The first time I walked down the streets of my neighborhood without a headscarf was a strange experience. Like many Iranians around me, I was never a Muslim in heart and I had never wore…
Feminism
News from Iranian Women, in Their Own Voices
I had been contacted by a few Iranian women to speak with them just shortly after Mahsa Amini’s death and the demonstrations/revolution began. Then later I contacted them to ask whether the new decree to disband the “Morality Police” was of any real consequence for...
From Enforced Hijabs to Enforced Pregnancies
We need to see this newest devastating crisis of democracy in the U.S. with renewed urgency because it has too long a history. Look at what is happening to Iranian women (and Saudi, and Indian, and Afghan) and see ourselves together, in camaraderie against illiberal theocracies.
ROE TO ABOLITION: AN URGENT CALL
We believe that the recent Supreme Court decision on abortion that overturned Roe v. Wade is a logical culmination of policing that surrounds and defines so much of everyday life in the United States. The end of Roe now permits states to criminalize all people.
The Post-Roe Police State: Reproductive Justice Demands Freedom
The attack on Roe and reproductive rights is an attack on democracy — connected and not dissimilar to the January 6 riot at the capitol. The assault on women’s bodies is central to the assault on the promise of democracy.
Overturning Roe v. Wade is Immoral and Dangerous
I no longer have a uterus. But I do have two daughters, 18 and 20. And I am horrified and enraged by the loss of the constitutional right to abortion. In 2022, according to a Supreme Court majority, states cannot regulate gun ownership, but they can — and should —...
Lovers, Baby: Reading the Landscape in Virginia
During my childhood, the only association I had with Virginia was cigarettes, as in Virginia Slims, a brand that promoted smoking as a form of glamorous liberation for women long after we knew cigarettes were deadly. That slogan was “You’ve come a long way, baby” and...
The Failures of Post-Roe Mainstream Media
The mainstream media have failed the public in their coverage of the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade. They have buried the lead and mislabeled the positions of the so-called warring sides. Here are some recent headlines: From a local CBS affiliate in Illinois,...
What to Do? Post-Roe Abortion Syllabus 2.0
Many friends and comrades have been asking for info on how to be present, and involved, and to donate money and skills. So it is important for us to find and respect the already established abortion and reproductive justice organizations and communities, and support...
Aria for Cindy and Lament for the Post-Roe United States
On Friday, June 24, in a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. This day also marks exactly four months of fighting in Ukraine. Both are wars, entangled and unsettled. These conjunctions offer a way to fashion a mosaic of connections, rather than...