Viewpoint: Let's find common ground on issues related to abortion
For decades, anti-abortion legislation in the U.S. has been driven by a well-funded minority. More recently, their agitating has been supercharged by judicial appointments all the way up to the Supreme Court. And now abortion access dangles precariously in the far-reaching decision recently leaked to the public in draft form, and expected in June on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
But to be clear: Poll after poll confirms that the majority of Americans support preserving access to abortion in the U.S. Just one example: a Gallup Poll from June 2021 shows 58% of us are opposed to overturning Roe v. Wade.
We write as longtime friends, colleagues and social justice allies who, with the majority of people in the U.S., believe in the fundamental freedom to decide whether and when to give birth, regardless of the circumstances behind a pregnancy.
With some optimism, we invite a broader discussion of how this fraught national conversation affects our community and how we can move forward more harmoniously and democratically.
Drawing our perspective from Sister Song, a multiethnic/multiracial reproductive justice collective, we recognize that the public health policies we vote on significantly shape people’s decisions about whether or when to become parents. Among those policies: Access to safe and lead-free housing, good health care, fresh and healthy food, high-quality and affordable childcare, and good public schools. Thus, we hope that those who may oppose abortion access will direct efforts into these quality-of-life issues, which disproportionately affect Black, indigenous, the poor and women of color.
We note that Black women, regardless of their socioeconomic status, face disproportionate problems associated with pregnancy and birth. Serena Williams’ negative birth experience is just one public example; the same hardships take place disproportionally in our community. We must do better, and we can do better together.
In our community, as in our nation, we must work together, respectfully and across perceived differences, to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and to support decisions community members make about their own bodies. While we do not anticipate finding agreement about abortion, we believe we can find common ground on many related issues.
We propose a series of commitments:
• Working with abortion opponents in a spirit of goodwill, trust and respect
• Discussing and addressing the history of harms that have shaken faith in reproductive care in some communities of color
• Doing better to ensure diverse voices are at the table when we listen to and try to address reproductive health needs in our community. This includes but is not limited to BIPOC women and men; people of faith, agnostics and atheists; people with disabilities; and people who are LGBTQIA+
• Holding conversations about the consequences of votes on public health policies on all members of our community
We invite those who consider themselves anti-abortion and “pro-life” to commit to:
• Working with those of us who advocate for reproductive justice in a spirit of goodwill, trust, and respect
• Helping us envision and bring to fruition the educational, financial, emotional, and community support necessary for empowering people to make healthy decisions about whether and when to become parents
• Working with us to establish education for young people about sexuality and reproduction that enables them to make informed decisions about their bodies.
• Working with us on improving access to high-quality and affordable childcare in our community, still in short supply
• Building on the commitment to love, care and support for all women that already exists in faith-based communities
We propose a series of think tanks at which people of diverse perspectives in our community can meet to listen, discuss, learn and collaborate meaningfully to improve communication on these issues in a way that reflects the best of our democratic values. At stake is the freedom and quality of women’s lives. What affects women affects the family. What affects the family affects us all. We invite others to join us in this crucial work for our Beloved Community.
April Lidinsky is a professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Indiana University South Bend. Charlotte Pfeifer, a retired IUSB adjunct faculty member, is a community activist.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Majority of Americans support abortion access, so find common ground.
