All that's "Roe" is new again
When I made Silent Choices more than a decade ago, I wanted the film to be a document of how the issue of abortion touches the lives of numerous African Americans. From the first family planning clinic that opened in Harlem in 1930, to Black women speaking about the abortions they had before and after the procedure was legalized in 1973, the film refutes my (“pro-life”) friend’s claim that “abortion is a white woman’s issue.” Abortion continues to be a lightning rod, fueled by those who value a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, and by those who believe that life begins at conception and abortion is legalized murder.
Actor Jammie Patton from a scene in “Silent Choices”
What I didn’t expect is that the right to an abortion, codified by the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade 47 years ago today, may soon be lost. A court case that SCOTUS will hear in March could be the first step in rendering Roe a toothless ruling. Make no mistake, any current and future restrictions on abortion will impact Black women disproportionately and harshly; African American women have abortions at a rate five times higher than white women.
We can’t prepare for the future until we understand the past. As we commemorate today’s anniversary of Roe v Wade, we must also appreciate how vulnerable that decision remains, and that SCOTUS either overturning Roe or letting it stand in name only will hurt people who are already quite vulnerable—African Americans.