Second wave feminism was never a single-issue movement. It called for free and accessible abortion along with quality child care and equal pay for equal work. It exposed society's violence as it pulled back the curtain on domestic abuse and date rape. Shui-yin Sharon Yam reminds us that the Roe v. Wade decision, which asserted that medical personnel can aid the pregnant person seeking abortion, will soon be overturned by the Supreme Court. She discusses how we can best defend the bodily autonomy of pregnant people in this new era.—The editors
Criminalization does increase the risk of physical harm. But that is basically a consumer protection argument: It’s not safe enough. The fact is that whether anyone ever climbed on an abortion table or not, the message of criminalization to all people who can get pregnant is: You don’t have dominion over your own body, you are always vulnerable, always in danger of being surveilled. You are vulnerable not only because the law makes behavior a crime and you can be punished for committing a crime.
The failure to appreciate danger, or the refusal to take seriously the promises of the adversary, are often the result of a deficiency of imagination. We look in shock at the indoctrination - and resulting sexualization - of the young, surprised.