We knew the news of the overturning of Roe v. Wade was coming, so why did it hurt so bad when I found out this morning? When the opinion was leaked, I took to the streets and donated to abortion funds. However, before I found the strength to do those actions, I cried–a lot. My work allows me to see firsthand the impact that this decision will have. Most of my social media is starting to shift toward Argentinian news and trends, and I was shocked to find “Retrasos Unidos” trending. Retrasos translates to delays and the United States in Spanish is Estados Unidos. They were mocking us with this new name. We are a joke to other nations. The tweets seemed similar to many of the concerns that Americans have such as how does America give more rights to guns than their women? Argentina was the second country in Latin America to legalize abortions in 2020 which is groundbreaking considering the influence that the Catholic Church continues to play in politics and culture. Argentina has been a leader in Latin America when it comes to reproductive rights. As I study here and see examples of how another culture tackles reproductive rights, I think about how much America, if we can humble ourselves, can learn from nations that are establishing meaningful social change. Tonight, I will continue to mourn the loss of rights because it is awful and shameful for “the greatest country in the world.” But, I will also continue to learn from a global perspective, so I can improve my own country because there is so much work to do. As James Baldwin said, “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
