If this was about life, what would there be to argue?
If this was about life, wouldn’t ours matter?
If this was about life, about the saving of lives, a women’s right to live would be a part of the equation.
If this was about life, about protecting tiny babies, gun control laws would pass unanimously after 20 children are slain in their classrooms again and again and again and again.
If this was about life, about the saving of souls, migrants and refugees fleeing death and devastation in their homelands would be welcomed and cared for.
If this was about life, about nurturing life, historically accurate education would be mandated so that our children can have a better and broader worldview than us, so they can grow up to empathize with neighbors they may not understand.
If this was about life, about the protection of life, we wouldn’t so quickly forget that over one million Americans died in the last two years while we fought about whether or not to wear a mask.
If this was about life, about the responsibility for life, the shock and horror reserved for those needing or wanting abortions would be directed towards maternal mortality rates, particularly amongst Black and Latinx mothers who die needlessly and wantlessly each day and something would be done.
If this was about life, about caring for our children, universal prenatal care, paid parental leave, postpartum support would be things everyone fights for. So would subsidized childcare & equitable schooling and free lunch.
If this was about life, about the quality of life, we’d have equal pay, livable wages, and equity in the workplace, so people can lift out of the systemic oppression that’s been forced on them for generations.
If this was about life, about the accountability of actions, men would be the focus, male birth control would be a thing. Rapists would receive punishments that match their crime so those who’ve had their bodies violated and souls ripped out can maybe have a chance to find their way back to life.
If this was about life, it would be about life, about valuing the ones who are alive and their right to make a choice.
If this was about life, about the people who create life, you’d look at women with stars in your eyes and offer them a country of access and opportunity instead of walls and shackles.
If this was about life, about the fullness of a life, our daughters would stand in front of a road free from obstacles instead of the same, broken path as their mothers, and their mothers, and their mothers.
If this was about life, really about life, we wouldn’t be on our knees, throats full of rage, wearily begging to be seen as someone worthy of a life.
If this was about life, about how to live a life, you’d live with humility, you’d fall down on your knees instead of up on your self-made throne playing god.
If this was about life, and not a tool of oppression, it wouldn’t be law. It wouldn’t even be a discussion.
The bookshelf
The #kidlit we’ve been reading in our house this week
The YA pick: Don’t Call Me a Hurricane by Ellen Hagan
I got my hands on the advanced reader copy of this latest novel-in-verse by Ellen Hagan and am really excited to read it, particularly because it’s set in my home state of NJ in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
The middle grade pick: Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Arian and I started this book a year or two ago and he wasn’t quite ready for it but is really enjoying it now. At a fairly mature 9-years-old, I also feel like he can handle the discussions around the gray area between good and bad that are coming out of it.
The chapter book pick: Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams
Shea and I are diving into book one of this series, which strikes me as a Percy Jackson-esque series for younger readers. It came as a recommendation from one of our kids’ beloved teachers and she is on point, as always.
The picture book pick: P is for Poppadoms! by Kabir Sehgal
Little Zadie pulled this one off the shelf recently and this fresh take on an alphabet book using the language and imagery of India has been a fun read.
The board book pick: I Look Up to Malala Yousafzai by Anna Membrino
Z has got a major thing for Malala (who doesn’t?), so I’m planning on adding this to her collection alongside the Michelle Obama, Serena Williams, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg ones we have from the same series.
A giveaway
My friend Colleen wrote a book and it came out into the world this week, which is so exciting. I just started reading it and it’s a beautiful story on complicated motherhood and womanhood and all of the things that weave in and out of those.
To support her and her work, I’m giving away 5 copies of the book to the first five people to respond to this email and let me know that you’d like to read it.
The postscript
Today is overwhelming. Here is how to continue to support abortion rights.