WGS Director’s Statement on the Reversal of Roe vs. Wade
As of June 24, 2022, the US Constitution no longer protects the right to abortion. The highest court has overturned Roe v. Wade (1973), repealing a hard-fought fundamental right for a person to choose to terminate their own unwanted pregnancy.
The Dobbs decision runs contrary to the most basic feminist demands: to be treated as full and complete humans, capable of reasoning, of making decisions for themselves and their communities, and not to be considered minors, but rather adults. The Supreme Court’s ruling pushes the rights of women (and all people who have the capacity to become pregnant) backward, not just half a century, but at a minimum, two centuries backward.
We in the MIT Women’s & Gender Studies Program are appalled by this decision and protest it. It is a misogynist attack on human rights - perpetrated by both men and women– that will harm pregnant people, their families, and the whole nation. The Court has dismissed the fact that abortion is healthcare. As a consequence, poor and marginalized groups will become poorer, many will die a preventable death, careers will not be achieved, and dreams will not be realized. It is fundamentally unfair to force pregnancy and birth upon any individual.
We cannot live comfortably with this even if Massachusetts does currently protect our reproductive rights. A human right has just been taken away. The Dobbs decision sets a precedent and endangers further rights, such as contraceptive usage and same-sex marriage. We must raise the alarm to the highest level, or I fear it will soon be too late.
MIT’s WGS Program is committed to keeping these issues at the forefront of our university-wide conversations. We will help create and sustain awareness about this uniquely dangerous threat to democracy at home and in the world. History shows what happens when people’s sovereignty over their bodies is delegated to the state: the doors to totalitarianism open wider.
Our programming for AY 2022-23 is dedicated to reproductive health, rights, and justice. Through talks and panels, we will approach the topic of abortion with a scholarly, interdisciplinary lens. Our list of events will be announced in late August on our website.
Lerna Ekmekcioglu
Director of WGS
McMillan-Stewart Associate Prof. of History