May 26 2019
It was a week where women in the West felt embattled, and had to show their mettle or surrender their hardest fights.
(Too busy to read and click through all the article links? Listen to this podcast episode, for highlights on the go.)
As The World Turns
(Reproductive rights) laws aren’t forever
Just when women in America thought that access to reproductive care was the law of the land, the 46-year-old Supreme Court ruling that governs that access is now under threat from leaders and other citizens.
That ruling, Roe v. Wade, recognizes a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. The reality of implementing and upholding it on the ground isn’t as straightforward. Despite the vast majority of Americans agreeing that abortion should be made available, the moral and ethical implications of terminating a pregnancy continue to energize activists who want their extreme positions – either abortion at any stage, or no abortion ever – to prevail.There are many nuances to this debate. What happens if the pregnant woman had been a victim of rape or incest? What happens if being pregnant or carrying the baby to term is going to severely impact her health? There are many other instances where it’s not always wise for a woman to carry her unborn child to term.And so, even though this law has been around since 1973, and most women in America have gotten used to the ability to access legal abortions in this state, these laws are now being turned back. And recently, many state legislatures and governors have been passing and signing tough laws to further restrict abortions in their states. That’s why on Tuesday of this week, thousands of people took part in coordinated rallies across the United States, to protest what they see as draconian abortion laws.All this makes me wonder and reflect on the fact that, as much as we want to think that a law – any law in our respective countries – can feel settled and set in stone…these laws are created by us, fellow men and women at the end of the day, and in a democratic setting.
Sometimes these laws face threats that we don’t foresee, and require constant vigilance to ensure that what the majority of people have come to expect, and live their lives by, isn’t eroded over time.
Worldly women, contrasts in conviction
This week, there were new salvos in the battle of wills between US President Trump and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, on the need for Congress to investigate findings that were laid out in the Mueller, versus the White House’s decision not to cooperate with those investigations.
At one point, President Trump and his allies started to circulate doctored videos of Speaker Pelosi online. Either they slowed down her original video clip, or they edited segments of her speech to make her seem like she was constantly stuttering. The skills needed to alter these videos were primitive, but I believe many people who watched them could have been fooled.On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, after many valiant but unsuccessful attempts to deliver Brexit for her people, UK Prime Minister Theresa May resigned from her post this week. Her critics have been quick to point out where she went wrong, but simultaneously acknowledged that she has had a very difficult and thankless job of trying to find consensus in a sharply divided electorate. Brexit was passed by a margin of 52% to 48%. So it’s not as if it was an overwhelming majority to begin with, and finding an acceptable consensus in such a narrow margin is going to be tricky.Both women carry or have carried the weight of their country on their shoulders, all while extreme voices in their political party wish they would take bolder stands. In the case of Prime Minister May, the far right people in her party simply wanted her to leave the European Union, even if they couldn’t negotiate a good deal for the UK.
As for Speaker Pelosi, people on the far left wing of her party want to impeach the sitting president no matter what, because they believe that there already is more than enough evidence to impeach him.It’s interesting to see how these two women have had to navigate these rough leadership waters in their respective countries. Here’s my take on it so far.I see Speaker Pelosi as currently standing on the courage of her convictions. And her conviction is to be cautious, where impeachment is concerned, because she has lived through it in her past congressional life. She sees impeachment as divisive to the country, and politically imprudent right now.Conversely, Prime Minister Theresa May had to deliver an outcome – Brexit – that she didn’t inherently believe in, because initially she had voted to remain in the EU.
Could this be why Prime Minister May couldn’t prevail, while Speaker Pelosi is still holding firm? Time will tell.
Om Is Where The Heart Is
Men can tell abortion stories too
About a year ago, Nancy Leong penned a piece in the Washington Post that made the case for men to be more active in the abortion rights debate.
This idea has merit because, if there’s an unplanned pregnancy, the man is often part of that decision-making process.
If we want to share our burdens and responsibilities as parents or life partners, why not share in advocating for this particular part of the journey too?
Here’s a key excerpt from Nancy Leong’s piece:
“Urging men to share their abortion stories does not imply men should get to decide whether women have abortions. Women should have the absolute right to determine what happens to their own bodies.
But in practice, many couples decide how to handle an unplanned pregnancy together. Research by Arthur Shostak and his colleagues found that about half of women are accompanied to abortion waiting rooms by men, indicating they are involved in the process of choosing and seeking abortion care.
When women have the opportunity to choose, men also benefit.
For decades, men have benefited from the availability of safe and legal abortion. It’s time for men to start taking threats to reproductive freedom personally. To all the men who know the importance of reproductive choice from firsthand experience: If you are ready, share your abortion stories with your families, your friends and your community. “
Nancy Leong
Professor at University of Denver Sturm College of LawHarriet Tubman gets her bill..sort of
From Wikipedia, “Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some thirteen missions to rescue approximately seventy enslaved people, family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.”
Harriet Tubman made the news this week because Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin delayed plans to put her on the $20 bill till 2028.
A portrait of Andrew Jackson, America’s 7th President, is currently on the $20 bill. He has, in turn, been called a slaveowner, ethnic cleanser, and “Indian killer”. But he’s also a heroic figure to many, not least of whom is the sitting president. So the decision to replace Jackson with Tubman is filled with symbolism, for girls and women who want to see their role models in (monetary) circulation, and for Andrew Jackson fans who won’t have him erased.
But, you can’t keep an ingenious advocate down. Artist Dano Wall created a decorative stamp that superimposes Harriet Tubman’s image on top of President Jackson’s. And it’s currently out of stock on his Etsy store.
News and Views
Peace Matters is getting social
It’s time to take this #PeaceMatters show on the social media road.
Each weekday, I’ll be going live on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to share my thoughts and stories about the #PeaceMatters theme of the week.
So, follow me on your favorite social media platform.
The idea is to keep these daily shows short and sharp, and for you to join in!
In the next issue:
No firm plans yet on what I’ll cover next week. Since the week begins with Memorial Day in the US, I may use the idea of service and duty as a theme.
Till then…
Live well and lead large – Maya
(featured image by Lorie Shaull from St Paul, United States)