Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affectionately known as RBG, didn’t last through the end of our collective nightmare living under the Trump administration.
I find it fascinating that back in the day, RBG and Scalia used to have their families together around the holidays and had gotten to know each other’s grandkids on a personal level. That sounds like such a different world than the one we’re in now.
My gratitude for all she has done for women’s rights is weighed against the burden of knowing how the GOP is going to try to ram a new Justice through the Supreme Court who would delight in nothing more than rolling back women’s rights by decades, among other environmental and civil rights abuses. We’re in the throws of dying patriarchy, and they are exacting as much damage as they can before we show them the door.
It should be surprising to no one by now that the “pro-life” movement was manufactured to consolidate power by creating an evangelical voting bloc. Most religious people who identify as “pro-life” probably have no idea that the conservative Southern Baptist Convention affirmed a woman’s right to choose in 1971, 1974, and 1976.
Randall Balmer has written about this, and if you’re interested in diving deeper, there’s an NPR clip from 2019 and a Politico article from 2014 for starters. I only learned of this connection this past summer when, before midnight on June 18, the eve of Juneteenth, the Tennessee Senate passed the most restrictive abortion ban in the country.
Not only did the bill pass in the middle of the night, in a closed session, with no notice, and no members of the public present, but it also exacted one of the cruelest pieces of legislation on women by barring any exception for rape or incest and attempted to create a smokescreen under the guise of civil liberties.
Some see the writing on the wall, that the GOP’s dream of overturning Roe will play out like a slow-motion trainwreck. It’s impossible to know for sure how the laws will change, but one thing I feel certain of is that women like me would not know the promise or hope of equality if it weren’t for reproductive rights RBG helped usher into policy.
I will keep fighting, in her memory and in the memory of all those who have lost their lives to back-alley abortions. For now, I issue a farewell to a great Justice who will continue to inspire greatness in women and those who seek a society that embraces fundamental human rights and equality.
Rest in Power, RBG!
Élan Young 