From so many angles, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to no longer guarantee all women in the United States of America the right to a medically safe abortion was just bad. As an inclusive, diverse, PanAfrican magazine, our first objection to the decision is the resulting erosion of a human’s right to control their own density.

The argument that this is an expansion of the rights of the unborn falls flat with us. If people really felt that an unborn child was “human,” than he/she/they would be, for instance, counted in the Census. If the unborn was counted in the Census, it would have other implications from how much funding his/her/their area would get to the allocation of representatives in legislative bodies.   

Again, our major objection is the right of a human to control their own destiny, while not hurting others. From a historical point of view, we see this as another attempt to keep women in certain boxes. Some will use the example of women gaining the right to vote as an oppressive box now open.

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One of 7 Black men voted for trump. How many of those men will now face paternity lawsuits and child support hearings? 

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I choose to recall an episode of Bewitched (1964 to 1972). Though a very deeply progressive TV show, in the “A Gazebo Never Forgets” episode (1966), Samantha, the witch, goes to the bank as the mousey “Mrs. Darrin Stevens,” to obtain a loan for “her husband” for an improvement of “their” home.

The show’s writers often pointed out bigotry and hypocrisy in entertaining modes. However, in this episode, it overlooked how Samantha could have easily twitched her nose, freed herself, and got whatever she wanted. Her mother, Endora, never liked when Sam gave up her privileges as a witch, but as she often does, Sam(mantha) bowed to mortal society’s expectations of women - - expectations that favor men.

Lee Camilleri triggered this memory when she told us on Facebook, “When my husband and I went for a mortgage in 1973, the bank wouldn’t consider my salary (which was more than my husband’s) because I was of child-bearing age.” That justification is loaded with too many boxes for us to open in this small space. However, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 outlawed many of these practices.

Our second peeve is the convenient overlooking the role 15 percent of Black men played in creating this outcome. While six percent of Black women voted for trump, almost three times more Black men did. Why? These votes set trump in motion to select three of the five justices that voted to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

One of 7 Black men voted for trump. How many of those men will now face paternity lawsuits and child support hearings? How many will now face jail time or prison records for activities birthed from dealing with child support issues?  How many will say, “that B should have gotten an abortion?”

How many did not vote because some brother told them that there was no difference between a Democrat and a Republican? Said Victor Bennett on Facebook, “Teaching there is no difference is laziness because even if the differences are subtle, they have huge ramifications.”

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