Reproductive Rights in the United States - Where do we go from here?

Here at Tatty Devine, we’re proud to consider ourselves campaign jewellers. Since our inception in 1999, we’ve championed human rights through our original designs and worn our hearts on our sleeves, literally. 

Fast forward to 2022 and we still consider our jewellery to be wearable works of art, through which we, and our community worldwide champions for change. From partnerships forged in the fight for women’s rights including equal pay to pro-European protest pieces and collaborations curated to inspire young women and girls, at the core of Tatty Devine, we are motivated by real change.

We were and continue to be appalled by the recent revoking of Roe VS Wade in the US. This only spurs us on in our work to challenge the policies hindering women’s rights and our partnership with global charity Equality Now continues this campaign, highlighting the importance of raising awareness around these unjust actions and actively working to change restrictive laws. 

Lady Hale, Law reformer and former President of The Supreme Court

All of us here at Tatty Devine agree wholeheartedly that reproductive rights – including the right to bear or not to bear children –  are absolutely essential to achieving gender equality.  We’re deeply saddened by the news that the US Supreme Court has overturned Roe VS Wade : a decision that invalidates anyone who can become pregnant’s legal right to an abortion.  Read on as Equality Now actively breaks down what the revoking of Roe VS Wade means for people in the US.

Enough is enough

The US Supreme Court’s  decision violates women’s autonomy and equality. No person should ever be forced to remain pregnant or give birth against their will. Full stop. 

We are outraged that in 2022 women are not trusted to make decisions about their own bodies. We are outraged that the Supreme Court of the United States has condoned forcing any woman or girl to remain pregnant against their will. We are outraged that Black women, economically vulnerable women, LGBTQI people, and other marginalized populations will be disproportionately impacted by a decision made by six people. 

Decisions about your body are yours alone

International human rights law is unequivocal: decisions about your body are yours alone, making access to abortion a fundamental human right. 

Cutting off access to abortion has nothing to do with the sanctity of life. The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is about continuing a legacy of patriarchal control over reproduction and society writ large. Curtailing reproductive rights will have a cascading effect that will leave women, girls, and marginalized genders vulnerable to a slew of other abuses and harmful practices. 

Reproductive rights and the Equal Rights Amendment 

The US constitution fails to include explicit protection from discrimination on the basis of sex or gender. Yes, you read that right. 

The United States lags behind in protecting and defending equality. The US is a global outlier when it comes to constitutional equality. Incorporating the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) would bring the country in line with the 85% of countries that include such clauses and should have shielded the right to abortion from changing political winds.

That’s why we’re standing side by side with Equality Now and organizations across the US who are pushing for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. 

Feminists unite 

The reproductive rights and justice movements are working tirelessly to ensure that all persons have access to abortion. We remain in deep solidarity as they carry this fight forward. 

If you’re in the UK, groups like Alliance for Choice continue to campaign for free, safe and legal abortion in Northern Ireland (where provision remains limited despite change in the law) and Abortion Rights UK are a national grass roots campaign working to defend and extend rights to abortion.   

For those in Europe with limited or no access to abortion, Abortion Support Network supports people who need to travel for an abortion.

Abortion resources to access and support in the US

If you seek financial or emotional support in getting an abortion, especially in states where abortion will no longer be legal, here is a list of organizations that can assist. For those who have the ability, please consider making a donation to help fund the fight for equitable abortion access:

• Abortion Access Front
• Abortion Fund of Arizona
• Abortion on Demand
• All Above All 
• ARC – Southeast 
• Arkansas Abortion Support Network
• AVOW Texas
• Center for Reproductive Rights
• Frontera Fund
• Hey Jane
• Just the Pill
• Justice Empowerment Network – South Dakota
• Kentucky Health Justice Network
• Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline
• Missouri Abortion Fund
• National Abortion Federation
• New Orleans Abortion Fund
• North Dakota WIN Fund
• Northwest Abortion Fund
• Roe Fund – Oklahoma
• Sister Song
• Utah Abortion Fund 
• We Testify 
• Yellow Hammer Fund – Alabama

Read More: 

Equality Now’s statement on the US Supreme Court's Decision to overturn Roe v. Wade - Equality Now 

The US Is Breaking International Human Rights Law With Roe Decision - Ms. Magazine 

Op-Ed: The best way to protect abortion rights? Finalize the Equal Rights Amendment 

Kate Kelly on Fighting for Abortion Access After the Overturn of Roe v. Wade 

**Notes: We recognize that the precedents that we reference in this article specifically address women and girls and use feminine pronouns, but all people, regardless of their gender identity, deserve the same level of care, dignity, and rights when seeking healthcare, including access to abortion services. 

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