“Pregnant women in the United States die by homicide more often than they die of pregnancy-related causes — and they’re frequently killed by a partner, according to a study published last month in Obstetrics & Gynecology.” [source here]
This sentence tells us plenty about the intersection of patriarchy and gun violence, and about overturning Roe and its effect on women. Murder, usually by intimate partner, usually by firearm, is the top cause for death in pregnant or post-partum women, NOT medical complications of pregnancy. Overturning Roe will lead to more unwanted pregnancies and more gun violence against women.
Women in abusive relationships are already in great danger from easy access to firearms, and all women (especially women of color, as well as queer and non-binary people) are targets for gender-based gun violence. The Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe, especially coupled with its ruling against NY State’s regulation of permits for concealed-carry, is a death sentence for women. And we don’t simply mean death in attempted abortions, we mean homicide, usually by gun.
The Episcopal Peace Fellowship Gun Violence Prevention Action Group denounces the US Supreme Court and its rulings on Roe and Bruen (NY permits). We all know that they won’t save children from death, disease, poverty and other forms of oppression after their birth – they only require women to bear children, whether they want to or not, whether they were raped or not, whether the pregnancy is the result of incest or not. Incest, by the way, is not a one-off event: it’s a continuing crime of many instances, so it carries a higher risk of pregnancy, and on a younger group. This ruling is meant to enforce patriarchy, to control women, their sex lives and their bodies.
The Roe ruling, especially coupled with Bruen, is mean-spirited and the product of a society based on patriarchy and death. Perhaps not the death of a fetus, but the death of mothers and children, and of so many of God’s children in a society that sacralizes firearms and holds the 2nd Amendment as its holy scripture. It is time for those of us who still have hope, who still have love, to denounce these powers that have shed any connection to the divine, and to recall them to God’s purpose. A transformation of this society will require a resurrection, a rising from the ashes. We look forward to the path to reconciliation of all people to God and each other.
From We are Ultraviolet:
https://weareultraviolet.org/
When John Doe was 13 years old, a sex trafficker blackmailed him into recording and sharing sexual videos. When he finally broke off contact with the abuser, he thought his nightmare was over--until classmates started sharing his video on Twitter. Despite John and his parents filing reports and begging the company to take down the video, Twitter refused.1
It took action from law enforcement to get John's video removed from Twitter.2But, by then, it had been viewed over 167,000 times on the platform.3 At times, John considered suicide, due to the vicious bullying and harassment that he faced from classmates and peers who were sharing the video of his abuse on Twitter.
By refusing to remove videos documenting John's and millions of other children's abuse, Twitter is placing profit and clicks over the safety, well-being, and privacy of children and survivors. This is not just unacceptable, it is vile, illegal, and violates Twitter's own policies.4,5
| Tell Twitter: Allow easy reporting and quick removal of child sexual abuse images! |
| Sign the petition |
Despite its own policies, Twitter makes it extremely difficult for survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct to report and remove violating content.6 Images and videos of child sexual abuse are rampant on Twitter, which is the worst platform at catching and stopping illegal content like child sexual abuse material (CSAM).7
Twitter is violating the law by allowing child abuse to thrive on its platform and is profiting off the spread of child pornography. But we're not going to let that slide. We are demanding change to protect our children and young people from abuse.
We know this is possible, but we need your help to make our campaign successful. We've had success in the past getting platforms to change and put users and people ahead of profit: you helped pressure Facebook to protect election workers from harassment and privacy violations. That's why we're reaching out to you now, Sandra.
Thanks for fighting alongside us!
--Katie, Shaunna Kathy, Melody, Lindsay, Sonja, Kimberly, Maria, Elisa, KaeLyn, KD, Iris, Bridget, Meena, Jaya, Luna, and Isatou, the UltraViolet team
Sources:
1. Twitter Sued by Survivor of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, January 20, 2021
2. Doe v. Twitter, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, accessed August 9, 2021
3. Twitter sued by survivor of child sexual exploitation, Fox News, January 21, 2021
4. Citizen's Guide to U.S. Federal Law on Child Pornography, U.S. Department of Justice, accessed August 9, 2021
5. Child sexual exploitation policy, Twitter, October 2020
6. Ibid.
7. Reviewing Child Sexual Abuse Material Reporting Functions on Popular Platforms, Canadian Centre for Child Protection, September 23, 2020
