By Gloria DULAN-Wilson
Hello All:
I recently interviewed Jennifer Klein, Director of the White House Gender Policy Council - on the eve of what would have been the 51st Anniversary of the Passing of Roe v Wade. Sadly, as everyone is painfully well aware, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, throwing women's rights into chaos, confusion and acrimony. While a whistleblower tried to warn America of the impending doom, there had been no no real indication that there was a serious plan afoot. In fact, the Supremen Court became relatively quiet for a short of period of time, so the nation relaxed, thinking it was perhaps a pernicious rumor, or a hoax of some sort.
Then suddenly, in June 2022, they overturned Roe V. Wade, using the excuse that there was nothing in the Constitution that gave women the right to abortions for unwanted pregnancies, or other traumas or illnesses.
Jennifer Klein, Director of the White House
Gender Policy Council
The world was outraged - feeling betrayed by the courts, and apparent right wing overreach to deprive women of their rights to self determination. Even with the recent overturn of the Voting Rights Act, no one had any indication that the Supreme Court was also going to go
rogue on women.
Jennifer
Klein was appointed to the position when President Biden first
established the Gender Policy Council in March 2021. She has been instrumental in her role, making progress in expanding the rights in equity for women in the work place and marketplace. But, with the Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v Wade, she truly has her hands full.
On
the eve of what would have been the 51st (January 22, 2024), she was
keenly aware of the negative impact the Supreme court's decision to
reverse Roe v Wade has had on women. "The law had been on the books for over 50 years,
giving American women the Constitutional right to make decisions about their bodies,
but has been dramatically and tragically reversed, curtailing women's
rights to have power over their own bodies; whether or not to have an
abortion or to carry a child to full term; or to have access to health
care in
situations of rape, incest, illness, miscarriages. The reversal of this
constitutional right now means threats to the life
and sanity of women throughout the US - even in states that still allow
women to choose.'
American Women be warned, this is how the Supreme Court and the Repuglycons see you!
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In 2022, when
I first wrote about the edict, it was a fresh
wound, leaving many women incredulous, stunned, and in pain. It was done in such an underhanded manner, even with the leak
that it might be happening, most felt it was a vendetta
against American women. And, coming from the Supreme Court, most couldn't
believe - given their responsibility to protect the rights of Americans - that such a thing was even possible.
Needless to say, this, along with other decisions handed down by the Supreme Court, faith, trust and confidence has been quickly eroding. Many American voters found it hard to believe the Supreme Court could be so
insensitive to the rights and needs of women -- who make up at least 50%
of the population of the US.
American
women of all ages, race, education or economic levels came together to
show their solidarity for each other, and their own personal rights, by
voting in the 2022 mid-term election for candidates who could help make
protection of women's reproductive rights federal law. Sadly, while they were able to
get the much needed majority in the senate, they failed to do so in the
House of Representatives. As a result, the supreme court and many
states have now doubled down even moreso, making it even more difficult for women
to obtain the necessary birth control, clinical abortions, and
medical/surgical care in times of crises.
Having
seen her on many press conferences on YouTube, and C-SPAN, I must say
that Jen Klein is grace under fire - even with increasing numbers of
maga states falling in line with the draconian laws that have usurped
women's rights. She appears to be adept at managing madness.
When I asked her if anybody had any
indication that the Supreme Court was going to go rogue on women, she responded:
"I
think that everybody was very - disturbed is not even a strong enough
word - when the supreme court overruled Roe v. Wade, which was, as you
know we would have been marking on Monday (January 22, 2024) its 51st Anniversary of the
Supreme court decision that guaranteed a constitutional right and
reproductive freedom for women in this country. And instead, what we
are doing is marking the end of that protection. And again, what we see
across the country - which is not surprising, but very disturbing and
devastating for women across the country - their lives and their health
have been at risk because the republican officials across the country
that you see have been at risk. Republicans across the country have
taken extreme actions against women of reproductive age. There are 27
million women of reproductive age - that's one in three women in America
- of reproductive age in this country, living in states where there
are abortion bans in place. 21 states have abortion bans in place; and
in those states, we are seeing, sadly, in the headlines; and the
courageous women who are coming forward to talk about the devastating
impacts that these laws are having on their health - and, of course,
their rights!! But they're not stopping there. National/federal
republican officials have proposed - not one, not two, but three
national abortion bans. So to get to your question, yes, exactly."
In Ohio, women were able to fight that back through the power of their vote. Do you anticipate that happening in other states?
"Yes I think that's a really important point. In Ohio, most recently,
and in a number of states across the country - states like Kansas and
Michigan, and Kentucky, Montana, Vermont, California - every state where
Abortion is on the ballot - and where the reproductive freedom is a
ballot measure, like in Ohio, Americans have made their voices loud and
clear on this issue to protect reproductive freedom.
Is this something we can anticipate coming up in this year's election
across the country, because it seems that not only is the Supreme Court is
already out of line on the assault on women's right to choose in the
repuglycon party - writ large - so with this being indicated, women can
kind of follow - make sure going forward that whatever it is that they
have tried to line against them can be overturned, if they unify?
