There is a lot of blame going around on social media for how we got to this apocalyptic moment, in which it looks as if a 6–3 conservative court will overturn Roe v. Wade, and end bodily autonomy for women. Bernie Sanders, Barack Obama, Susan Sarandon, Ruth Bader Ginsburg—people on the internet have called out all of them, and more. I’m not sure how helpful that is. But if we’re going to blame anyone for the potential loss of this fundamental American right, I suggest we start with the woman who petitioned the Supreme Court to review Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch.
Fitch has said that overturning Roe will “empower” women. She explained it to a Catholic television network this way: “Think about this—the lives that will be touched, the babies that will be saved, the mothers who get a chance to really redirect their lives.” I don’t know how taking away the option of ending a pregnancy would “empower” someone. In fact, it sounds like doublespeak to me. But Fitch uses her own experience as a model, so let’s talk about that.