The Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade case nearly a month ago, but for many people, myself included, the news hasn’t faded from my mind. The the voices of the people I talked to as soon as the news of the winning was not lost to me either.
I was on vacation in New York when the decision was made. What was meant to be a weekend quickly turned into me wearing my metaphorical reporter hat to go out into the street and ask people how they were feeling.
Short answer? Not good.
Welcome to “This Is America,” a newsletter that focuses on race, identity, and how they shape our lives. I Sara Moniuszkoa USA TODAY Health & Lifestyle reporter and author of our mental health-focused newsletter “Keep it together.”
But first, the race and justice news we’re reading:
‘An attack,’ ‘absolutely outrageous’
I talked to a many people — of different ages, races and genders — who attended a rally in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park on the Friday night of Roe’s ouster on June 24.
Some were devastated, worried and terrified. Others are energized to speak, act and fight.
Selu Sky Lark, 26, called the court’s ruling “an attack”, one that questioned their own mandate to have sex-determination surgery.
Chandra Mohanty, 67, called the news “absolutely outrageous.”
“People need to be here to protest and be offended,” the university professor said. “First I’m absolutely furious. And second, I’m devastated by this news, but it makes me absolutely want to fight and bring all my students out here to fight.”
Piglet Evans, 58, realizes that attending the protest sadly means getting rid of her old protest sign, “Keep Abortion Legal,” has suddenly become useless since since Roe’s lawsuit against Wade was dropped.
She said she was furious that the nation suddenly seemed to be fighting certain rights that many considered inviolable.
But bringing the fight back onto the streets is one way to avoid becoming a victim, Evans said.
“In the 90s, we thought we were done, we thought we won, and we gave up trying so hard, and here we are,” she said. speak. “Now, we have to go back.”
Gail Lewis, 71, said she hoped that the diverse structure of the voter turnout would make things different than in previous decades.
“The legacy of our previous work, the political movement, is reflected in the mix of people here: the number of men, the number of gays and women of different ages. And it’s a legacy that will say, ‘(Amazing) you. You don’t have us.’ “
What’s the next Roe beat?
Even a month after the decision, my colleagues and I continue to report on the consequences of the SCOTUS ruling.
My colleagues Jenna Ryu recently wrote about another component of the conversation: Americans are trying to find safe and effective ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Contrary to popular belief, emergency contraceptive pills such as Plan-B is not the solution for everyoneshe explained.
And now, I’m working on a story about the unique intersection of women in the military affected by Roe’s decision. Stay tuned for that and more. And as always, thank you for reading and subscribing!
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