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Profs and Pints presents: “The Past and Future of Abortion,” with Sara Matthiesen, assistant professor of history and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at George Washington University and author of the forthcoming book Reproduction Reconceived: Family Making and the Limits of Choice after Roe v. Wade.
[Under current District of Columbia regulations attendees will be required to wear a mask except while eating or drinking. The Bier Baron will be requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test from the previous 72 hours for entry. It also will be requiring ticketed event attendees to purchase a minimum of two items, which can be food or beverages, including soft drinks.]
On December 1st, the Supreme Court will hear arguments for and against Mississippi’s fifteen-week abortion ban in a case that directly challenges Roe v. Wade. The case comes on the heels of Texas lawmakers’ adoption, in September, of a measure that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and financially rewards private citizens who bring lawsuits against those who “aid and abet” it. While litigation around the Texas law is ongoing, this has not stopped other states from looking to it as an innovative model for further restricting access to abortion.
With Roe hanging in the balance, many liberal commentators have urged us to begin preparing for a post-Roe world. But what would this actually mean? Just as importantly, what has Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion in the United States, been able to do and not do for those trying to end a pregnancy?
Come hear such questions tackled by Sara Matthiesen, a historian of reproductive politics in the United States who will offer insights based on the history of reproductive rights, feminist legal scholarship on Roe, and the expertise of advocates on the ground.
She’ll discuss what the landmark Roe decision said about the right to abortion and how courts’ interpretations of it have been or might be altered by subsequent legal rulings. She’ll also discuss what the future of abortion in the United States might look like, especially given the growing prominence of the use of medication to end pregnancy.
Abortion-rights activists have been saying for years that access to abortion is a more valuable metric of reproductive autonomy than whether or not Roe remains standing. Why, then, do we continue to make the Roe ruling the ultimate symbol of reproductive choice? Dr. Matthiesen will discuss how imagining a post-Roe world might actually be an opportunity to envision a society where meaningful reproductive justice is a reality for all. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)
