The overturning of Roe v. Wade, triggering laws that restrict access to abortion in as many as 23 states, inspired activism across Canada. On Wednesday, July 6, Alicia Sylvest spoke to her concerns to men and women on the steps of Owen Sound city hall.
“The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her well-being and dignity. It is a decision she must make for herself. When the government controls that decision for her, she is being treated as less than a full adult human responsible for her own choices.”
On September 18th, 2020, the world lost a warrior of women’s rights. The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the author of the quote above, a powerhouse mover and shaker, left an ominous feeling deep inside. We knew Roe Vs. Wade would be challenged; we knew we needed to keep the legacy of RBG intact. We did not predict the law would be overturned. With what seemed like a snap of powerful, white male fingers, the hard work of women before us was snuffed out.
We can not be silent. Our voices, your voices, must be loud and targeted where it counts. Men, we need your allyship. There is no room for acceptance nor settling. Women’s rights and bodily autonomy are in jeopardy, and these laws that regulate such will impact our children and grandchildren for years to come.
When putting my values into words, there were many moments that I cried out of both sadness and anger. It is not an easy topic to unpack. If this massive upheaval makes you feel sad and angry, allow yourselves to feel those emotions. This is a critical time for women all over the world. If my words are unsettling, allow yourselves to sit with the unsettled and absorb a few of the points I am elaborating on today.
Abortion is healthcare. It is a fundamental part of womens healthcare. We know that people have the right to healthcare, therefore people, women, have the right to abortion. Womens health MUST be prioritized above politics and opinion-based theories.
Pro Choice does not mean Pro Abortion. Noone is shouting that they want foetuses and babies to die. That’s incredibly absurd.
People are shouting that they want bodily autonomy. They want the ability to decide what happens inside their uterus’. THAT is what it means to be Pro-Choice. Is that so terrible?
The Pro Life stance baffles me. Placing laws and restrictions will not end abortion. It will only end safe abortion. I recently read that the USA sees approximately 21,000 unsafe abortion attempts with 30% of such leading to death. But, how Pro-Life are you if the lives of those 30% aren't important? What about the increase of ifanticide, femicide, and suicide that we will see with our bodies being regulated? What about the increase of stillbirths and infant death?
Men! Be an ally. We need you! We need you to take a stand. Imagine yourself walking down the street and witnessing two men fighting. Chances are high that you carry on knowing that it isn'tyour business. Now, imagine that one of the men is a woman. Do you carry on? Probably not. Maybe you intervene. You might make a call to the police. At the very least, you are most certainly thinking that this is not okay and that an attack on a woman is unacceptable.
That energy, that instinct. That is what women need from you now, globally, provincially, locally. It is very important that everyone understands that this could happen here in Canada. It IS happening in Canada on our East Coast. Abortion can not be accessed in New Brunswick. Bodily autonomy is being violated on the West Coast in the form of the forced sterilization of Indigenous women and girls. It is still happening. The last reported case was reported to have happened in 2018 to a 10 year old indigenous child in foster care.
We are not exempt, Canada. Our fight starts now. Our fight starts here. We must call out and address our Provincial Governments.
Write. Email. Call. Be loud and be heard! We can all use our voice to fight back! How will you use yours?
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
