It’s not just Roe!
I was born in 1961. Abortion was illegal.
It wasn’t until 1973 that women were “allowed” by the Supreme Court ruling, access to safe and legal abortion. But abortion wasn’t the only prohibition women faced during that time.
Think about it…this is less than 50 years ago, but our nation is 244 years old.
It wasn’t until 1969 that women could get a divorce with some degree of ease; and NOT in all 50 states.
It wasn’t until 1972 that the pill was available to unmarried women in all 50 states.
It wasn’t until 1973 that women could serve on juries in all 50 states.
It wasn’t until 1974 that women could open a credit card account solely in their name.
It wasn’t until 1977 that women were “allowed” entry to most Ivy league schools.
It wasn’t until 1978 that working women would be guaranteed to remain employed if they were to become pregnant. (And in 2022, women who take maternity leave are typically NOT paid while they’re out after this MAJOR LIFE EVENT that requires a period of recovery for themselves while learning to care for a newborn) The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibited sexual discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s website. It stated that women who are pregnant or have been affected by pregnancy or childbirth must be treated the same for all employment-related purposes.
It wasn’t until 1980 that the EEOC determined that sexual harassment was a form of sex discrimination.
It wasn’t until 1993, that marital rape became a crime in the sexual offense codes in all 50 states, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.
It wasn’t until 2010 (with the passage of The Affordable Care Act) that sex discrimination was outlawed in health insurance. (Women were routinely charged more for health insurance coverage than men, and it was not until the passage of the Affordable Care Act that it started to change, according to the American Bar Association.)
It wasn’t until 2013 that women were “allowed” to serve in combat in the U.S. Military.
This country continues to discriminate against women in a multitude of ways; and we are all feeling the same sense of anxiety, sadness and grief at the possibility of Roe V Wade being overturned in this 2,022nd year.
WE MUST stand our ground. WE MUST unite together to STOP inequality and inequity in this country and around the world toward women. Until ALL women are provided with equal representation in the U.S. Constitution, we will continue to see our unalienable righs chipped away!
Be the WOMAN who SAYS NO to inequality by VOTING in every election for candidates that support your AUTONOMY! Encourage others to do the same. We WILL NOT GO BACK!
