Some time ago, I came across a statement that identified our “original national sin” as white male supremacy rather than slavery.
From that broader perspective, multiple related strands of ongoing oppression become clear. Slavery was the obvious one, but genocide of indigenous peoples, anti-immigrant sentiments, and the second-class status of women flow from that same foul source.
The likely overturn of Roe v Wade throws urgent focus on the oppression of women. Books have been written on the subject, but a few comments highlight the reality of our “second-class status.” Women (excluding those of color) did not gain voting rights until 1920. Employment and wage discrimination were/are real. The Equal Rights Amendment still has not passed. Multiple religious traditions exclude women from positions of spiritual leadership. Utah ranks near last on many parameters of gender equality.
It is only a small step to understand that overturning Roe v Wade aims to “keep women in their place” rather than to affirm life. Much has been written about “pre-Roe coat hanger abortions,” the risks of childbirth, and the moral case for “choice.” Here, I simply note the profound hypocrisy of the “pro-life” and “anti-abortion” stances of those who fight against comprehensive sex education, easy and affordable access to contraception, prenatal care, paid family leave and affordable child care. Women will not go quietly back to a place where our life options and choices are limited by the inability to make decisions that profoundly affect our lives and futures — and yours.
In her book “The First Political Order,” Valerie Hudson, a former BYU professor, documents a profound data-driven correlation between the oppressed status of women in their homes (via patrilineal, clan-based societal structures) and the instability of those societies. Women’s rights are human rights. Protecting them is protecting all of us.
Ellen Brady, Millcreek
