The Yes And of it All
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👆🏻 That's me slamming on the keyboard because it's equal parts how my brain and heart have been, and are currently, feeling.
Let me start out by saying, loud and clear, I'm here and have always been here in support of reproductive freedom and the right to choose. I wrote about my experience in relation to financial access and birth in my Sept. 2021 Monthly Connection. I'm still suuuuuper firm on the fact that no one with a uterus should be forced into carrying or having a baby if they are not ready and/or do not have enough support.
As the news has been shared over the last week about the leaked SCOTUS draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade, I have been devastated, paralyzed, and slightly numb. Then almost immediately, I have been inundated with at least 35 emails and text messages that, to me and how my body has received them, are fueled by fear. It's left me feeling icky and confused.
To state a fact, abortion is still legal in the United States, the leaked draft is not a final decision. To state an opinion, it is absolutely terrifying that we are here and those with the utmost power are sharing a draft opinion that could take away reproductive freedom across this country.
AND still (this is my practice of holding a both/and perspective), is it really the most productive use of our already limited mental and heart capacities to be using subject lines and headlines that, if not read through to their entirety, implant a story that cripple us? Is this just the world we live in now? The one where we are served searing hot fear every three seconds? Have we not learned anything over the past, IDK, decade about the ways in which fear shuts us down and tears us apart?
One of the weekly emails I get is a Love Letter by Kelly Diels. This week she writes…
"We're not independently processing info and coming to fresh conclusions; instead, we're reproducing pre-approved storylines and treating each other as stock characters and tropes. There are some lines here that we can carry forward into a richer portrait; but they're not the entire story."
-Kelly Diels
Are we to read half-stories from now on? How do we possibly navigate the noise while staying aware, accountable, and committed to the work of changing the world?
I will say it again, I whole-hearted believe in the right and access to safe and legal abortions for folks of all identities. I believe taking action and contributing to the change of society by being a co-conspirator is vital in this moment. Watch this video of Bettina Love explaining what that means.
AND I'm feeling uneasy about how all this is being distributed through our outrage-obsessed media.
Clearly, I have a lot of questions and not a lot of answers which is why I'm here sharing with you. I think it's within our direct community and closest relationships that we can learn to hone the craft of listening, critical thinking, dissecting, and then actually talking so we can find our way through to meaningful action. Elaine Welteroth recently shared that this time we are in holds…
“The need for a less reactive and more strategic response.”
-Elaine Welteroth
So for the now what?
I'm taking a deep breath.
I'm getting my email newsletter subscription under control to receive a manageable number of calls to action to my inbox.
I'm reading the article, not just the headline.
I'm bringing a trusted person into the conversation that is happening inside my brain.
I'm writing this email.
I'm reminding myself it's ok to feel all of the feelings at the same time, it's part of the process.
I'm taking another deep breath.
And I'm sending massive gratitude to you for reading and listening. I'm always open to further conversations.
Let's find more ways to hear and take care of each other.
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