President’s Message
W
hat can we expect in the future from the Supreme Court in relation to Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to manage reproductive self-determination? The confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh heightens my concerns, and I imagine yours, too. There are any number of commentators writing about this question. Who will prove to be right? Who knows? Has this harrowing confirmation made changes to the political landscape of the country? Many say it has, but only time will tell. Here’s what I know to be true before this most recent nomination, and what remains true regardless of the future of the High Court. A woman is a full person. And in the powerful words of Marge Piercy, “Priests and legislators do not hold shares in my womb or my mind. This is my body. If I give it to you I want it back. My life is a non-negotiable demand.” Whatever comes of the High Court, and no matter what decisions are rendered in the future, Marge Piercy’s words will always be true. Women will seek to control the times and terms under which they become parents,
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2018 Fall HORIZONS
or do not become parents. Every woman in my life has made it clear to me that women are intelligent enough and moral enough to weigh all the matters that relate to the complex and private decision of what to do if you become pregnant at a time you do not want to become a parent. But let’s expand that last sentence, because women also choose to have abortions during wanted pregnancies. Consider carefully that women learn information about their pregnancies, and their own health, throughout gestation, and sometimes that information is not good news. Difficult decisions about reproductive self-determination come to women all the time. Planned Parenthood has had the honorable and humbling experience of hearing the stories of women and their reproductive lives for almost 80 years in South Texas, and for more than