International Safe Abortion Day: More Than a Day
It’s been a little more than three months since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, essentially ending women's rights to reproductive choice in the United States. The confusion, outrage and desperation felt by countless individuals has been echoed throughout the country, upending the lives of millions of women by limiting their access to health care. As a woman and the co-founder of a woman-owned business, this hits closer to home than any other women’s rights issue. Our team is comprised mainly of women, and all have been impacted, and continue to be impacted, by losing the right to control their health decisions.
Outrage with inaction is useless. Outrage is not enough to effectuate change and if we “sit” long enough, complacency and acceptance are as detrimental to our lives as the actions of SCOTUS. Our company, like many others, had an immediate reaction to the Supreme Court decision. As a whole, we made a conscious decision to take a breath, and mount a response. We’ve turned our reaction into action, and we invite you to do the same. The essence of our business is to support women. One of our core collections is entitled, “Unique.” We have three signature pieces in this collection - necklaces with the words, “Unique,” “Strong,” and “Fierce,” molded from strong metals. It was designed to remind our customers of their strength, perseverance and, candidly, the obligation to continue to move forward. This is more fitting to us now than ever.
We will be donating a portion of the proceeds for the collection to the Reclaim Project. We must be strong in our convictions, fierce in our approach and unique in the way we move forward. Together.
We stand with the majority of women who are angry, frustrated, confused, mad, shocked and betrayed by the Supreme Court of the United States, the country founded on liberty and freedom, to overturn the monumental decision of Roe v. Wade. They have removed a person’s constitutional right to privacy by protecting a person’s choice for reproductive freedom to make decisions about their body. We, too, are tired of the messaging “it is time for a change” “we will fight again”. The fact of the matter is we shouldn’t have too. The previous woman warriors already fought and won this battle for us. We are all exhausted, tired from life and all of the shit that keeps coming our way. Every day there are battles to fight, kids to feed, hours to work and adding more to our tired, stressed out, anxious selves is hard to stomach. But as a life changing sage once told me “breathe and be present”. As history continues to reveal, time and time again, we not only accept the challenge but we will persevere. We have no choice but to rally yet again, something women are used to doing. These are the times when they expect us to be weak, yet we continue to prove them wrong. We have always had to work twice as hard to be thought of as just good enough. Women are amazing, we are fighters, we are resilient, we are strong, we are fierce, we unify and will rise together. We know the power we hold in our voices, in our children, in our votes. We will channel the strength of the women who have come before us and paved the well-trodden path for our right to vote, for civil rights, for same-sex marriage, for reproductive freedom.
So what can we do? Keep the conversation going. Stand up, speak out. This has given me the courage to share my story. VOTE! Raise your children to be voters. Support businesses that align with your views. Donate to trustworthy organizations who are doing the boots on the ground work. Support each other. Be kind, be compassionate. Rebel Nell will be here fighting alongside you. We believe everyone has the right to bodily autonomy and access to safe health care among all of the other rights we need to live in an equitable society. Rebel Nell will continue to be a voice for equality. We will continue to be there for our employees and for our community. Rebel Nell was founded on the principle of providing equitable opportunities, it is our foundation, in our mission, in the air we breathe and the work we do. Onward we march. #abortionishealthcare
You are Strong, Fierce, and Unique, be proud of who you are and warn the world that your approach to the world is no holds barred. We're proud to say that from today through Friday, September 30th, a portion of the sales from our Strong, Fierce, and Unique Necklaces will be donated back to the Reclaim Project. A women's health organization local to the Michigan area dedicated to challenging the stigma of abortion and protecting reproductive rights.
Here are some resources that I would like to share with you:
If you are in a situation and need support:
Donations:
Local: Planned Parenthood of Michigan
Articles or podcasts: