“Completely nonsensical that we’re still fighting for it”, Markle says
Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and feminist social-political activist Gloria Steinem recently discussed their views on, and implications of, the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn its 1973 landmark ruling on women’s right to have abortions.
Meghan and Gloria have been friends since 2020. So, when the Supreme Court’s ruling came down, Yellin decided to moderate a conversation between the two advocates about their own reproductive choice
The conversation published in Vogue magazine also revealed what it was like before Roe v Wade from Steinem’s perspective.
Gloria Steinem’s abortion story gave Meghan chills. Steinem told the story of her own abortion, performed in London, which she said allowed her to live the life she chose.
While talking about the supreme court and what can be done, Gloria said: “It depends where the person is. If they’re living in an anti-choice state or with a state that has a majority anti-choice legislature, then working politically is very important. If they’re in a pro-choice state where the clinics are being picketed or not supported, then it’s important to protect and support those clinics. But wherever we are, we can make clear that reproductive freedom is a fundamental right like freedom of speech.”
We are the only democracy in the world that doesn’t include women in its constitution. I think we should put big billboards up in every airport where people arrive from other countries saying, “Welcome to the only democracy in the world that doesn’t include women.”
Gloria talked about how this ruling will affect the black community. “Many of the states that are banning abortion, Meghan, are also those with the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality, especially for Black women. Across the U.S., Black women are almost three times more likely than white women to die in pregnancy or childbirth, and Black infants have twice the mortality rate of white infants.”
Women of colour and especially black women are most impacted by these decisions because most of us don’t have the same access to healthcare, economic opportunity, mental health resources…the list goes on. It’s difficult to overstate what this decision is going to do to these communities.”
“Women with resources will travel to get an abortion, those without might attempt to give themselves one at tremendous risk.”
“It tells us that our physical safety doesn’t matter, and as a result that we don’t matter. But we do. Women matter.”
‘It’s also about economic justice, individual autonomy, and who we are as a society. Nobody should be forced to make a decision they do not want to make, or is unsafe, or puts their own life in jeopardy.’
