Case Studies of Tempo, Meter, Rhythm, Modality, and Musical Character

In their composition, Alegre, Tania León showcases rhythmic dexterity via the implementation of Latin grooves and the orchestration of a large wind ensemble. Though pitch is treated as an important element in the composition, it is clear that composite rhythm was important in León’s compositional process. Interestingly enough, there is only one meter used throughout the work, and it is a simple quadruple meter (4/4). Though many surmise this to be the most commonly used meter in orchestral/Classical music, León does not use the meter like it is typically used in other musical contexts. In fact, similar to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, rhythm is treated as the utmost driving force of the performance of the composition, and it is often the case that the meter does not give you enough information pertaining to the grouping of notes between measures. The composite rhythmic material in the percussion section seems to be imitated throughout the wind ensemble, with articulation and dynamic levels being as boisterous and bright as those in the percussion. Despite the structural nature of the meter itself, in an effort to fuse the wind ensemble orchestration with a more rhythmic, groovy Latin musical style, León makes use of syncopation in several places. Indeed, though the tempo remains at its heightened point, the real excitement of the music can be felt when listening to the way in which the rhythm of the ensemble conflicts with the rhythmic and repetitive structure of the percussion material. It would be remiss to not acknowledge that the effectiveness of the syncopation used throughout the composition is due to the subversion of expectation and comfort. As aforementioned, 4/4 is a standard meter that most modern listeners understand, and León constantly establishes structure via rhythm that is to be disrupted via syncopation (accents of rhythms off the beat). For example, in Measure 8 of the work, the listener clearly interprets the rhythmic/musical material to be heavily dependent on the beat. However, through the next three measures, the rhythmic unison played throughout the ensemble is “moved around” within the measure, creating a sense of excitement via confusion. In addition to this, as León is obviously concerned with style, the segment at 1:59-2:07 features a brief, yet noticeable reference to the commonly applied tresillo, which is a rhythmic structure that the main theme of the piece itself might be developed upon in retrospect. There is clearly an extensive implementation of the ostinato idea, which tends to feature a repeated rhythmic structure over which melodic material is played. Again, this harkens back to the significance of rhythm and texture in Rite of Spring. Perhaps the clearest use of ostinato is observable through the segment at 1:12-1:59, during which the entire ensemble repeats the same chord and the same two-beat rhythmic statement. During this segment, three soloists (a trumpeter, a clarinetist, and a trombonist) showcase their soloistic skills over the ensemble accompaniment, and the trio seems to be in conversation with each other. Despite there seemingly being no significant modulations and a singular key (G Major), rhythmic syncopation and the relationship between rhythm and orchestration plays a major role in maintaining the interest of the listener.

In their song, “Hey Yah!”, Outkast makes use of a faster tempo than the tempo used in León’s work, and there is an interesting implementation of an odd time signature that is seldom heard in the context of early 2000s pop music and hip-hop. Indeed, the time signature may be interpreted to be 11/4, though people argue that the verse is composed of lines that alternate between different meters. Nevertheless, each line delivered throughout the song is delivered in such a way that follows an unfamiliar turn of phrase. Again, though there is no obvious modulation or key change, the key center need not move around to peak the listener’s interest. The main melodic line of each lyrical phrase in a given verse features a plethora of accents off the beat, showcasing an interesting syncopated musical context. The verses feature much syncopation and twisting around the backing beat from the accompaniment, but the choruses are repetitive, easily structured, and consist of long sustains in the vocals. The only break of the 11/4 trend is observable at the end of the final verse in the song on “happy here” (2:46-2:49). Here, the vocalist holds over a pause in the rest of the band on Beat 8 of the measure, only to come in an odd amount of time after the pause with the rest of the band. This moment is effective musically because there has not been a silence in the entirety of the song up until this point, and this is the moment where the rhythmic structure that is so familiar to the listener at that point breaks to invite curiosity. A part of the song that most notably showcases the use of syncopation against this odd time signature at the end of the song during the “shake it” segment (3:55-4:30), during which the backup choir sings “shake it” repeatedly over the 11/4 groove, creating a different sort of feel to the overall rhythmic line that feels more swung than the originally presented rhythmic structure of the line in the verses and choruses. Andre 3000 also solos over this line, which creates yet another layer of rhythmic complexity. It goes without stating that the expectation/surprise idea is viewable throughout the song. The main rhythmic line prevails throughout the song until the moment where everything drops out as aforementioned, and every time the chorus returns it is somewhat unexpected because of the odd meter of the lines in the verse. It is difficult for the listener to follow what is going on from a logistical standpoint, but the groove, orchestration, and lyricism convey a laid-back sort of performance approach to the music overall, suggesting fun to the listener.

Brahms’ Trio IV showcases an extensive use of tempo modulation, shifting of keys and modes, and syncopation, as well as several moments of unity and variety amongst the overall ensemble consisting of violin, violoncello, and piano. Each movement features a different meter and a different tempo, which is characteristic formal structure for such music at the time. That is, Movement 1 is in 3/4 (simple triple) and features an energetically fast tempo, Movement 2 is in “cut time” (2/2) and features a much brisker and more subtle tempo than that which is featured in the first movement, Movement 3 is presented in measures that alternate between 3/4 and 2/4 meters with a tempo that is the slowest so far (but not that slow), and Movement 4 features perhaps the fastest tempo in the entire piece with a meter of 6/8. Regarding rhythm in the context of syncopation, what may be the most striking example of such a compositional technique is starkly observable in Movement IV. In this movement, the melodic material in the violin and cello enter into syncopated responses to the piano accompaniment as part of the thematic section of the movement, which implies the importance of syncopation throughout the rest of the movement (15:42-15:55). Not only this, but the movement itself starts with an anacrusis (a pickup to the beginning of the first full measure of the piece). In doing so, Brahms establishes the ears of the listener to believe that Beat 1 is actually Beat 4 in the 6/8 bar, and this especially surprises the listener once a melodic instrument reaches the end of their phrase. It almost feels like there is an added beat at the end of each phrase over the piano accompaniment, which seems to function relatively independently of the melodic material at such moments all throughout the piece (observable from 15:31-15:40). In addition to considering rhythm and syncopation, there is an interesting bout of call-and-response that occurs in certain places that further reinforces the odd rhythmic character of the fourth movement as a whole in the context of the entire four-movement piece (15:55-16:07). Undeniably, too, there are several aspects to consider regarding mode, key, and modulations across this piece as well. As typical of a piece of this kind at the time, each movement starts in a different key, and each movement features the modulation from that key to another key by the end of the movement. For example, in the first movement, the key is obviously minor, but this key modulates along the way through several keys, such as the major key that is heard and established at the beginning of the segment starting at 1:26. Though this movement ends in the same key it starts, the second movement starts in the same key with which the first movement ends, but this key/mode changes along the way through the movement into different keys again only to return to the home key of C Minor. Brahms uses many fast modulations in this work to keep the listener interested along with the extensive implementation of syncopation that almost makes the music too difficult to understand! In fact, Brahms is careful to use the tension of rhythmic syncopation (in combination with what might be perceived as “incorrect pitches”) to truly capture the tension at the peak of a phrase that surprises the listener only to be satisfied by an immediate return to normalcy (0:43-0:48).

Finally, Anouchka Shankar’s “Lasya” showcases virtuosic approaches to rhythm and metric modulation. The meter is definitively in some sort of duple time signature (2/4 or 4/4) at the beginning of the song, but there are moments throughout the song that feature changes in time signature and metric modulation, such as moments like at 1:17 when the percussionists play hits together to indicate a triple feel underneath the riffing sitar part that is still in simple quadruple time. With the introduction of the konnakol material by one of the percussionists, impressive subdivisions are uttered that compliment the repetitive nature of the rest of the ensemble. In a way, this material converses with the sitar material (2:09-2:38). This segment gives way to yet another metric modulation that features the shift from 4/4 to 3/4, back to 4/4, and shortly to 2/4 only to return to the “A” section of the composition (2:38-2:47). Mod/Key center roughly remains somewhere in the minor/pentatonic region, with there being a constant pedal pitch that serves as the root of everything being played over it. This distinct root is played by the sitar. Syncopations are prevalent throughout the entirety of this composition, almost to an extent to which there is rarely a long, comfortable moment that lacks rhythmic energy and displacement. This music depicts beauty by way of rhythm and simple pitched material that repeats and is utterly bright, but not too harsh. Several moments throughout the piece, there are unison moments in which the entire ensemble plays together rhythmically (0:46-0:49); there are also moments in which two of the three players play in unison while the other player plays accompaniment and provides foundation (0:49-1:00). There are several moments in which both percussionists provide this foundation while the sitarist solos. There are many surprises throughout the performance of this piece, with the use of metric modulation and the introduction of the voice being moments of interruption that continue to flow simultaneously.

