Roe v. Wade: reproductive rights, financial impact and reclaiming control

The overturning of Roe v. Wade is more than an attack on human rights. It’s also a financial crisis. On June 24, 2022 Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey were overturned under the opinion that there is no constitutional right to abortion. How did this happen? What does it mean for us? How can we take action? That's what this week's solo episode is going to cover.

We will go over a brief history of Roe V. Wade, what the overturning means and discuss what this means for people with uteruses both in the US and Canada. I will also explain the financial impact of restricting access to abortions, and how you prepare yourself financially.  Plus I've got you covered with tips on how to protect yourself and different ways to take action.

This might be the most important episode I've ever recorded, and I urge you to listen all the way through. It's heavy content, but important content.

Get involved:
Check out Plan C’s page on “Ways to Take Action” here.
Search for abortion funds by state here.
Sign the petition demanding congress to protect abortion access here.

Organizations to donate to:
National Abortion Federation
The Brigid Alliance

Social media accounts to follow to stay informed:
UnderTheDesk news on TikTok
Queerency on Instagram and TikTok

Join the Queerd Community:
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ellyce.fulmore/
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@queerd.co
WORK WITH ME: https://ellycefulmore.com/

Ready to take control of your money? Well I’ve got you covered with my mini course library. Priced at $47 each, these mini courses are an awesome (and affordable!) way to start taking control of your financial future.
https://ellycefulmore.com/mini-courses 

