A recently leaked draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade and open the floodgates for the governments of Republican led states to ban abortion, a right that has been protected for nearly 50 years. This has obviously led to widespread outrage and fear.
Shortly after the leak, incensed crowds began gathering around the houses of the Justices that backed the decision to protest. At the same time, fences went up around the Supreme Court Building. So far there have been no reports of violence, only some Justices feeling a bit scared, which is likely just a scintilla of the fear many women are facing across the country because of this proposed decision.
Quickly after these protestors headed out to exercise their right to protest injustice, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to increase protections for SCOTUS Justices. The Supreme Court Police Parity Act will now head to the House where it will also likely be voted through.
This rapid and decisive action perhaps shows that the Democrats, and of course the Republicans, care more about protecting their fellow elites than ensuring that women have autonomy over their own bodies. This comes as many Republican led states have already passed legislation that allows for people to sue those seeking or aiding in abortions. In 5 states there are already laws that would allow rapists and their family members to sue their victims.
However, it seems that Republicans and Democrats are more concerned that there have been vague threats on the internet (I mean I have received death threats on Twitter and I’ve never taken away a whole class of people’s rights).
In terms of the protests at the Justices’ houses there have been no reports of even threats of violence. At Brett Kavanaugh’s house there was only about a hundred people chanting in the rain at a protest organized by his neighbor. However, the side in favor of taking way women’s rights over their bodies have committed copious amounts violence.
There have been countless instances of physical violence, intimidation, vandalism, bombings, biological weapons attacks, and even numerous cases of murder by anti-choice extremists. One, such shooting happened back in 2015 when a man killed three and injured several more (One of those victims was a mother of 2, very pro-life indeed). He was at least partially fueled by the anti-abortion rhetoric calling such healthcare providers “baby killers.”
However, we rarely if ever hear about such events until they result in murder. We almost never hear about the vitriolic protests that occur outside of abortion clinics on a daily basis. This is perpetuated by corporate media and even Democratic politicians weep over imagined threats against their elite comrades, while working class women suffer and now are closer than ever to returning to the days of back-alley abortions.
To be completely fair (though I don’t know why I always feel the need to do this), the Democrats have introduced a bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022, that would create a federal protection for abortion. If passed, the law would supersede state laws and prevent medically unnecessary abortion prevention measures.
Unfortunately, the bill does not have enough support to prevent a filibuster, it may not even have the support of all Senate Democrats (big tent party baby!). It has already failed to pass numerous times. But while the Democrats may claim to care about the rights of women to control their bodies, they also care deeply about being able to profit both monetarily through campaign donations (read: bribes) and by whipping votes off of the fact that abortion is somehow still not settled law.
With almost no action by the Biden administration or the Democrat controlled Congress on any issues that substantively benefit the working class of America, heading into the midterm elections this year the Dems are likely on a crash course for a shellacking. With this SCOTUS decision though, it could give them some boost in the polls, even if they do nothing but occasionally wag their fingers at Republicans for being “such meanies.”
It is my very deep, personal hope that the people out protesting continue to do so. I hope that their numbers grow exponentially. Hell, I hope those Justices feel scared shitless, they should. The Democratic and Republican politicians that fuel or tacitly endorse it through inactions should be pissing themselves as well. Of course I would never endorse violence on this platform, so don’t misunderstand me. However that fear, the realization that we, the average people, so greatly outnumber and could so easily overwhelm those in power is often the only way meaningful change ever happens.
America needs abortion rights to be federally protected. Women’s bodily autonomy needs to be ensured. Well over half the country supports this. We need ranked-choice voting to guarantee that there are viable options other than continuing to vote for a party that just uses people’s pain and fear to fundraise. We need real democracy. We need to make the elites scared again.