“It is dangerous and irresponsible for the U.S. Supreme Court to pick and choose when patients are allowed access to healthcare. This decision is about domination and control.” – Dr. Corrine Sanchez
As women and nonbinary caregivers of the First Nations and ancestral to this land, who are the original and rightful stewards of this land, we have watched the systems of white supremacy grow and expand, while we have always held tightly to our Traditional Knowledges and lifeways. We know prior to contact in 1492, Indigenous women and LGBTQIA2S+ people had more autonomy, freedom, and body sovereignty than colonizers could grasp or fully understand. Since then, we have lived under the colonizer’s cruel and dehumanizing ways and adapted to other western systems of care for one another. Now, we see that they are willing to inflict harm upon their own women, and all women, in addition to what they’ve done to Brown and Black bodies. This legacy of trauma and systemic oppression greatly affects us, physically and spiritually. Our bodies and spirits continue to carry all the scars and remembrances of brutal systems and strategic policies that have continually asserted domination over those of us they see as a threat.
As the keepers and stewards of this land, and as citizens and descendants of our tribal nations, we state very clearly, these systems were never built to protect our peoples. From forced sterilization of our women and relatives capable of becoming pregnant to the implementation of the Hyde Amendment, this is yet another attack on the sovereignty of Indigenous people. What we are witnessing now and what we know will continue to happen to all women and birthing peoples in this country, is that striking down Roe is dangerous and will cost countless lives. There is no scenario where women and birthing people will not be put at further risk. It creates a stark choice about how to care for women during this time. Our inherent sovereignty as Indigenous women and people determines that we must decide our own fate, and not allow the state to define these outcomes on our behalf. Upholding Roe v. Wade is the very least this country can do, after centuries of the systemic oppression of anyone not white, male and Christian. We are not afraid of this fight to come – in fact, we were inherently built for this. We will continue to act for the collective good to bring forth collective liberation.
