Earthen Sojourner

It has been almost exactly a year to the date since the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v Wade and effectively eliminated access to abortion in many US states. The impact has been devastating. To date, there are 14 states that have restricted or no access to abortion. The chaos and confusion surrounding keeping up with the shifting landscape of laws has led to the need to travel to other states, multiple visits for health care, and a fear of criminalization for those seeking care from a state where abortion is banned.

The speed at which we have seen the negative impact demonstrates that Roe was never enough!

Last week in Iowa- some promising news as the Iowa Supreme Court deadlocked on the 6 week ban decision. This returned the status to the lower court’s previous ruling and abortion remains legal in Iowa.

We Count is tracking the consequences in states from the demise of Roe. For those who believe that individuals should be able to make decisions about their own families, these results should be unsettling.

All of this , in spite of the fact that a majority of Americans believe that abortion should be legal.

Here is a very strong quote from one of the justices in the 6 week ban case in Iowa.

The June 2022 SCOTUS decision in Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO) erased a 50-year precedent of a woman’s right to choose abortion. With one swift motion, the conservative leaning Supreme Court reversed the Roe vs Wade decision of 1973 that gave individuals the right to choose an abortion.

Many states were already facing severe restrictions to abortion access, and the impact of the SCOTUS decision was felt immediately in states with trigger bans in place. The Guttmacher Institute has estimated that 25 or 26 additional states are likely to ban or significantly restrict abortion in the next year. Since 2017, the Abortion Care Network had identified 133 independent abortion clinic closures. As of November 2022, they have confirmed 42 independent clinic closures in 2022. Most of those post Dobbs. By November 2022 there were 14 states without an abortion – providing clinic.

 The Abortion Care Network is the national association for independent community-based abortion care providers.

 It should come as no surprise that BIPOC folks, especially Black women will bear the brunt of this decision.

Most of the Black identified population of the United States lives in the south. Most of the states with severe restrictions or bans and now actual clinic closures resulting in the absence of an abortion provider are also in the south. With those 2 realities, Black women will and are now disproportionately affected by Dobbs.

We are always the canaries in the coal mine, and this is no different. When it comes to reproductive justice and the ability to manage and control our fertility and reproductive health, we have always had to fight for justice and the right to ownership of our reproductive health.

For centuries black women have been fighting for autonomy and control over their bodies against governmental and medically sanctioned authoritarianism. The fight got harder in June of this year.

This battle for BIPOC folks to control our lives and destinies is rooted in historical and systemic racist medical policies and stereotypes that predate slavery. We have been subjected to forced birthing, forced sexual intercourse, forced sterilization, medical experimentation without consent and punitive measures and criminalization as a result of the consequences resulting from those forced actions – often unplanned and/or unwanted pregnancies.

Historically, women of color and women from low-income backgrounds were among those who were discriminated against, targeted and then coerced to use Norplant or other physician controlled methods of contraception. Without knowledge or consent, BIPOC folks were sterilized and subject to experimental treatments and medications.

And it continues. Manipulative and coercive practices that encourage physician-controlled methods of contraception may be more subtle but are none the less still practiced. As recently as December of 2020 there were racist eugenics accounts of forced hysterectomies at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia.

Sadly, black women’s reproductive statistics in the US are not that great. Black women are more than 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth than women in any other race. Death rates for infants born to Black Americans with advanced degrees are higher than white Americans who did not graduate from high school. We also know that race trumps income status. Serena Williams, recants her story after the delivery of her daughter of not being listened to when she tried to relay her physical symptoms and a history of blood clots.

About 40% of the women who obtain abortions in the US are black and that’s not because we’re more promiscuous. We are not having any more sex than anyone else. We are, however, more apt to not have health insurance coverage and to not have contraceptive access in the heart of our communities. We are more apt to live in contraception deserts and less likely to have readily available comprehensive sex education.

These statistics however are not the result of black women not doing things correctly or being promiscuous or never using contraception. They are in part due to the historical and systemic injustices that are prevalent in health care. When we add in an earned distrust of the medical system, the truth and reality that black patients and black women especially are often just not listened to and their concerns regarding symptoms and pain not being taken seriously. These are a few of the reasons why the statistics are so grave and not positive for black women and without change will result in disparate outcomes for Black women post Dobbs.

