What in the Hell is Going on in Texas???

America awoke this morning to the news of an absolute tragedy and complete violation of our most sacred rights. Texas’ heinous new antiabortion law, SB8, which bans abortions at six weeks (before most people even know they’re fucking pregnant!), was allowed to take effect. 

We texted each other, awash in rage and fury. You know it’s bad when you’re so angry that you have to turn on Mary Poppins Returns to cool off, to escape the nightmare that is coming true today in Texas. 

The Supreme Court of the United States of America, supposedly a bastion of justice and constitutionality, has made its stance clear––it doesn’t care about the health, rights, or lives of anyone with a uterus. It’s a painful glimpse at the writing on the walls of the futures of American women, trans men, and non-binary people.

Not only does this law ban abortions at six weeks, a clear violation of Roe v. Wade, but it contains an even more sinister provision: it deputizes individuals, rather than state officials, to sue anyone who helps someone seeking a prohibited abortion. What’s that, you say? If I help someone in Texas have an abortion past six weeks, which basically means help someone have an abortion once they know they’re pregnant, a random person could sue me? YUP. THAT’S RIGHT. The implications for this fuckery know no bounds––literally, a rapist could sue their victim who seeks an abortion after six weeks based on this law. It leaves providers, abortion funders, advocates, and pregnant people open to the financial whims of the most fanatical, misogynistic, draconian individuals. And the Supreme Court just allowed that go to into effect.

The issue of reproductive rights in this country has always been clear: we deserve full autonomy over our bodies. It’s our choice when and how to bring life into this world. It’s our choice with whom we have sex. It’s our choice what happens to our bodies, to our health, to our futures. Ours. No one else. 

Right-wing hypocrisy abounds when it comes to matters of bodily autonomy. Those who oppose mask mandates, a basic public health policy, and the COVID-19 vaccine, literally a life-saving scientific wonder, love to hashtag #MyBodyMyChoice every chance they get. Yes, in this country, it is your choice whether or not to get vaccinated. It isyour body. By that logic, it is also every person with a uterus’ right to decide, if, how, and when they bring a child into this world. 

But, of course, that’s never been the real case for women in this country, particularly for Black and brown women. Let’s face it: this is the country that sanctioned the sterilization of Hispanic and Latina women (without their knowledge) via Operation Bootstrap. So yes, let’s be real. Roe v. Wade was never the end-all-be-all. We deserve so much more than just the legalization of abortion. We deserve full, unfettered access to abortion and the full spectrum of reproductive health care. We deserve to move through our lives without fear of sexual or physical violence. We deserve equality. We deserve liberation. We deserve so much more than this pathetic, misogynistic display from the supposed highest court in the land.

These are fucked up times, but one thing is abundantly clear––giving up now isn’t an option. Women of America, on this dark day in our nation’s history, we invite you to join us in our seething rage by putting it towards action.

What can I do, you ask? Here’s a few tangible actions:

• Read up on how we got here and what’s at stake. You can start by pre-ordering Lauren’s book, Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America, due out April 5, 2022. While you’re at it, get a copy of Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproductive, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts, You’re the Only One I’ve Told by Dr. Meera Shah, and Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom by Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay

• Put your money where your rageful mouth is. A is For made a donation to Fund Texas Choice, a nonprofit that provides travel assistance for those seeking abortion care. Join us and donate NOW to on-the-ground orgs in Texas, like the Lilith Fund, TEA Fund, Jane’s Due Process, and more. You can donate individually or make a donation to all funds here.

• Speak out about why access to safe and legal abortion is critical. Talk to your friends and family. Talk to your neighbors. Use the word ABORTION. Share why you support safe and legal abortion access on social media.

Rage on, friends. Now let’s get to work!

Ariana DeBose is an all around storyteller who you may know as #theBullet, Anita in Spielberg’s West Side Story or Alyssa in Ryan Murphy’s The Prom. A Queer Queen and an ardent believer that reproductive rights are women’s rights, women’s rights are human rights, so .... yeah. She loves ice cream, flowers and supporting strong, loud, proud nasty women.

Lauren Rankin is a freelance writer covering reproductive rights and feminist politics. Her work has been featured at the Washington Post, The Cut, Fast Company, Allure, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, SELF, Teen Vogue, and many more. She’s also served as a volunteer clinic escort at an independent abortion clinic in northern New Jersey since 2014. She lives in Boulder, Colorado. Her book, Bodies on the Line, a powerfully empathetic and impeccably researched look at abortion clinic escorting, will be released on April 5, 2022.