At the beginning of July, we posted the following statement in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
CALLING IN ALL MEN to End Reproductive Violence and Take Pivotal Action to Advance Gender Equity
We, the board of directors and executive director of Maine Boys to Men, a nonprofit courageously committed to ending all forms of male violence, condemn the decision by the US Supreme Court to end a person’s constitutional protection to seek a safe and legal abortion. We believe this decision represents an attack on human rights; additionally, it strengthens the dominant story of male power over others and continues a history of patriarchal control over reproduction and society.
Maine Boys to Men was founded 24 years ago to engage men and boys in disrupting the dominant story of male violence, aggression, and power over others, while advancing gender equity. We seek to create a world where everyone is equally valued and respected; where everyone lives free from violence, regardless of gender; and where all are safe to participate with dignity as equal members of society.
Any decision by a governing body that removes the freedom to decide whether or when to have children and prevents access to quality reproductive health care is dehumanizing and inhumane; it is recognized by Maine Boys to Men as a form of gender-based violence. We believe this unprecedented assault on bodily autonomy will unleash significant harms across the country — particularly for those most marginalized, including poor women and girls, women of color, LGBTQ+ people, and disabled people. Restricting bodily autonomy is violence. Forced birth is violence. This decision will have horrific effects on survivors of sexual violence. Forcing a rape victim to remain pregnant is unconscionable and constitutes a form of torture.
Access to safe, legal, and effective abortion is a global trend and firmly rooted in international human rights law. International law puts legal abortion at the core of bodily autonomy and promotes people making choices about their own bodies and lives free from discrimination, violence, and coercion. International human rights law is unequivocal: decisions about a person’s body are theirs alone. This makes access to abortion a fundamental human right.
We believe all people deserve recognition as full and equal citizens and must be afforded full and equal access to reproductive healthcare. To that end, we call on a collective and critical mass of men to challenge those who consistently make decisions that negatively impact and encroach on the right to bodily autonomy – or – reproductive healthcare.
Take Action to Support Gender Equality and Reproductive Justice
EXERCISE YOUR VOICE. Be a staunch advocate for reproductive rights and be so unapologetically.
ADVOCATE for the full humanity of all marginalized people.
CONTACT your state senators and state representatives and demand they take action. Suggested talking points: [1] This unprecedented assault on bodily autonomy is a form of gender-based violence that will unleash significant harms across the country — particularly for those most marginalized, including Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, disabled, and poor folk. [2] Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, it is more urgent than ever that the US ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and incorporate into law the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
VOTE for pro-choice candidates in local and state elections. This is more important than ever. Find pro-choice candidates here.
EDUCATE children today on the importance of bodily autonomy. Resource linked here.
JOIN men who are taking action: North American MenEngage Network | A Call to Men | Men 4 Choice
DONATE OR VOLUNTEER with your local abortion fund, which helps provide access to those in need from all over the US to pay for the procedure. Find out more. Find volunteer opportunities.
FOLLOW accounts promoting reproductive autonomy on social media: