oh capitan, my capitan

Ni tristeza ni alegría

Estoy neutra

Templada

Pero a la vez trincada

Quizás agobiada

In late January of 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court 🏛announced its decision in Roe v. Wade, a challenge to a Texas statute that made it a crime to perform an abortion unless the pregnant woman or person’s life was at stake. The case had been filed by “Jane Roe,” an unmarried woman who wanted to safely & legally end her pregnancy in Texas. ✨

The ruling affirmed the right to safe legal abortion - and was a big deal. At the time of the decision, nearly all states outlawed abortion except to save a the person’s life or for limited reasons. In 1965, illegal abortions made up one-sixth of all pregnancy- and childbirth-related deaths.

The 📝 and ☎️ pictured in this piece refers to Chicago’s Jane Collective, a network of activists who began connecting people in need of abortion to doctors willing to provide them. Since abortions at the time were not only dangerous but very expensive, the founding members of the collective believed that they could provide women with safer & more affordable access to abortions and began providing care themselves. During the years which Jane operated, the collective performed more than 11,000 abortions. After Roe legalized abortion, the group disbanded.

Mayo 2018

“Te pasaste la vida entera tratando de vernos las tetas, mirando a contraluz nuestra blusa en el colegio, mirando por el cerrojo de la puerta del camarín de chicas; pidiendo escotes a gritos, rezando por la moda de las transparencias; celebrando con locura el Whatsapp de tu liga de fútbol.

Te has pasado años poniéndoles nombres, una vida entera clasificando tetas y deseando tocarlas; las manoseas en mujeres un poco borrachas, las indicas desde lejos en la playa, vitoreas las poleras mojadas y te preguntas si se te va a parar la pichula en una playa nudista.

Pero hoy, que salen las tetas a marchar, sin pedirte permiso, hoy que se te entregan coronadas por una capucha carmesí, revolucionaria, combativa y poética; entonces ya no te gustan, de pronto ya no quieres verlas.