We Gotta Talk About the Supreme Court (Warning: I'm super mad)

I know some of you have already checked out and that’s fine, but we HAVE to talk about the Supreme Court. Last week when the earth-shaking leak of a draft overturning of Roe v Wade came out, I was in Cabo for a good friend’s bachelor party, needless to say the mood was markedly more somber after the news broke. So, I’ve been stewing on my feelings for a little over a week, and I’m glad because it gave me a chance to mellow out and really get introspective. In my advanced age I think I’ve become a little more measured and a little more cautious with what I put out there, so with all that in mind: FUCK THIS SUPREME COURT AND FUCK ANYONE WHO DOESN’T BELIEVE IN REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS.

The Supreme Court was created by The Judiciary Act of 1789, creating a SIX-member court above all others in this nation where the justices served until retirement or death. We already got some big problems here…do you know what the average lifespan was in 1790? 40 YEARS. If you made it onto the supreme court you were probably going to die in the next decade or two. Now, the average life expectancy is pushing 80…that sure seems pretty different when you’re talking about a lifetime appointment. Second, if you’re paying attention you’ll notice that we have 9 judges now, that’s because it’s CONGRESS who sets the number of judges not the Constitution (this’ll be important later).

Oh, and one more thing before we go from history to the present, and this one goes out to every person who has ever said the answer to problems like this is simply to “Vote”, 5 of our 9 justices were appointed by presidents who LOST the popular vote…so we do vote, it just doesn’t really matter.

Now, back to the present: I could delve into how all three of Donald Trump’s justices lied during their confirmation hearings about “settled law” and all that but what’s the fucking point, man. If you can’t trust a judge to tell the truth, who can you trust? If you still think that having nine robed weirdos who live in ivory towers and who will tell you “it’s A-Okay to protest and harass people who are going into Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics but it is NOT okay to peacefully protest outside our mansions,” is good and helpful, then go ahead and hit that unsubscribe button because we live in different realities. The only answers are term limits on justices, packing the court so that it more accurately reflects the opinions of the citizens they so mysteriously rule over, and making sure none of these fucks ever gets a moment of peace for the rest of their lives (and I of course mean this in the most peaceful yet annoying way possible).

There may be some of you who think all this is too “radical” or not “the right way to do this” but I ask you, what else is to be done? People’s faith in democracy and the legitimacy of the Supreme Court WILL be destroyed by this decision, lives WILL be ruined because of this decision, and women WILL die because of this decision. We’ve protested, we’ve donated, we’ve voted and things still keep getting worse. We’ve held our noses and supported the “electable” candidates and this is where we are.

This is politics, not a HOA meeting, this is people’s lives and regardless of how you feel about abortion, this should scare the shit out of you because this is just the first domino to fall…what’s next to go LGBTQ+ rights? Interracial marriage? Unless you’re a republican politician or someone who gives them seven figures a year, they WILL come for you or someone you love eventually. And if you think this is “alarmist” look at all the people who said overturning Roe v Wade would never happen and called those who were worried about it, “alarmists”.

A country that legislates forced birth, prohibits proper sex ed, refuses to support proper parental leave, and denies its citizens affordable healthcare isn’t a country, it’s a god damn travesty.

Women’s rights matter. Women’s lives matter. Reproductive rights matter.

If you’re interested in donating here is a GQ article with lots of different places to give, from the national level down to individual states: https://www.gq.com/story/how-to-support-abortion-access