Transcript

0:00

Hi, friends. Welcome back to another solo episode of Keep Finance Queerd. As all of you have probably heard by now, roe v. Wade was overturned in the US last week, and I think that it's important that we talk about it. I initially had another episode prepared, but I really feel like I needed to put out this episode for all of you, probably because many of you are feeling helpless. And also, I feel like I need to talk about this stuff. I just feel so angry and so sad and so helpless and so scared, honestly, of what is to come after this. And I really want to fuel that into this episode and really let you know that, first off, you're not alone in whatever you're feeling, and second off, that this is a very scary and very real thing, but there are things that you can do to help, and all hope is not lost. I also want to give you some tangible steps that you can walk away with, both in terms of fighting against the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and also steps that you can implement to secure your finances and really make sure that you're set up financially should anything happen to you and should you need it. So that's what we're going to talk about today. This episode will contain heavy content, but it is very real and very important content. And I really encourage you to listen to this episode in entirety. We're going to talk about what the situation is right now and a little bit of the history of Roe v. Wade. We're going to talk about what the overturning of Roe v. Wade means for everyone, and also what it means for Canadians, because I am Canadian myself, and I know some of the listeners are, too, but I'll keep that section pretty brief. So if you are an American listening, most of the episode will completely apply to you. And we're also going to talk about what you should do now, how you can help, and finally, we're going to cover how you can prepare financially. So make sure that you are mentally ready, emotionally ready to listen to this episode. And if you are, make sure you're in a safe, comfy spot. And let's just dive into this episode. Hi there. Hi. I'm Sydney. My name is Rebecca. I'm an autistic K woman. I'm Jane. I'm a first generation Latino. I am a single mom and a survivor of domestic abuse. I am an ADHD plus sized millennial on the autism spectrum and Add, creating other problems in itself. Even though I bring in decent money, I struggle with staying ahead of everything. I am now struggling to pay off my debt. My traumatic brain injury means that it's hard for me to concentrate long enough to sort out my finances. The hardest time managing my finances. My parents were never able to teach me. I love my Starbucks habit, and I'm not giving it up. Roe v. Wade was a legal case back in 1973 in which the Supreme Court ruled that restriction on abortion was unconstitutional, specifically that criminalizing abortion violated a woman's constitutional right of privacy. And I want you to remember that because I'm going to come back to it. Then we saw some changes to Roe v. Wade after the initial passing of Roe v. Wade, but no overturning. So we had Planned Parenthood versus Casey in 1992, where the Supreme Court established that restrictions on abortion are unconstitutional if they place an undue burden on a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus is viable. And then in 2007, we had Gonzalez versus Carhartt, where the Court upheld the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that passed in 2003, which prohibited a rarely used abortion procedure known as intact violation and evacuation. Then, in 2016, we had a Whole Woman's Health versus Heller stat. I may not be saying that correctly. Apologies if I'm not. The Court invoked its decision in Casey to strike down two provisions of a Texas law requiring abortion clinics to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers and abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospital. And then four years later, in June, Medical Services, LLC versus Russo 2020, the Court invoked Whole Women's Health to declare unconstitutional Louisiana statute that was, as the majority noted, nearly identical to Texas admitting privileges law. So there were some changes to the initial Roe v. Wade, but there was no overturning. On June 24, 2022, roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood VKC. Were overturned under the opinion that there is no constitutional right to abortion. So this means that each individual state can now decide how they want to restrict abortion and what laws they want to pass. Right now, 26 out of 50 states are certain or likely to ban abortion, and 13 of those 26 states have trigger banned, meaning they took effect immediately after Roe v. Wade was overturned and made abortion illegal. Now, this goes beyond Roe v. Wade because this opens the doors for more rights to be taken away. Remember earlier how I said Roe v. Wade was passed on the basis that criminalizing abortion violated a women's constitutional right of privacy? Well, because that was overturned, it means that other cases that hinge on this right to privacy are also at risk of being overturned. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stated in his personal opinion that the Court should correct the error of other settled law, stating the Court should look to overturn. Griswald v. Connecticut. The case legalizing a person's right to contraception. Lawrence v. Texas. The case legalizing a person's right to sexual privacy. Obersfell. Oberschfell. Not 100% sure how to say that the Hodges the case legalizing samesex marriage. And he did not mention Loving, Virginia, the case that legalized interracial marriage because he himself is in an interracial marriage. But this one is also at risk of being overturned because, again, it is hinged on that basis of right to privacy. So what does this mean for all of us? The overturning of Roe v. Wade is an attack on human rights. This affects not just people with uteruses, but everyone around them. In addition to it being an attack on human rights, it's also a financial crisis. Not having access to abortion leads to lower credit scores, increased debt, more bankruptcies, and a higher chance of living in poverty. Some powerful statistics from a video that was put out by your rich BFF mentioned that access to abortion increases the probability of finishing college by 72%, delaying motherhood by one year increases wages by 11%, and legalization of abortion decreases the percentage of children who grow up in poverty, and it improves their future life outcomes. So access to abortion ultimately helps people with uteruses become more educated and be more financially secure and also allows for a better quality of life for any children that they may want to have down the line. But this decision is really not about bodily autonomy and the right to choose. It's not even about being prolife and believing that abortion is unaliving a child. It's about control. It's about keeping the working class working, keeping prison numbers high, and ultimately maintaining the power of rich, white, CIS men, black, indigenous people of color, women, nonbinary transgender, disabled people, and immigrants are already facing disproportionate rates of maternal death, sexual violence, and now amplified systemic financial stress. And this is scary, because the overturning of Roe v. Wade gives the Supreme Court more power to take away even more of our rights. And every single