“Mommy, look at this cracker and tell me if it’s broken,” Ari commanded.
Playing “Is it broken?” is what happens every time Ari selects cheese and crackers for a morning snack.
I examine the cracker. Chances are it’s broken. It’s usually split in ‘half’ when Ari wants to play this game. But today, I cannot tell.
I venture a guess, declaring, “It’s broken.”
Ari pulls apart the cracker with ease revealing the break. Yet, when I go to take a picture of this — since I decide it’s finally time to write about this silly game, I noticed two pieces of the cracker are still touching. The rest is spread apart.
“Separate it into two parts,” I say to Ari.
Ari keeps the cracker as is. He won’t separate the cracker completely. It’s still joined when I snap the picture.
For some reason, I started thinking about the deeper meaning of the cracker after I took the second photo. In my mind, it reflects the chasm that’s happening as a result of yesterday’s leaked draft opinion that has made many Americans believe that the Supreme Court is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. Many of us have known that something like this was coming just as I had assumed Ari’s cracker was broken. Reading the draft opinion (No, I didn’t read all 98 pages. I’m relying on legal scholars and the journalists who vetted this draft.) that was leaked to Politico makes it as real as seeing Ari’s broken cracker with my own eyes.
Something in this country is broken. Unlike Ari’s cracker, this is not a game. Women’s lives will be at risk if Roe is overturned.
Not sure what to do next? Get to work mobilizing voters. (The Postcards to Swing States project is a great place to begin.) There are 13 primaries coming up this month and lots of important elections coming up this fall. If you’re unsure where to focus your energy, pick Pennsylvania! There’s a vacant senate seat up for grabs plus we have a crucial gubernatorial election in November.
Raising Literate Humans 
I am beyond grateful I was never in a position to consider an abortion as I am pretty sure I could not have done so. Yet, I worry about the impact on women in circumstances I have never had to face whose lives will be at risk.
Stacey, thank you for this! Very thoughtful reflections, and great mobilizing ideas, too. “Something in this country is broken. Unlike Ari’s cracker, this is not a game. Women’s lives will be at risk if Roe is overturned.”
Thank you for the reminder that I need to pay attention, to fight for the rights of all women to decide if an abortion is the option they want. I am appalled that we might be moving backwards!
Stacey, So much in today’s society is broken – our healthcare, education, and political systems to name a few major areas. I agree with you. This decision, if passed, will put women in jeopardy. I, too, worry about it. Thanks for your honesty and bravery in bringing up this subject.
This is so beautifully articulated, Stacey. In so many ways. What strikes me, as well, is the notion that we’re too busy arguing over whether or not things are broken. And even if we agree they’re broken, we can’t agree on WHY or IN WHAT WAY things are broken. Which means we’re using any energy we would have had for fixing it. It’s dark and discouraging, to say the least.
^^also, this is one of those times where I wanted to end on some kind of hopeful or optimistic note, but I couldn’t think of one, and it’s a good lesson for me to remember that sometimes it’s okay to let things stand in a hard place…
Thank you, Lainie. I was struggling with what to write for my comment because I couldn’t think of an upbeat thing to say. This is a good reminder for me. And thank you, Stacey, for moving from the game to the anything-but-a-game of the current moment so seamless and naturally. It’s how my brain has been running today — from something so regular to thinking about that leaked draft to something so regular to thinking about that leaked draft … I know I’m not alone, and I felt that in reading your post.
I’m glad you felt you aren’t alone with this thinking, Stacie. While we see many on Twitter screaming out on each side of the issue, there are some of us who are in the corner waiting for those with the loudest voices to step aside so real solutions can be worked on. ARGH, this is so frustrating!
Yeah, I thought about ending on a more upbeat note, but I couldn’t muster it last week. Heck, I cannot muster being more positive about it even today.