A Critical Examination of World War II and Memory

‘A World War II veteran, Davis has shed a light on the contradiction of a free nation built by forced labor…He devoted his life to understanding the place of the inhumane, but profoundly important and persistent, practices of slavery and racism in the world’ (Dwyer).

The retrieval and examination of primary sources serve as the bridge between the bedrock foundation of historical understanding and modern-day contextualization of historical events. When thinking about these sources, however, it is imperative that one recognizes that the creation of a primary source is a privilege, as many marginalized peoples have been unable to provide their own experiences due to a lack of education, literacy, and discrimination. The involvement of the United States in World War II, “ultimately forced Americans to reassess their views on race, particularly because of Nazism and the Holocaust”, and, “the war failed to analyze the problem of anti-black racism in the U.S.” (Agyepong). The parallel relationship between racism witnesses during the Holocaust and racism seen in the United States today is one that is frankly not discussed frequently enough. Within this essay, I will examine the secondary source, World War II and Memory. This source was written by David Brion Davis, a historian who focused on slavery and abolition in the Western World. Many years prior to his impressive career, he was an eighteen-year-old boy who had decided to “fortunately in a moment of teenage rebellion” enlist during the final years of World War II, “not an auspicious moment to plunge into combat” (Davis, 580). The incidents Davis witnessed during his time in the war shaped his 1 future, career, and academia, and what he witnessed throughout his time in the military during the war stayed with him for the rest of his life.

In examining World War II and Memory, I will critically assess this historical text, Davis’s argument and persuasions, and the structural organization of the journal. In this journal, Davis reflects on the personal letters he wrote to his home detailing his experiences in the war. Davis attentively weaves his memory and his letters home and creates a synergy between them, intertwining them in such a way as he writes, “My memory on such matters is both rectified and stimulated by hundreds of letters I wrote to my parents and now pursue for the first time in forty-odd years” (Davis, 580). Interestingly enough, Davis does not rely on specific sources other than his letters; however, he does reference pop-culture such as Life magazine, toy soldiers, movie heroes of the time, and the army films he viewed in training made to stereotype the Japanese.

David Brion Davis enlisted to fight in World War II close to the end of the war in December 1943 after only having just graduated from high school. Davis was trained as a combat infantryman and was sent to occupied Germany where he worked as an interpreter in the Security Police. He writes, “The Security Police were charged with keeping order and enforcing military law among the civilian population and even foreign troops within the American zone of occupation” (Davis, 580). Throughout his time in the war, Davis witnessed the stark racial divide between black and white soldiers firsthand. As Davis’s World War II and Memory serves as a secondary source written itself by the author of the original primary sources themselves, it is important to realize that the journal includes interpretations of events written after an examination of those primary sources upon which the secondary source was based. Davis is delving into letters he wrote many years ago, filling in blanks with his memory and current 2 education and knowledge. World War II and Memory is published within a larger Journal of American History published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Organization of American Historians. Upon reading this first page of the journal, Davis includes a note providing a small amount of background information on himself. He notes that he is a “Sterling Professor of History at Yale University and past president of the Organization of American Historians” (Davis, 580). This note gives the impression to the audience that they are receiving this information from a source that is deemed “credible”. The audience that this journal is intending to reach is one of academic stature, considering this journal as, in essence, a textbook on American history. The audience is one that takes interest in past experiences, especially those involving World War II and racism in Davis’s case. I find it extraordinarily unique that Davis created this secondary source using his own writings as the primary source. Allowing himself to engage in an internal dialogue and perhaps experience self-reflection, after more than forty years after the origin of these letters.

The journal is written to be eight pages, with two photographs and one sketch included within the text. The first photograph shows a young boy standing in the rubble of a once-functional building in his hometown. The second photograph shows Davis and his unit during an inspection following a racially charged incident, later in the text Davis loosely relates this inspection given by a very high ranking officer to the visits Hitler conducted to soldiers during his reign in Nazi Germany. Apart from the photographs there is a sketch included, done by Davis himself. The sketch showcases the landscape of Wallstadt, a village where he was stationed in December of 1945. The sketch includes buildings, fences, and telephone lines; without context, this sketch would seem to be nothing more than an innocent drawing of a peaceful town. The journal begins with Davis recounting his experience as a child at the 3 beginning of the war, consuming news, glorifying the war, and imagining being a soldier through child play. He transitions from geographical horror to cultural horror. In recounting those letters Davis has a realization, “When you look past the immediate environment, the true horrors of war smack you in the face. We’ve seen the pictures in Life magazine and in newsreels, but when you actually see miles of devastated buildings, which once must have been the most beautiful buildings in the world, you get a different picture” (Davis, 581). Davis mostly pulls quotes from his original letters while he occasionally inserts personal reflection, realization, and additional memories or context for support. Davis begins his writings with a mention of the racial division within American soldiers. He then backs away from this idea slightly until his first encounter of racism on board the troopship bound for France as he writes, “I found myself in effect, on board a slave ship– or at least what I imagine some slave ships to have been like” (Davis, 581). In this case, Davis prescribes his audience with an immediate scathing image of the realities onboard the naval ship, as he recounts that not only perhaps the internal structure of the ship is narrow enough to be claustrophobic like such ship, but the tensions between white and black soldiers was thick enough to be equally if not more suffocating.

Perhaps the way in which Davis blatantly mentions the internal intrapersonal racism between white and black soldiers in his military unit at the beginning of his journal then proceeds to venture into an account of his own naivete only to return to his memories of such racism reflects a sort of structural metaphor. In suggesting this, it might be the case that Davis wanted to implant a parallel relationship between the structure of his journal and its organization and the great divide between his and other Americans’ own perceptions of the war, as so many people at the time in the United States such as himself were so enthralled by the heroism of the soldiers going off to fight the enemy and were not concerned about the inner-military conflicts occurring 4 within American military ranks that would horrify the typical unbeknownst, blinded, nationalist American such as Davis himself prior to experiencing these horrors himself. It is clear that Davis recognizes a parallel, as he writes, “As time went on, I was increasingly struck by the contrast between the Germans, who reputedly believed in Aryan supremacy but who seemed to warmly accept black Americas, and our own white troops, who seemed ready to declare war on the ‘God-damned black sonsabitches’ who dated German girls” (Davis, 584 ). In a way, Davis might be purposefully leading his audience to forget about the racism of which he writes at the beginning of his authorship, only to hopefully inspire the shock value he himself experienced after being rudely awakened by the rampancy of racism within the American military in his audience. In structuring his journal as such, Davis might also be appealing to an audience that is in fact the type of audience that would not immediately take interest in a journal about racism. With this interpretation, Davis might be wanting to attract American readers who often search for such resources to learn more about World War II and its otherworldly magnitude, only to catch the unsuspecting reader off their guard to reinforce the tragedies that indeed took place within American military ranks that might seem to reflect the human tragedy of the Holocaust effort conducted by Nazi Germany.

Throughout the entirety of the journal, the most persuasive moments were in Davis’s firsthand experiences and examination of the emotions he internalized. Davis brilliantly exercises his own credibility as someone who once held the naive beliefs of the heroism and purity of the fighting American troops as a typical nationalist American citizen only to turn and see the true hypocritical nature from within American ranks. He does this while also supplying his own elements of pathos throughout the text, appealing to his audience that the racism he witnessed during his time serving in the war was in fact enough to realign even the most thorough of his 5 steadfast nationalist American beliefs. In fact, Davis wrote home, “...one of the biggest mistakes the Army ever made was race segregation. It causes misunderstanding and swings the larger, undecided group toward intolerance” (Davis, 586). Through his witnessing of racial divide on his transport ship and from within the Americans themselves, he begins to feel frustrated about the harassment and mistreatment of his black compatriots. He writes, “I’m getting quite bitter on this race question. Perhaps I sound a bit shrill, but it is difficult not to be alarmed when not one or two but dozens of men openly proclaim their hatred for the black race and take every opportunity to shoot or arrest or beat up colored soldiers” (Davis, 584 ). The parallels he continues to draw between the Germans’ feeling of superiority towards minority groups and the American treatment of black soldiers is seen throughout the journal, and these realizations indeed offer the modern-day reader insight into the happenings amongst soldiers in World War II that might not be typically advertised or circulated in discourse of its history. Davis even notes that he, in retrospect, is “a bit surprised that I saw no genuine torture, despite all the arrogance”. Enlisting in the army and living as a soldier during the war allowed Davis to witness firsthand “an unwillingness to face up to the cancerous racial division and exploitation that has festered at the core of American society since the founding of the Republic” (Davis, 587). This experience shaped Davis forever. He went on to have an impactful career as a historian with a focus on slavery and abolition. Prior to his death, he received the National Humanities Medal, awarded to him by President Obama. Davis notes that the horrors of the crimes he witnessed as an officer in the Security Police pale in comparison to the racially motivated human atrocities he witnessed within his ranks, and the audience is left to ponder about how such atrocities might be lingering in unseen places throughout history and misunderstood contexts in society today. This reminds us that there is power in uncovering and learning about history via primary and secondary 6 sources, and it is the responsibility of those who come into contact with such resources to examine them and refer to them with proper emotion and respect in order to contextualize the effects of the past in the modern day