"I can't speak to the 2024 election specifically, but I can say that
what we have seen quite clearly is that abortion is a salient issue for
Americans, and it will remain so. All across the country republican
officials have adopted, or are enforcing draconian abortion bans that
literally criminalize doctors, and they're not stopping there! In
Missouri they're threatening to prosecute women themselves; in Alabama
they are attacking the right to travel to another state for medical
care; In states like Florida and Kansas they're threatening pharmacies
that are dispensing FDA approved medication.
"And as I noted, we're
sadly seeing more headlines about women who are being harmed by extreme
policies already in effect, while republicans in Congress
continue to double down on more punitive measures. And that's why this
administration - President Biden and Vice President Harris - and all of
us - I lead the Gender Policy the President created in 2021 - and he
also asked me to lead the administation-wide effort when Roe V. Wade was
overturned to make sure that we're doing everything we can to ensure
that women have the help they need and also to continue to fight for
what the President said very early on - you know just hours after the
decision came down and in Dobbs had overturned Roe v. Wade
"What
we need to do is fight for federal legislation that will restore what
the supreme court took out - that we had in Roe - and that as soon as he
has that bill as part of his legislation in front of him he will sign
it into federal law. The problem is while we're
trying to get that in front of him, we are having problems with Roe v
Wade I think the answer is in the importance that this issue has to the
American people. I think that - as we were just talking about - every
time Americans have the choice - the opportunity to make their
voices heard on this issue - and that's been in the most valid
initiatives. It's also been in special elections all around the
country. We even saw a supreme court election in Wisconsin turn on this
issue. People are very clear that they want the people who represent
them to speak loudly and to take action. And that's why we're going to
continue to remain focused on this; and we're doing everything we can in
the administration!
"The President has issued three executive orders and
a Presidential Memorandum to protect access to contraception and to
protect abortion; to protect patient's privacy - to protect their
personal safety and security when you have the access to services; the
ability to travel for medical care; and to partner with state leaders
when you can - they sat really on the front lines of protecting you -
protective care and protective freedom; and, at the same time remain
focused on working with congress to pass federal legislation; and
because as we know - having a patchwork is creating laws across the
country, allowing states to be able to enact these extreme laws, and
it's causing chaos, as you can tell against the women and the country
and we won't clap back when Roe v Wade was overturned. A federal law -
which is something the President looks forward to signing.
On
the face of it, it's a great idea; but also, so people realize to that
they also nullify the voting rights act which was passed by Congress
nearly 50 years ago; so I'm also concerned that we have a supreme court
that really seems to be attacking its own constituents.
The
other thing I wanted to ask is how is it that people seem to know
someone is going from their state to another state today to get
assistance they can't get in their home state. Are they putting up a
big sign saying "Well, I can't get this in Alabama, so I guess I'm going
to go to so and so instead?" I mean, isn't there something that we can
teach the women to do or not do so that they don't put themselves at
risk legally in their home state when they do need this kind of
assistance?
Yeah, and there are
really strong organizations across the country - nonprofits
and others who do just that. And they are doing heroic work to make sure
that people have what they need to travel, to a different state if
that's sadly they need to do that. And we, as the administration, filed
a very strong statement of interest in litigation in Alabama to make it
clear that there is a constitutional right to travel for legal medical
care; and that we will do everything we can to make sure that women, and
anybody who needs to do that has the right to do that. And again, you
know the attorney general has spoken very clearly about that and the
President has spoken very clearly about it; you know this is a bedrock
constitutional right - as you noted - to leave your home to travel to a
differet state if you need the care; and we will do everything to make
sure that women have the ability to do that, and that their familes have
the ability to support them. But you're right: It's dangerous because
we have again to sadly return to where we started - you have these
extreme repuglycons have again started taking women's lives and their
health in their hands.
In closing my interview with Ms. Klein, I couldn't help but saying: "You're so polite. I mean I have some other words in reference to them - and it wouldn't be "republican officials." Oh really?? Let the record show that I have a totally different name for them - (repuglycons) - LOL
Addendum:
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS is currently on tour around the US on her Fight for reprouctive freedom! dealing with the overturn of Roe v Wade, criminalizing medical providers; punishing women for their right to choose. More people who may not be here, and are not attuned in what's happening real time, thought those rights would always be here. Women are having miscarriages in America. Women have gone to emergency rooms to seek health care; have been rejected because the doctors thought they would be arrested. What needs to do is to fight against laws that would criminalize women for health care and freedom to choose! Very strong anger and tears - after the Dobbs decision took away the right for women to make decisions about their own body. States that have made no acception for rape or incest. Crime of violence to their body - women don't have the right to decide what will happen to their body next. Harm to our body, our freedom and our rights. Individual denied for the health care they need."
Back to my original question: When did American women become the target for abuse, exclusion and torture?
Given the trajectory they appear to be heading in, can the overturn of women's sufferage (voting rights) be far behind, since it also is not "originally in the Constitution?"
NOW THAT YOU KNOW
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
My message to AMERICAN WOMEN: Regardless of whether we're Black, White, Brown, of all nationalities had better register to vote to make sure you have a clear margin of victory between Democrats and Repuglycons - or this and even worse is on their agenda for us.
Protest with your voice - Take action with your VOTES!!
There is no margin for error when women are facing an intended reign of terror!
Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
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| Gloria DULAN-Wilson |