one of you should care, because if it doesn't affect you directly, it affects someone close to you, and it also affects society as a whole. This is not just an issue for people with uteruses. This is an issue for society. This is a big deal. Now, I'm Canadian, and I know many of my listeners are, too, and don't think that because we are in Canada that this doesn't affect us. First off, the decisions made in the US do have sway and influence over what politicians do in Canada. This gives them more power and confidence to challenge abortion rights here. Secondly, Canada actually has no existing abortion laws. Abortion has been legal in Canada since R versus Morgan Taylor in 1988, when it was ruled that criminalizing abortion is unconstitutional. Today, abortion falls under provincial healthcare systems as a medical procedure, which means that access to abortion largely varies from place to place. There are a lot of people in Canada that still have little to no access to abortion and must travel to receive one. And just like the US. BIPOC, non binary transgender, disabled people and immigrants are all disproportionately affected and have less access to abortion. So there's been some talk about, okay, what is Canada's next move now that Roe v. Wade was overturned and some people are fighting to have an abortion law put into place in Canada. But creating a law around abortion also leaves it vulnerable to be overturned, like Roe v. Wade. So if there was a law to be put into place even in favor of accessible abortion, that law could later be challenged and overturned and we could have the same situation happening in Canada. So it's actually better right now to keep it as a medical procedure and instead fight to strengthen the enforcement of the Canada Health Act. Our rights as Canadians are still at risk, as there are hundreds of MPs across the country who are anti abortion, and the Conservative Party would likely try and pass antiabortion laws if they were to win the federal election. So essentially, this is something that you should care about even if you're Canadian. So what should you do now and how can you help? The first step is to protect yourself. So I'm going to suggest some things, but I know that some of these are not going to be available for everyone or an option for everyone. So just take what applies to your life and implement those. First one is deleting period tracking apps. This information can actually be used to incriminate you. Your information is not safe on period tracking apps. Even if the app is saying that they will not sell your information, if they receive a subpoena, it's very likely that they will overturn that information and that could incriminate you. So delete period tracking apps if possible. Always use multiple methods of contraceptives. I know that not everyone can be on birth control. I know that is not a safe option for everyone, and not everyone needs to be on birth control. So just make sure that you're educated on what the options are for you and use as many possible forms of contraceptive that you can when being sexually active with someone who could impregnate you. If you are someone who can be impregnated, do regular pregnancy test so that you know as early as possible. So if you are someone who is sexually active and there is a risk of you being pregnant, then do regular tests so that you can catch a pregnancy as early as possible and you have more options of how to terminate that pregnancy if you do not want to carry it. Know your options and the health risks associated. So do some research to find out how you might be able to access abortion should you need it. What are the clinics around you that are offering it? Do you need to travel to another state? What are the options for you? Can you take the abortion pill? Can that be mailed to you? Is there any health concerns with that pill that is going to affect you? I know that with some of the abortion pills I've seen, there are weight restrictions, so if you are over a certain weight, it becomes less effective. So those are things just to be aware of. So know what your options are. And I also want to say here, do not reach out to strangers for help. The best thing you can do is to go to professionals, have had years of experience and know what they're doing, who will provide you with professional and safe help. I've seen a lot of those TikTok videos that are to the audio. It's like if we go down, then we go down together, that one. And people are talking about like, if you need to go camping, you can come go camping with me. Those videos are not super helpful, they're actually quite dangerous because it puts both you and that person at risk and you don't necessarily know that that's a safe place to be and the other person might not understand the risks that come with opening up their home. And the best thing you can do is just go to medical professionals and abortion professionals in that case. And then another thing that I will say about protecting yourself is if you are a queer person who is married or has children, make sure that all of your legal documents are in order. So all of your birth certificates for your children, if you have children, marriage licenses, et cetera, just make sure that all those documents are in order should anything happen to those laws. And shout out to queer and see for that tip. It was super helpful and I think it's a really important one to keep in mind. So now I want to talk about ways that you can help, but I think it's important to note here that there are a ton of abortion initiatives that currently exist right now. And the best thing that you can do is to help out organizations who are already doing the work and have been doing the work for decades. Now is not the time to start up your own initiative or organization. Now is the time to center black, indigenous people of color and trans folks and take a back seat, especially if you are white. That being said, there are a lot of ways that you can help out right now and we need as many people as possible fighting this fight. So if you're looking to ease yourself into ways that you can help, here are some easy things to start with. One is signing petitions, and I will link some petitions to sign down in the show notes. Another one is donating. And again, there are a ton of amazing organizations doing the work to provide safe and accessible abortions. So there's a lot that exists in a lot of places to donate, which again I'll link in the show notes. Number three is to educate yourself. So learn more about Roe v. Wade and the history of abortion rights. Learn more about what states are banning abortion and your options for accessing abortion should you need one. Make sure you're informed of your rights within your own state, and you're also informed of the rights of any state that you might need to travel to. Now, if you're in a place where you're ready to take more action, some things you can do are talking about it on social media and specifically uplifting marginalized voices and making sure that you're very clear on the intention behind what you're sharing. So make sure you think about before you post. Why are you posting this thing? Is it meant to build awareness? Is it meant to share something important? Is this contributing to the fight against the overturning of Roe v. Wade? Another thing you can do is call your senator and Canadians. You can also call your local representatives, ask them what they plan to