'I can't stay silent': Roe reversal powers new generation to sign up and vote

[babylonsister]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/18/roe-v-wade-abortion-us-politics-november-midterms


‘I can’t stay silent’: Roe reversal powers new generation to sign up and vote
Huge bloc of women expected to turn out in November midterms to protect abortion rights – could it alter the election outcome?
Poppy Noor
Sun 18 Sep 2022 03.00 EDT
Last modified on Sun 18 Sep 2022 03.01 EDT


snip//

“Being in college, I hear stories all the time of women getting drugged at parties, or just walking down the street, and something unfortunate can happen,” says Koenig, a freshman at Michigan State University. “A guy can walk away, but [these abortion bans] mean the woman has to choose: ‘Do I want to give this baby up … or raise this child with no help from anybody?’ That’s a really hard decision.”

snip//

People such as Koenig threaten to be a hugely pivotal voting bloc as the midterms loom, with organizers focusing on women and young people in voter registration drives all over the country. The first hints of that bloc’s voting power came in early August, when women in Kansas came out overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights. That election saw huge turnout, with women representing 70% of newly registered voters. They ultimately protected abortion rights in a state where Donald Trump had a 15% lead in the 2020 presidential election that he lost to Joe Biden.

snip//

“Forcing a woman to have a child, it affects everything,” Koenig says. “It’s not just an issue of abortion. It’s a racial issue. It’s a women’s rights issue. And I feel like a lot of these politicians are so concerned with their power, they don’t think about how we going to support babies that are going to be born.

“If something terrible happens to me, I want to have a choice in the matter.”

[Bayard]

1. We are WOMEN

Hear us roar!

[Demsrule86]

2. In numbers to big to ignore...

[calimary]

7. Numbers WAY bigger than they were when she first sang that.

WAY bigger now.

Our very autonomy over OUR OWN BODIES is under powerful and relentless assault.

Maybe women legislators should start pushing legislation that targets the male genitals and all the impacts involved. Hey guys, how would you like it if YOUR sexuality were under the gun, the way it is for women? How would YOU like it if YOUR physical autonomy were taken away?

Taste of their own medicine. See how they like it.

[Delmette2.0]

3. Thank you.

And thank you to Helen Reddy.

[Tommymac]

6. For your listening pleasure

HEY RW Pols, Media and 1%:

NO ONE is EVER GOING TO KEEP ME DOWN AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ignore us at your peril.

(That song still brings tears to my eyes all these years later. I was alive and smacking down rw ass in Jr. High when it was on the top charts.)



On Edit adding lyrics:

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
You can bend but never break me
'Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo
With a long long way to go
Until I make my brother understand
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Oh, I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Ray Burton / Helen Reddy
I Am Woman lyrics © Buggerlugs Music Co., Irving Music, Inc.

OMG Second Edit:
I actually remember watching this episode of The Midnight Special on ABC Late Nite in 1971. Laying on the floor listening to my father grunt and complain about uppity females. He was typical of this generation, he did come around later in life.

[liberalla]

4. I'm excited there's an issue bringing young people out to register and vote.

I hope the *shock* of losing a long accepted basic right to one's own bodily autonomy ignites a long term commitment and involvement in the political process.

These new voters can really make a difference in the direction of the country, the future of which affects them more than previous generations.

I enthusiastically applaud the new wave of women voters! Stay engaged and exercise your political power!

Thank you!

[Farmer-Rick]

5. The thing with new voters

Is they don't show up in opinion polls and are usually very difficult to estimate and account for. Especially, if you are trying to rig an election that on the surface looks like a fair voting system.

[Tommymac]

8. Spot on. nt

[Farmer-Rick]

12. I was afraid folks would misinterpret what I meant

But you caught in.

[LisaM]

9. I'm pissed that they weren't there before.

Last edited Sun Sep 18, 2022, 03:00 PM - Edit history (2)

I have worked on a ton of campaigns and doggedly turned out for 99.99% of all the elections I've been eligible to vote for (the two exceptions being a community college trustee election where I wasn't familiar with the candidates and a school levy that was not properly publicized but which fortunately turned out okay).

It should not take a high profile issue to turn out voters. I am sick and tired of voters falling asleep at the switch while school boards get filled up with crazies, or being enthusiastic for Obama but not giving him a majority at mid-terms, or griping about SCOTUS but not supporting Gore during the recount. I could give more recent examples of how a lack of enthusiasm for a candidate dear to my heart tanked her candidacy, but the wounds are raw.

I guess I have to be grateful if we're thrown a bone now, but why do we have to call people saviors when some of them let this happen?

If these same people don't turn out in every election going forward, they're hypocrites.

If I sound like Bitter, Party of One, it's because I am. Higher voter turnout all along would have solved all these problems.

[betsuni]

13. Absolutely agree.

[liberalla]

17. I know what you mean and I've felt that way before - being angry and pissed when they

seemingly don't care, lose interest and disappear.

That's why I said "long term commitment and involvement" and "stay engaged" in my post.

However, I think things are different this time. They've really been jolted awake with the sudden loss of personal freedom and now they're paying attention. I believe they'll be on board to protect other rights that are being threatened by the RW.

Anyway, I appreciate your post and get your point. This moment in time just * feels * different to me. I hope I'm right.

[Sky Jewels]

10. "My brain is constantly on fire. I can't relax. I just want this election to be over."

Boy, do I relate to that feeling. I've been in a constant adrenalin-fueled fury since Dobbs came down. Last night I was wide awake for a few hours in the wee hours. I couldn't relax my shoulders, unclench my teeth (I have to wear a night guard), or stop my brain from spinning and spinning in anger. It's all made more intense by mother-bear rage on behalf of my early-20s daughter. I want revenge.

I've been making efforts to manage my mental health, such as walking several miles a day, doing deep breathing, taking positive actions like writing postcards to voters, making small donations when I can, and so on, but sometimes it all just hits me hard.

November 8 can't come soon enough!

[LisaM]

15. I feel like that almost every election.

My father was a teacher and so school board elections had a direct impact on our lives. Try to get people interested in school board elections. They should care, but they don't. I have never missed a school board election and I never will but I bet a lot of people griping about book bans have missed many of them


Don't know who to vote for? Check with your local teachers' union, who make endorsements.

[kimbutgar]

11. I had a friend in college who got pregnant by her old boyfriend that she had just broken up with

She was lucky to get an abortion. She had to drive 50 miles to get one. I know she never regretted it and met her future husband that she’s been married to for 40+ years. I never talk with her but if I did I know she would still be all on board with keeping abortion legal and safe.

[Kaleva]

14. Women may vote to protect rights but some could still vote R

MI has a proposal on the ballot to protect a woman's right to choose and I wouldn't be surprised that it is passed by a very large margin but Rs still win races in the state.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

16. Battle cry of this election: Roe your vote, up and down the ballot!

Roe, Roe, Roe your vote
against theocracy!
Republicans revoke your rights
and kill democracy!

Donate to 38 House candidates: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217067267
Stick 'em up for a blue wave: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217078977