Amidst all the hand-wringing over Roe v. Wade, here’s the thing: we had 50 years to pass legislation at the state and federal levels to protect the right to abortion and we didn’t. Hard fail.
Instead, the right wing organized and passed laws in the majority of states restricting or outright banning abortion.
If we were that well organized, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Progressives, and Democrats in particular, love moral superiority and self-righteousness. They think showing the right wing for the hateful and oppressive devils they are is enough. They’re wrong. You have to organize and make things happen. (I am not a Democrat BTW. The Democratic party is hostile to socialism, and I’m a socialist, so…)
You don’t have to organize everybody. You don’t have to have a majority. The right wing is not a majority in the US. They got their people elected to key positions in the executive and legislative branches, who got their people appointed to judgeships. This is how governmental power is done in America.
It’s not just government either. Union organizing helps immensely. It strengthens the working class, and trains many of us to learn to exercise power. It is also a great education in how ugly capitalist business and politics are.
Grass roots organizing is of the utmost importance. LGBTQ groups, climate/environmental groups, racial justice groups, etc., all help to mobilize people for real, effective action.
So, do we start the hard work of organization, or do we wail and gnash our teeth over the end of Roe v. Wade? It remains to be seen.
Letters from the Street 