Why This is Personal To Me:
I write my second blog in hopes that the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade (1973) would be looked upon in the future with irrelevance and a “blip” in history. I woke up to the news Friday morning of June 24th and was in absolute shambles. I had already heard that the Supreme Court was making moves toward such an unspeakable action, but my worst nightmare came true. Women’s rights were given to them in 1973 and were yanked away from them nearly 50 years later. The federal motion to make abortion legal on a federal level was “overruled”.
This affected me profoundly because I have always identified as a feminist. I watched the women in my family (most of whom helped raise me) be continually oppressed by the patriarchy at their jobs, in their marriages, and in the male-dominated world in which they tried to exist. I knew from an early age that women had to work twice as hard in the workforce to prove themselves in virtually any job that they could perform just as efficiently as the men around them. Needless to say, my heart lies with all women as well as persons with uteruses who can now no longer get abortions in their states. And the same kinds of men who sexually harrassed and demeaned the women in my family were the ones who voted to have Roe vs. Wade overturned on a federal level.
Why This Matters for Mental Health:
This matters a great deal to anyone struggling with mental health. We are already living in a period in history where we have no choice but to question our government as well as how much of our well-being it holds when it comes to our basic human rights. Nearly all of my clients are in a state of skepticism pertaining to the political climate. Regarding such issues as gun control, world policy, and trans rights to name a few, the state of the political climate takes up a great deal of my clients’ space. And to know that our federal government voted out the ruling to protect women’s abortion rights on a federal level has left many of my clients in a state of anxiety and depression.
Our mental health is dependent on us feeling safe in our environments. And by environments, I am referring to our living situations, our relationships, our financial security, and our political climates. And therapy has become political. Therapists fight every day against white supremacy, micro-aggressions, sexual repression, toxic gender norms, and ESPECIALLY misogyny. The hatred of people with uteruses has now seeped its way into federal law-making. And it needs to fucking stop.
As therapists actively seeing clients, it is no longer a choice to keep ourselves educated on current events. It is our duty as mental health professionals to stay informed of the Supreme Court votes that directly impact (and suppress) our wonderful and amazing clients and their families. Therapists have been historically taught to sit in silence and not contribute to their clients’ discussions of politics. Currently with the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, if a therapist sat back idly and allowed their clients to suffer alone while their rights are systematically taken from them, the client could feel unheard and abandoned. Which is unethical on our parts.
Instead of sitting in silence and subliminally agreeing with them with nonverbal cues, I outwardly contribute to holding space for their grief, their trauma, and their needs to be seen and heard. Regarding the monstrous overruling, I will happily stand with all of my clients with uteruses as well as anyone directly affected negatively by the federal ban on abortion.
What Can We Do?
It might feel impossible to do anything right now if you are feeling as suppressed, smothered, and swamped as I am. My first piece I want to tell anyone who has felt absolutely shocked and stunned by this ruling is to PRACTICE EXTREME SELF-CARE. Our bodies have been in maximum overdrive since March 2020 when our world was overturned. With Roe vs. Wade now overturned, our bodies are further traumatized than they have been. With extreme self-care, I am urging everyone deeply affected by this ruling to multiply whatever self-care they regularly maintain by three. Instead of one long bath a week, take three baths. If you meditate for five minutes every morning, turn it into fifteen. We have to get the oxygen masks on ourselves first before we can help someone else.
Regarding taking action, we better walk PURSE FIRST into the voting booths!! Sashay away, misogynists! Is your voter registration updated? If you are in a state where abortion is legal, reaching out to friends in states where abortion has been banned is encouraged. They need you in many ways! We can also engage in lawful protests at your nearest government building. Lastly, we can stop giving our money to establishments who do not support reproductive rights. Such companies that need to be demonetized for giving an overwhelming amount of money to politicians backing abortion bans are AT&T, Wal-Mart, CitiGroup, Exxon, and Anheuser-Busch... to name only a few.
Current states where abortion will be protected by state law are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Many companies will cover travel costs for employees who need abortions such as Disney, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Uber, Netflix, JPMorgan Chase, Starbuck’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
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