Sad, Angry and Scared

In the short period that I’ve posted a weekly blog, I’ve tried to make the premise positive and uplifting as I share my art world with y’all. In that vein, I had such a write-up planned for today. But in the wake of the confirmation that Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court on Friday, posting something in that tone feels disingenuous and negligent.

This news has felt like a formality since the leak happened a couple months ago, but the blow I’m feeling today is no less significant. I live in Texas, a trigger state, where pregnant people (particularly those of color and those who cannot afford to travel to seek an abortion) are now soon to be at a much greater risk of losing their lives due to this ruling. Doctors in Texas who perform abortions could go to prison for life.

This has never just been about removing a 50-year precedent that allowed pregnant people to choose what to do with their bodies. As someone who grew up in poverty, of course I am devastated that people without the means to care for a child will now have no choice but to bring a child into a world that often falls miserably short of supporting those for whom poverty is inescapable.

This ruling is a political act that deems the lives of millions of people as trivial compared to the ideology of six individuals (including five men) who will never feel the true impact of their hasty decision. I am outraged and saddened and scared to live in a state for which the worst of this shameful demagoguery will be felt.

I recognize that I am massively privileged to have the means to seek care outside of Texas should I need it for myself, but what kind of world are we inhabiting if that is a reassurance? I have a daughter who will grow up without the same protections I had, and it’s heartbreaking to know I’ll have to explain this all to her one day.

Most of all, my heart aches for those who will have their lives ruined by this decision. I feel helpless right now, and no action feels sufficient to quiet that feeling. I will be donating to the Lilith Fund, a nonprofit that supports Texans who need abortions, to help those most endangered by this ruling. I want to do, and say, so much more.

I encourage you to do what you can in this fight as we all mourn this terrible news.