do about abortion laws, apply pressure to them and urge them to fight against the overturning of Roe v. Wade. If you're Canadian, you are urging them to put in place better health care initiatives, more access to abortion, access to abortion for those who live in more rural communities, things like that. And the last thing I have is participating in local protests. If you feel comfortable, see what local protests you can attend and make sure you take safety precautions and go with a buddy. And you are well informed of kind of what to expect at a protest because we know that they can, in some cases turn violent. So you want to make sure that you're properly prepared. You're with a buddy and you're taking all the safety precautions you can when going to a protest. So I want to wrap up this episode by talking about how you can prepare financially. As I said earlier, this is not just a human rights issue and a right to bodily autonomy issue. This is also a financial issue. And so it's really important that we are taking as many steps as we can as people with uteruses to prepare ourselves financially, set ourselves up for success, and so that we are as well equipped as possible for any sort of event that might happen to us. Number one is focus on saving up an emergency fund. And the sole episode that will be coming out in two weeks time is going to be focused on how exactly to save up an emergency fund and figure out how much money you need and all of that good stuff. So make sure you're subscribed to the show so you don't miss that episode. But I'll go into it really briefly here. So you want to open up a high yield savings account and set up monthly reoccurring transfers into this account. So make this your number one financial priority right now. This should be your main focus, is building up this emergency fund. You may also want to save up a health fund specifically for the cost of abortion or medical costs or contraceptive costs. And again, set up monthly reoccurring transfers so that if you need to access any of this money. You'll have a lump sum of money in there already that you can use and it won't impact you as much financially because you've saved up some money. You don't want finances to be the barrier to accessing abortion and I know that for some people that is the reality. So I would also suggest here to be aware and informed of all the resources that you have available to you in your state should you need them. So if you don't have the financial resources to pay for an abortion and you need one, are there any resources available to you? Are there any organizations that are offering to pay for some of the costs or to cover it? Like, what are the options available to you? Number two is to work on building up your credit score. Unfortunately, the credit score system is still a system that affects your access to certain privileges and it's very strong in America and Canada. And not having safe access to abortion decreases and affects people with uteruses credit scores. And so we want to do everything we can to build it up because that is what's going to allow you to rent certain places. It's going to allow you to buy a home or rent or buy a car if that's one of your goals. And it is a system that is used to decide whether you get access to a lot of things, certain privileges. Number three is consistently negotiate your salary. Having to take time off work to go get an abortion or to take care of a child can impact your wages or your potential for getting promoted. So you want to work on making as much as you can right now. And I really recommend implementing for yourself a schedule of how often you're going to negotiate your salary and ask for a raise. So whatever makes sense for your industry and where you work. But give yourself a schedule where that's every six months, every year and consistently go in and ask for more money. This is so important should you ever need to take time off or should you need to go on maternity leave or anything like that, you want to make sure that you are making as much as you possibly can right now. Number four is start investing and building as much wealth as possible. Being forced to have a child that you can't afford can affect your ability to build generational wealth. It can set you back and potentially even take that completely away from you. So it's so important that you are doing everything you can to build wealth for yourself and generational wealth if you are planning on having children somewhere down the line, or if you do currently have children and doing as much as possible right now. So that if you are forced to have a child, hopefully that has not happened to any of you. But if you ever are, you still will have some wealth built for yourself. It's really important. Investing is one of the absolute best things that you can do for yourself. Finally, make sure that you're taking care of yourself and your family and friends with Uteruses too. This fight will be a marathon, and it's important that you're prioritizing your own mental health. Pay attention to how you're feeling. Don't be afraid to stay off social media, not watch the news, etc. Or while you process. Whatever you're feeling right now is valid. And I need you to know that you're not alone. You are not alone in this fight, and I am feeling it with you, and so many other people are feeling it with you. This is unimaginable. It's fucked up. Honestly, it's awful. So give yourself the space to feel and to work through whatever you're feeling. And that could be months, it could be years. Like, give yourself whatever you need right now. Give yourself that time. Give yourself that space. If you are taking action, take lots of breaks. Take breaks when you need them. Listen to your body, listen to your mental health, and make sure that, above all else, you are prioritizing your own self care and your own energy, because that is what we need. We need people that have protected their energy and that are ready to fight. And you might not be ready right now, and that's okay because part of the fight is taking care of yourself. We need you happy and healthy. Make sure that you are really prioritizing taking care of yourself right now and taking care of the loved ones around you once you're feeling well enough to do so. I love you all so much. I'm sending a big hug to all of you. This is so hard, but we are going to fight. I've linked a ton of resources below petitions, places to donate, places to learn more, to educate yourself. There's a ton of resources, so make sure you check out the show notes and check out some of those resources. And thank you so, so much for listening to this episode. I know that it was probably difficult, but it is such important information. I'd really appreciate it if you would share this episode with family and friends and loved ones and even your social media community. People that will benefit from listening to this episode and people that need to hear this episode. I love you. Take care of yourself. We're not giving up. If you enjoyed this podcast episode, we'd love it if you would share a screenshot on your social media and tell us what you loved about it. If you'd like to support the podcast, you can subscribe to the show rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I will be donating $1 for every review left in the first six months to organizations that our podcast guests have chosen. Thank you for listening and remember to Keep Finance Queerd.