked up is it that the NYT have to have a live tracker for abortion bans?)
So people can still travel across state lines to get an abortion?
Well, yes, but think about it. With that comes a huge cost. Time off work, travel, accommodation. Many of those who need abortions simply can’t afford that - financial hardship is a huge reason for needing an abortion in the first place. For this reason, it’s not as easy as simply crossing into a new state, and it’s also why the communities who are already struggling to make ends meet in America, namely Black and Latino communities, are the ones coming out the worst off, once again. And then there’s the logistics - if you’re squeezing all of America’s abortions into half of America’s states, the clinics are going to be constantly at capacity.
If you can’t access a clinic, is there another option?
There is! There are abortion pills, and apparently only 1 in 4 women in the US know about them!
“These pills are among the reasons that we are not going back to the era of coat hangers. They can be prescribed via telemedicine and delivered via mail; allowing for the prescription of an extra dose, they are ninety-five to ninety-eight per cent effective in cases of pregnancy up to eleven weeks, which account for almost ninety per cent of all abortions in the U.S. Already, more than half of all abortions in the country are medication abortions.”
But those fuckers (certain US lawmakers) still aren’t making it easy:
“Even if it remains possible in prohibition states to order abortion pills, doing so will be unlawful. (Missouri recently proposed classifying the delivery or shipment of these pills as drug trafficking. Louisiana just passed a law that makes mailing abortion pills to a resident of the state a criminal offense, punishable by six months’ imprisonment.) In many states, to avoid breaking the law, a woman would have to drive to a state where abortion is legal, have a telemedicine consultation there, and then receive the pills in that state. Many women in Texas have opted for a riskier but easier option: to drive across the border, to Mexico, and get abortion pills from unregulated pharmacies, where pharmacists may issue incorrect advice for usage.”
Here’s a really good thread about how to get them if you need them:
Why couldn’t Joe Biden stop this? Isn’t he the president?
You’re right, he is the president! But unfortunately, this decision wassn’t up to him - it was up to the Supreme Court, who have the highest decision-making powers in the states (yep… above the president!)
The really fun thing about the Supreme Court is that there are nine members (justices) and they have lifetime tenure - so they serve for life. This is unless they resign, are impeached, or die (Ruth Bader Ginsberg was a notable justice who served until she died.)
The next fun thing about the Supreme Court is that when a member leaves - in whichever way - the President at the time gets to replace them. Unfortunately for the planet, while (content warning ) Donald Trump was president, he got to appoint 3 justices - and he made damn sure the justices he appointed were pro-life, and anti-Roe V Wade.
So, in the Supreme Court right now it’s super unbalanced - there are 6 conservatives and 3 liberals (the vote to overturn Roe V Wade was 5-4), and… you can see why things are turning to shit really.
And do they represent how the majority of Americans feel about abortion?
Well:
“Support for abortion has never been higher, with more than two-thirds of Americans in favor of retaining Roe, and fifty-seven per cent affirming a woman’s right to abortion for any reason.”
No.
Here in Aotearoa, we’ve had some things to say too:
Jacinda Ardern, our Prime Minister released a statement on Instagram, saying:
“Here in New Zealand we recently legislated to decriminalise abortion and treat it as a health rather than criminal issue.
That change was grounded in the fundamental belief that it’s a woman’s right to choose.
People are absolutely entitled to have deeply held convictions on this issue. But those personal beliefs should never rob another from making their own decisions.
To see that principle now lost in the United States feels like a loss for women everywhere.
When there are so many issues to tackle, so many challenges that face women and girls, we need progress, not to fight the same fights and move backwards.”
Meanwhile, a member of the National party posted this on Facebook:
And just while we’re on the topic:
Let's all remember this when it comes to making our next vote eh???
Anyway, WTF can we actually do to help? Well:
Here’s a HUGE doc (being updated 24/7) about all the ways you can help/ donate + any questions you might have
Here’s where you can locally donate
Show up where you can!! Here's a thread of protests!
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You should also listen to this:
Abortion rights? More like abortion wrongs - The Shit Show — open.spotify.com
Today we're explaining to you the incredibly important (and terrifying) situation in the US - the potential overturning of Roe V Wade and a backwards step for the country (and the right to choose). We explain what Roe V Wade is, what will happen if this draft decision goes through (or something similar) and how soon we could be seeing a US where it's incredibly hard to access safe abortions.
Tomorrow we'll be back with our usual news round up, but today there was nothing else I could talk about. I love you all soooo much & hope you're doing okay out there xxx
Help to feed a Kiwi kid for a week, for only $15! (Our partnership with KidsCan)
We’re Not Going Back to the Time Before Roe. We’re Going Somewhere Worse (The New Yorker)
The Study That Debunks Most Anti-Abortion Arguments (The New Yorker)
Here are the companies that will cover travel expenses for employee abortions (The New York Times)
Lizzo's Quick FIx, & Explaining DALL-E-2 (Culture Vulture)
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