Rethinking Action
In response to the recent abortion ban in Texas, I have seen everything from disgust to elation on both the news and social media. Some people cheer the decision as one step closer to repealing Roe v Wade. Others fear that measures like these will soon be adopted in other states- a fear that isn’t unfounded, as Florida seems to be gearing up to implement similar measures.
Every time this topic comes up, I find the responses from the self-proclaimed “pro-life” crowd fascinating. The thought of abortion restrictions causes them to applaud elected officials who vow to pass them. The reason I find such responses fascinating, though, is because of what they’re rooted in.
Nothing. They’re rooted in nothing.
There are copious amounts of evidence proving that abortion restrictions do not curb the number of abortions, only the number of safe ones. That is irrefutable. That's not a personal statement; it’s a statistical one. Inaccessibility has never once equaled a drop in the numbers, and why would it? That goes against all historical precedence when it comes to outlawing something in this country. When Prohibition began in the 1920s, alcohol didn’t disappear; speakeasies were born. Laws created a new avenue for profit, which makes sense given that we live in a capitalist country. When slavery was outlawed in this country, the practice itself did not end. It morphed. The loophole in the 13th Amendment all those decades ago has manifested itself in the modern-day prison industrial complex, and it makes sense. There’s money to be made in slavery, and today it’s a multi-billion dollar industry. The simple presence of law will never equal the complete abolishment of something in this country because we find ways around laws to make a profit. Legal action without addressing the root cause of an issue will lead to that issue evolving.
Not only does history not favor the “pro-life” crowd, but as I said before, statistics are not with them. We know for a fact what reduces the thing they claim to hate so much. Comprehensive sex education and free/affordable contraceptives cause abortion rates to plummet. Proper health care is critical, as well as increasing economic security. Making abortions less necessary as opposed to less available is a proven strategy to combat the practice.
With all this said, the question remaining would seem to be: why spend time and energy on instituting laws when changing the culture around abortions and improving living conditions is demonstrated to have worked?
The thing is, I don’t have a solid answer to this. It makes zero sense to look empirical data in the face and not change how you operate accordingly, especially if this is a topic that the “pro-life” crowd seems so adamant about. There is a defined playbook for how to achieve their goals, yet they don’t seem to want to follow it. They celebrate measures that are proven to be ineffective.
The reason I even bring any of this up, though, is because I want the concept of denying evidence to do what we feel to be right to be thought about on a wider level than just the abortion debate. I want it to inspire self-reflection. Ultimately, I want it to cause people to do what the title of this piece is. I want people to rethink their actions and ask if they are doing them for themselves or others.
For example, when someone says that reparations are needed, shows the racial wealth gap, and points out examples of how they can be and have been instituted; if one’s first response to that is to deny it, that action of immediate resistance should be re-evaluated. Closing that gap would help everyone in this country overall. It would give Black Americans the disposable income to help bolster the economy. It would give them the financial freedom to invest and grow wealth themselves. Opposition to such a proposition should be looked at, and the cause of it should be determined so it can then be taken care of.
If a minority group is affected by a seismic event like last year’s George Floyd protests, and that group asks for help in the form of money or support or educating oneself… if the response to that is creating a TikTok trend, that action should be re-evaluated. The time that was spent painting one’s face could’ve been used to read a book, listen to a podcast, or watch a documentary that would give one insight into things they might never have heard of before. The choice to be performative should be looked at, and the cause of it determined so it can then be taken care of.
I believe there are millions of well-meaning people in this world that truly want to see things change for the better. With that being said, the actions taken by many of them can be everything from eschewing statistics in favor of what they think is best to wasting energy on meaningless gestures. Being able to self-reflect and change how one approaches making a change will be a key factor in determining how much change is made if any.
There’s plenty more to talk about, plenty more dots to connect, plenty more context to give. We’ll continue doing so next week at 2 PM.
