Book Review/Heather Seggel

We Won’t Go Back

Just looking at the cover of Robin Marty’s Handbook for a Post-Roe America (Seven Stories Press), you might form assumptions about what’s inside: Probably a list of vetted abortion providers, information about self-treatment options, and resources for activists. You would not be wrong; all those things are here, along with links to still more useful information. But it’s the nuance that Marty brings to the discussion that sets this book apart. A reporter who has long covered abortion access and both the pro-choice and pro-life movements, she writes clearly about the changes we are facing, but tempers her calls to action with an insistence that they be carried out with care.

With a conservative majority on the Supreme Court and a flood of conservative appointments to judicial benches far and wide, the blow may come in one of many forms, but it is coming. Marty outlines several potential scenarios, from the Supreme Court simply coasting and allowing states to restrict access to abortion, to their shifting the standard from fetal viability to “fetal pain,” to letting a case be heard and overturning Roe outright. We know that even if abortion is made illegal in one fell swoop, the wealthy will still find a way to terminate a pregnancy safely. The loss of access to this form of care disproportionately harms poor women and women of color, demographics that Mitch McConnell is not losing any sleep over. It will fall to us to take care of our own.

If the urgency of this inspires you to activism, that’s wonderful! But proceed with clarity. If you feel called to be a clinic escort, there’s sound advice here about not engaging protesters and working to maintain a calm atmosphere; it’s generally recommended that people not “counter-protest” for the same reason. By far the most useful thing you can do is donate money — those traveling out of state will not only lose work but need gas, food, and lodging for the procedure. A gas card can make a world of difference. And a bequest to a reproductive justice organization you trust will go a long way.

The distinction between reproductive rights and reproductive justice is explained well here, and there’s a list of questions to consider before getting involved with any group claiming to do reproductive justice work. The recommendation to “Make a pledge to refuse to work with any organization that doesn’t prioritize marginalized leadership or voices or directly address racism and its effects on economic and social power structures,” gives you the broadest strokes, but there’s a deep discussion of how to direct your efforts where they’re most needed that is very helpful, and it runs throughout the book.

There’s a chapter on cybersecurity for activists that, like much here, was full of information that’s new to me. Encrypting phone contacts, using browsers that don’t leave a data trail, and — rather counter-intuitively — keeping hard copies of certain sensitive records, can all help to keep you safe. If you are doing actions where you risk arrest (and in a post-Roe world, more things will fall under that umbrella), minimizing that risk is critical. And if you’re called to action, know there are many things you can do that are, as abortion should be, safe and legal. Use the tools here to self-assess before you dive in and your work will do more good in the long run.

Among the listings here are state by state summaries of current abortion laws, lists of advocacy groups to search through and find where your activism best fits, and a nationwide list of clinics, political action groups, abortion funds and support networks. I checked for my local Planned Parenthood, which moved over a year ago, and found it listed but under the old address; do your due diligence via phone or online to ensure you get current contact information. I imagine copies of this book being filled with annotations and sticky notes anyway—it is made to be used, not read and shelved.

My emotions were all over the map while reading Post-Roe. It’s exhilarating to see a subject handled with mastery—I learned so much, and often wanted to cheer Marty’s clear-headed analysis and pragmatic “we can do this” approach. She even finds a tiny opportunity in the crisis, in that we might actually shift focus from mere “rights” to the pursuit of justice for those least likely to ever receive it. But this is a horrible situation that is going to hurt a lot of people physically, emotionally, and financially. If you are fortunate enough to be able to help, do what you can to protect and assist those who are at risk. Start by reading this book and you will go in wiser and better prepared for the work to come.

Heather Seggel is a writer living in Northern California. Email heatherlseggel@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, March 15, 2019

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