The last few weeks have brought anger and despair to large segments of the US population, especially women:
- Mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde heightened urgency around issues of gun violence.
- The January 6 Committee hearings exposed the depth and breadth of the last administration’s conspiracy to overthrow the results of the last election in raw and gut-wrenching detail. Especially disturbing was the degree to which the plot permeated both the lowest and highest echelons of government and was characterized by real and threatened violence.
- Then this week, the Supreme Court, now packed with radically “conservative” justices has overturned two long-standing precedents of significant importance to the safety and well-being of all Americans and especially women. Specifically, a New York law that restricted concealed carry permits to those with a ‘need to carry’ was overturned, as was Roe v Wade.
Ironically, the overturn of the New York law came, literally on the same day that the Senate, after years of ignoring the issue, passed a modest but important gun safety law that expands background checks and closes the ‘boyfriend’ loophole.
As devastating as these decisions are, we MUST make our voices heard—our lives and those of our children depend on it. March, call, write, vote, donate. Remedies through state and national legislation still remain. While we must remain civil and respectful, we MUST be heard, as this is OUR future and that of OUR children and OUR democracy. If our elected officials will not listen, we must hold them accountable at the ballot box. The primaries are in progress. Do not let those on the extreme wings of the GOP even make it onto the November ballot. Then in November, vote Democratic. We will stand up for the things you value—your lives, your bodily autonomy, and our democracy.