The Supreme Court is Making Moves That Impact Women of Color

If there is anything women should be informed about is the Supreme Court or SCOTUS decisions that could potential impact or threaten our quality of life. For women of color, the threat is deeper especially when access to reproductive health care, fair pay, workplace protections and union benefits, can be highly depended on. Women in general, could lose our right to health care decisions. Women’s rights hang on the balance.

SCOTUS has been trending on social media with the most controversial decisions made lately.

Here are recent decisions that could impact you or someone you know –

Crisis Pregnancy Centers – CPCs

The Supreme Court sided with ‘anti-abortion’ crisis pregnancy centers – CPCs – reversing a Ninth Circuit lower Court of Appeals decision in California. These centers have been under scrutiny for calling themselves ‘medical centers’ and not fully disclosing information about who they are and what their services consist of  –  a deception on advertising of services to women seeking pregnancy termination consulting and/or medically accurate information. ‘Anti-abortion centers’ see the way they operate and sell their services as First Amendment right protected speech and it is ‘unconstitutional’ to be governed by the state. The State of California sees otherwise, the ‘false advertising’ deception should be monitored and or in some cases corrected as patients have the right to know.

So the right to know vs. freedom of speech took precedent in this case.

The valid concern is misinformation and/or deceptive practices on healthcare options can impact women who may already be in a vulnerable state, less informed and not able to do research to way out options. Crisis pregnancy centers or ‘anti-abortion’ centers could persuade a woman to not have an abortion when in fact, it actually may be needed. Anti-abortion opponents applauded this victory as win for freedom of speech.

Again, the legislating of women’s bodies.

Labor and Government Unions

Supreme Court’s ruling on Janus v. AFSCME is a major blow to public sector unions, ruling that government workers who choose not to join unions cannot be required to help pay for collective bargaining or ‘fair share labor union dues. And guess which employees make up large percentages of unions – people of color.

So who is “Janus” –  “Mark Janus, a white privileged man, argued that government employees who choose not to join unions should not be forced into paying fees that support union contract negotiations or ‘collective bargaining’ discussions especially if employees like Janus do not agree with union leadership and with union’s political position.  That this is a violation of his First Amendment rights, freedom of speech.

Labor unions will be effected financially with this elimination of collective labor union dues from memberships, no more bargaining power either. Government unions are supposed to protect all employees legally and equalize the playing field and equity. We are talking about teachers, police and other industry unions will be forced to lobby other public employees to pay full union dues, even though those employees will get the same benefits from the union if they pay nothing at all.

The set back can set a precedent for other types of unions. Bakery unions, domestic worker unions, etc. ‘Our mamas’ generation working industrial jobs at factories, bakeries, domestic workers and other ‘blue collar’ labor jobs.

State and government public sector employees, many of today’s women of color, depend on their organized labor union membership and participation for fair pay, additional supplementary benefits and above all, protection from unfair workplace and safety practices.

 

‘According to a report from the National Women’s Law Center, union membership boosts equal pay for Black, Asian and Latinx women. Black women make up 18% of government employees.’  – Colorlines Magazine

We all know that when women gain, our families and communities gain – so the attack on Democracy, the people, on women of color is one we must be aware.