A Collection of Sorts
Abortion, submarines, and some other stuff
Last weekend I was at a wedding, and this week I’ve been laid out by my second head cold in two months (between the two of them I’m up to 8 negative COVID tests). Since I’ve been a bit out of commission and since this week approximately one THOUSAND things have happened, I present to you, a list:
It’s been one year since Roe v. Wade was overturned. In that year we’ve heard countless stories of people experiencing medical trauma because the care they needed was banned by anti-abortion laws. Miscarriages, sepsis, blood loss, and death because the state cloaks its desire for control in the language of protecting babies. Meanwhile no state that has enacted an abortion ban also grants paid family leave. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey claims her state will “always fight to protect our babies” while having the 6th highest infant mortality rate in the nation. Plus a lot of people who want an abortion are no longer able to get one. The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade endangers the lives of everyone who can get pregnant, and it makes all of us less free, whether we live in a state with an abortion ban or not.
The good news is that we are fighting back, and though it is slow going, we are winning. Abortion rights were a huge force in Democrats strong 2022 midterms performance. Voters in deep red Kentucky voted to save an amendment to their constitution that protected abortion rights. In the Virginia state primary last week, Virginians voted to unseat the last anti-abortion Democrat in the state house by 40 points.
Most importantly, the fight is not over. If Republicans get control of Congress and the White House in 2024 they will try to implement a nationwide abortion ban. Across the country people still need access to vital health services and the resources to assert their bodily autonomy and choose abortion. A year ago, I made this post with ways you can help fight for abortion access, and aside from the 2022 midterm specific actions, they are all still relevant. If you’re looking for ways to help electorally this year, you can fight a ballot measure in Ohio that would make it harder to protect abortion rights or sign up to help Democrats take full control of the Virginia legislature.
I don’t really want to talk about the billionaires at the bottom of the sea. I feel like maybe we beat that story to death already. The jokes were funny. Humanity has always been good at gallows humor - we made jokes about the original Titanic too. It is worth noting that this tragedy does seem to be part and parcel of the impulse that makes extremely wealthy, so-called disruptors defy government regulation and expertise, only to demand government intervention to save them from their failures. Brian Beutler calls this “wrecker capitalism” and I highly recommend his essay on it.
I do want to talk about the refugee conversation this inspired, however. As the U.S. Coast Guard mounted an extensive search and rescue operation for the lost OceanGate sub, a lot of folks started lamenting how much coverage and resource allocation this was generating in comparison to the recent capsizing of a boat full of refugees in the waters off the Greek coast. And on the one hand, it is true that the global refugee crisis does not get nearly enough attention or resources, and that the media’s bias towards the new and novel, and the rich and white, means that the potential implosion of a submarine full of billionaires is going to get outsized attention. But it’s also true that most of the people lamenting this imbalance also weren’t talking about the refugee crisis last week, or the shipwreck that drowned at least 78 people.
This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t call out this imbalance or that we shouldn’t push the media to cover the refugee crisis more humanely and more often and our governments to allocate more resources towards this crisis. But it does mean that maybe we should think critically about where we are putting our own attention and resources. Recurring donations to organizations like the International Rescue Committee and following and amplifying news outlets like Al Jazeera which did cover the shipwreck are a good place to start.
They rebuilt the collapsed section of I-95 in like a week. A government that solves problems! The things we can do when we commit the resources they need! The things we could do if we committed the resources before the crisis happens!!
What I’ve read and liked recently: I just finished Notes from a Young Black Chef by Joshua David Stein and Kwame Onwuachi. A really sharp, well crafted memoir that is both the riveting story of an individual and a pretty incisive look at race and food and culture in the U.S., particularly in the past few decades. I loved it. I also just read Eleanor by David Michaelis, a really compelling, in depth biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. I particularly appreciated that this biography highlighted her growth, not shying away from her early racism or anti-semitism even as she became a leader in the civil rights movement or the global human rights movement.
What I’ve watched and liked recently: I finally watched The Diplomat! I have a contrarian spirit and sometimes when I know I’m going to like something, I avoid it for a while. You’ve got to wait for the right moment for these things. And I’ll admit I was worried it was going to be too marriage plot focused. But I really enjoyed it! Great characters and interesting relationships. My favorite shows are about smart people trying to solve problems in good faith and this was definitely that. The Bridgerton style music cues were also an interesting touch that I liked even though it didn’t always work. I also watched all of The Night Agent in one day - like a kinder Jason Bourne or Jack Ryan. Good action, good mystery, good for watching when you’re doing something else because the plot is pretty easy to follow.
Finally, the Women’s World Cup is starting soon! And this video announcing the roster was wonderful and unhinged in the very best way. Every four years or so we have to remind U.S. sports media that the U.S. Women’s Soccer team is one of the best in the world, that people care about women’s sports, and this year is no exception. The Cup starts on July 20 - let’s fucking go!!!!