It's time to get out of the defensive crouch.
 | By Lauren Kelley Ms. Kelley is a member of the editorial board. |
The pro-choice movement has lost. |
For many supporters of reproductive rights, of which I am one, it might feel taboo or defeatist to say that out loud (or to commit it to writing, in this case). But I've come to believe that it is essential to confront this truth, and to analyze the role "our side" played in allowing us to get to this point. This point being: Roe v. Wade, which ostensibly protects abortion access up to the point of fetal viability, is a dead letter in large swaths of the country, and a conservative supermajority in the Supreme Court is considering overturning it altogether, in oral arguments this morning. |
That's not to say that the justices will overturn Roe in this case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, when that decision comes down next year. But if Roe survives this term, it is almost sure to emerge further hobbled, setting the stage for yet more challenges to Roe. Big picture, the trajectory for American abortion rights is clear: They are on the wane, especially for the most vulnerable among us. |
It's also true that there have been some reproductive rights victories in recent years — like blue states expanding access to abortion — and there is much to learn from those efforts as well. But if the leaders of the pro-choice movement can't take a cleareyed look at their mistakes, how will they ever be able to stage a robust response if and when Roe falls for good? |
That's why I was excited to work with Amy Littlefield, a well-sourced reporter who focuses on reproductive rights, on her cover story for this weekend's Sunday Review, which explores where the pro-choice movement went wrong. |
The point of her essay isn't to kick a movement when it's down — it's to take an honest look at how American reproductive rights ended up in this grim place. Yes, the pro-choice movement has had to contend with plenty of bad luck and bad actors. But in interviews with more than 50 advocates, analysts, abortion providers and legal experts, Littlefield identified several ways the big players in the movement could have proceeded differently, like focusing more on state efforts to erode abortion access and being more proactive overall. |
"I think that when you're in a defensive position it's hard to not be last-minute, you're having to play catch-up all the time," Monica Simpson, executive director of the reproductive justice group SisterSong, told Littlefield. "I wouldn't say that we're behind the mark or that we're not paying attention," Simpson said of the broader movement, "it's just when you're constantly fighting it's hard to be proactive and to think long term." |
As America enters this next phase of the fight over abortion rights, it's worth considering how the pro-choice movement's strategy ought to shift. Too many lives and livelihoods are at stake to not have that conversation. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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