At the Emma Goldman Clinic we are already seeing some of the consequences of the reversal of Roe vs Wade. Although abortion is still legal in Iowa, clients need to have a certification for an abortion at least 24 hours in advance. This means that clients will need to make 2 trips to the clinic for services. Because of closures in other states, primarily the south, women are having to travel farther. Wait times for appointments are longer as clinics close. This means that women are going to need reliable transportation, additional childcare and more time off work or school.

With the abortion desert that is being created by the Dobbs decision, there will also be a contraception desert. The abortion providing clinics are often the community clinics that are offering a wide range of reproductive health care. In addition to abortion and contraception, most are also providing STI screening and treatment, pap smears, HIV testing and gender affirming care. When these clinics close, these services that could have positive impacts on the health of Black women, are no longer available in the community and region.

The right to determine when to have children, how many to have and who to have them with is a human right based on the concept of bodily autonomy.

Despite how you might feel about the decision to have an abortion, one thing most people of color can agree on is that if we’re going to have children we want to be able to raise them in environments that are sustainable and healthy.(Environmental justice) We deserve to have and raise our children in communities that are safe and thriving.(Economic justice) BIPOC folks have the right to not have their sexuality and reproduction policed by the government or politicians. (Political and Policing justice) All of these incorporate Reproductive Justice.

It’s time for us to understand the intersections of environmental, economic, political and policing justice and how it relates to Reproductive Justice. In all of those areas we know that there are disparities for people of color.

With the reversal of Roe and a return to limited and potentially illegal abortion, Black women may find themselves in a pre 1973 position.  There are many women of color led organizations that are working to reverse the statistics and improve the reproductive lives of Black women and their families.  SisterSong and Black Mammas Matter Alliance are just a couple.

Francine Spencer Thompson is the Executor Director of the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City, Iowa. She is one of a handful of Black women that are providing leadership around the US in abortion providing clinics.

Human Rights Commission

I was honored to be awarded the Linda Severson Service Award by the City of Iowa City, Human Rights Comission in November 2022.

This award was established in 1984 in an effort to recognize outstanding contributions to human rights by an individual in a service organization. In 2011, it was renamed the Linda Severson Award in recognition of Linda’s exemplary lifelong service to the community. For those interested, here is my acceptance speech.

I am really honored to receive this award and to be counted with these other incredible nominees. I want to thank my friend Kathryn Edel for nominating me. I appreciate you.

For 35 years, I have been privileged to be a part of the Emma Goldman Clinic, an organization that has never wavered in it’s commitment to this community and to the provision of safe and accessible reproductive Healthcare to people in the Midwest and especially to those marginalized and undeserved.

It has not been easy.

Most years have been spent fighting some form of adversity. Whether it was antis, legislation, vandalism, bureaucratic challenges or just being a cash strapped not for profit.

I am so proud that the clinic will celebrate its 50th year in 2023.

We know that abortion bans and restrictions are harmful and inhumane. They will be most felt by those who are poor and rural and black and brown and unable to travel outside of a jurisdiction where abortion is banned or restricted.

This is not the Iowa I remember growing up in.  My family has been here for 6 generations- now 8 and I am disgusted at the place we have landed in regards to reproductive justice and rights.

This Friday, in Des Moines, once again, there will be a hearing convened by our governor to make decisions that should be left up to individuals and their families.

I never expected that after 35 years of service, my 3 granddaughters would have less rights than I had in the last 50 years. I just won’t settle for my work and that of my reproductive justice colleagues being in vain. We all want to leave this world a better place for those who come after us. We have an incredibly long and hard fight ahead of us.

Comprehensive reproductive health services, including abortion, are necessary to guarantee the right to life, health, privacy, and non-discrimination for all people. Access to safe abortion and contraception is critical so that my granddaughters and yours have options and don’t have to face delayed dreams and deferred destinies.

And while these extremists are trying to undermine our human rights, because we know abortion is only the gateway…..we also know that the movement to support and liberate abortion is incredibly strong.  Thank you for this award and recognition and thank you for voting.

