MoJo Reader,
This morning, right after the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe dropped, I got an email from a really smart political observer, and there's a line that really stuck with me. "A lot of people are going to feel powerless and afraid today," it said. "You need to be part of the solution."
That's it, I thought. In whatever way we can, Mother Jones needs to be part of the solution. The Supreme Court has spoken. Now it's our turn. What does that mean?
First off, it means shining a light on what this decision means for all of us. Birth control, the freedom to marry, the privacy of medical care, and more, are directly under fire. And so is democracy, when an extreme and cruel agenda can be enacted without fear of accountability at the ballot box.
It also means we cannot let today's devastation turn into disempowerment.
I know that won't be easy. It never is.
It's important to remember that 61 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances. The minority won out today because of the antidemocratic forces that allowed 50 Republican senators, who represent 41 million people fewer than 50 Democrats, to block the will of the people—and because five of the high court's justices who were appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote. As we see over and over around the world, minority rule is both oppressive and, ultimately, fragile. It is always on the defensive against the collective power of a determined majority.
And I know that so many of you, and everyone here at Mother Jones, are part of that determined majority—so that's what I'm focusing on right now. This morning I was talking with MoJo reporter Becca Andrews, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee. When the decision came down, Becca took off to visit a local abortion clinic. She found it closed, the sidewalk full of celebrating anti-abortion protesters. She stayed to talk to them about their reactions and what they think is next.
This was not easy reporting to do in that moment, but Becca—who herself was raised in a Southern evangelical community—knew it was important. And what's also important, she said afterward, is "showing people who are religious, and are fighting for reproductive choice because of that. I love reporting on those stories, and how much more of that there is than people see—especially here in the South."
As we all process this morning's news, I wanted to send you our clips at the end of the day—and if you have anything to say or share, you can drop us a line here with your suggestions for people and organizations doing good work that more people need to hear about.
I hope our team's journalism might help give you context and community on a day like today.
That's it for now, except for one last thing. I don't want to come across as crass, but the honest-to-goodness truth is that we're facing a bigger budget gap than we can easily manage when our fiscal year ends next Thursday, June 30, and this is no time to come up short.
Right now is the time to fight like hell for a democracy where minority rule cannot impose an extreme and cruel agenda, where facts matter, and where accountability at the polls and in the press has a fighting chance. If you're able to, please help us give it everything we can with a donation today. (And thank you so much to all of you who recently have.)
Thanks for reading, I'm sure there will be more to say next week.
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