Abortion restrictions and the progressive movement
Last night, 25 white men in Alabama passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. For weeks, we’ve been watching predominately white men in Georgia, Ohio, and Alabama, pass laws that restrict women’s health care, traumatize victims, throw doctors in jail, and slap pregnant women with felony convictions if they need abortion care.
My reaction is visceral. An ancient, feel-it-in-your-bones feminine rage.
This is what dehumanizing women, trans people, people across the gender spectrum, women of color, especially Black, Latina, and Indigenous women looks like. In 2019, our bodies are still being used as tools of the ruling class.
We all have a stake in what happens next. Our movement will be intersectional or it will fail.
The patriarchy and white supremacy hurt all of us
This is the time to bear witness to how the patriarchy and white supremacy – rooted in racism, antisemitism, misogyny, transphobia, and bigotry of all forms – hurt all of us.
By taking one step back, we can see how deeply our struggles are tied together.
And, to not just remember, but to feel how our liberation is tied together. When we wake up and fight, let it be for each other because we’re interconnected.
We will all benefit from a more egalitarian society.
When women of color do better, we all do better. When queer folks do better, we all do better. When Native people do better, we all do better. When women and working people do better, we all do better. When immigrants do better, we all do better. When members of the disability community do better, we all do better…
Unless the progressive movement is committed to inclusive, intersectional politics, it will fail every test. Racial and economic justice cannot not exist without reproductive justice.
It’s only a matter of time before we have to defend Roe v. Wade. We can make meaning of this moment by building a stronger progressive movement. This means centering younger, browner, queerer, feminine and detoxified masculine voices. And sharpening the political analysis that holds us together.
Read more:
- Misogyny is a key element of white supremacy, Anti-Defamation League report finds
- When Women are the Enemy: The Intersection of Misogyny and White Supremacy
- Women are not the only ones that get abortions
- Watch: The Handmaid’s Tale
As always, I love to hear from you: kenza@takeactionminnesota.org or @kenzahadjmoussa. Connect with a TakeAction Minnesota organizer today to get involved.