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To see a list of previous awardees, click the link.

https://www.icgov.org/city-government/departments-and-divisions/equity-and-human-rights/human-rights-awards

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I have been MIA for a few months. Sometimes life is exhausting and it takes a heck of a lot of work to be consistent in your endeavors. I am a firm believer though that you have as many opportunities to start over as you do to not start over. And- each time it gets easier and easier.

Mondays are new beginnings for me. I rest in the confidence that in spite of the hard times, what I did or did not do or accomplish, I can start afresh with a new day/week.

Just as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, I will also have an opportunity to rise tomorrow. I am counting on the promise of a brand new mercy, every day.

and start again!

So, we all have a bit of Irish in us anyway, right? My DNA results identify me as 9% Irish. Add in Scotland and Wales and it doubles.

I always associated St. Patrick’s Day with wearing green and a bar crawl with green beer. I never really understood the background behind the holiday.

Of course I had to see what all the celebrating was about. St. Patrick’s Day is an observation of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Although he was born in England, St. Patrick is credited with taking Christianity to Ireland. In order to spread his message, they say that he used the shamrock as a symbol of the Christian church. The 3 leaves representing the Trinity- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Here are a few other things I learned.

1. The wearing of green on St. Patrick’s Day began during the 1798 Irish Rebellion, when the “wearing of the green” on lapels became regular practice.
2. St. Patrick’s Day typically falls during Lent. In Ireland, the church would forego the sacrifice of meat and booze for that day only in order to honor St. Patrick.
3. A four-leaf clover and a shamrock are not the same thing. All shamrocks are clovers, but not all clovers are shamrocks. Four–leaf clovers are associated with luck, and shamrocks have religious ties.
4. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in America. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in 1601 in a Spanish colony in Florida.
5. Wearing green can make you invisible to leprechauns.
6. Leprechauns have their own holiday on May 13.

There is still time if you haven’t gotten anything green in your wardrobe yet. Check these out!

Like the great mask debate- people are split on whether to make New Year’s Resolutions or not. We are almost a month into the New Year- if you made resolutions- are you actively working on them or have you already broken them? Did you mindlessly put sugar in your coffee (#1 Cut out sugar) or have a cocktail because the Covid news was so bad? (#2 Quit drinking)

Alot of folks I heard from just aren’t feeling into resolutions. They are not feeling the resolution vibe.

But New Years Resolutions are just one of the rituals and traditions of the season. My husband believes that you need to have a clean house, including laundry done to start the new year off “fresh”.

I read somewhere that only 29% of people were planning to make resolutions this year down from 43% last year. Every New Year’s Eve, millions of people around the globe celebrate with the hope that next year will be better than the last. Resolutions are nothing more than a pinkie promise to yourself to do something differently or better.

I can certainly understand any hesitation to commit to meaningful change through resolutions. So much uncertainty. All plans have the potential to be tentative plans. There is a collective feeling of futility and loss of control.

But here are a couple of good reasons to make resolutions:

• Making resolutions sets forth a personal challenge. It is human nature to become contented with our lot in life, and human nature to what to grow and evolve.
• Making resolutions forces us to reflect on where we are and how or what we can improve in our lives.

A couple good things happen when you make resolutions:

You Become Intentional -You made a resolution in the first place because there was some improvement in that area you wanted to see. Even if you don’t keep your resolution, you have identified an area for growth. Maybe you just need to try a different method to achieve the change/growth.

You Look Foward with hope…obviously you think things can get better if you are taking steps for them to be better. That is a hopeful optimism that is much needed right now.

I have been a lump of coal since about Sept 2020, so anything that provides a bit of inspiration, momentum or motivation could be worthwhile.

Give yourself a nudge, rather than a shove. Make your resolutions about what you will do, instead of what you won’t do. Those positive declarations serve as affirmations.

Instead of, “I won’t drink alcohol for 6 months” …. say, “I will increase my consumption of healthy liquids like water, tea, veggie & fruit smoothies.” Affirmations, in the positive are so much more powerful and will increase that positive vibration.

There is something so invigorating knowing that you can start from scratch. That you can make a pinkie promise to yourself to do better.

Resolve to be better. What is your better?

If the pandemic, has you struggling and feeling resolution reluctant, take to journaling. I have created a journal specific to the pandemic. It includes facts about previous pandemics and lots of space to include your thoughts. It is available on Amazon.