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Underground Healthcare in Post-Roe America

Abortion is not a bad word. Talking about abortions and reading about abortions and sharing our personal abortion stories, are all ways we can destigmatize the word and hopefully one day remove the negative connotation surrounding it. Abortion is a healthcare procedure, similar to a tonsillectomy or getting your wisdom teeth removed; for many women it is an essential healthcare procedure. Access to healthcare is of extreme importance in the betterment of a society. Before we continue reading, let’s get more comfortable with the word ourselves. On the count of 3 let’s all say abortion. One....Two...Three...Abortion! Very good. Now, let’s continue...

In June of 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court made a ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022). This ruling opened up a world of changes and one of those changes was the overturning of the landmark case of Roe v. Wade (1973). The original ruling in Roe v. Wade made abortion (in the first trimester of pregnancy) legal across the United States; overturning this meant that abortion rights are no longer guaranteed and now fall to the state lawmakers (Oyez). Throughout this essay I will be mentioning the cases of Roe v. Wade (1973) and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) often; I will be using Roe and Dobbs as the shortened names of these rulings. Throughout our reading I will be discussing underground abortions through a historical, medical and personal lens. I feel it remiss of me not to mention that I underwent in abortion in February of 2020 at the age of 19. I would quickly like to note that statistically everyone loves someone who has had an abortion (Lang), whether they know it or not.

The underground abortion will always exist; regardless of the legality of abortions. The right to reproductive healthcare is a human right; the UN itself agrees, “Rights to reproductive and sexual health include the right to life, liberty and the security of the person; the right to health care and information; and the right to non-discrimination in the allocation of resources to health services and in their availability and accessibility,”. Women are innovative and intelligent and, if need be, are more than capable of taking their reproductive health into their own hands. Abortion is an essential medical procedure for those able to give birth; especially in pregnancies that can physically harm the carrier. For many women, abortion is a protection and a necessity. Abortions have been performed underground since their birth. There are cases where women do not find safe ways to abort. Some women go as far as to, “...drink bleach...jab a coat hanger up into themselves...ask their boyfriends to beat them up” (Bruder), causing permanent damage to their bodies or even death; these deaths are preventable with access to proper healthcare. It is important to recognize that not all women are able to give birth and not all those who can give birth identify as women. Reproductive rights as a whole as well as abortion access, is not simply a women’s issue but a human rights issue.

The practice of abortion is not a new concept, even in our recent U.S. history the topic of abortion can be found. In early America the common law surrounding abortion was adapted from British law, “...allowing abortion prior to ‘quickening’ – an archaic term for fetal movement...around four months of pregnancy” (Planned Parenthood). Abortion was not made illegal nationwide until 1910 (Planned Parenthood); following this in the mid-nineteenth century the American Medical Association was formed and felt threatened by those able to perform abortions without a medical license, “establishing the American Medical Association (AMA) led a campaign to criminalize abortion,” (Greenhouse and Siegel). Women who can perform abortions without a medical license are commonly known as, in the world of the underground abortions, “community providers' ' (Bruder). Moving forward, around the 1972 presidential election, there is a clear switch between the political parties (Democrats and Republicans) and their opinions towards abortion. The summer before Roe, a research poll had been published and reported that, “sixty-four percent of Americans (and fifty-six percent of Catholics) agreed ‘with the statement that 'the decision to have an abortion should be made solely by a woman and her physician’- with ‘a greater proportion of Republicans (68 per cent) . . . than Democrats (59 per cent) holding the belief that abortion should be a decision between a woman and her physician’ (Greenhouse and Siegel). The republican party had realignments of this position as these issues became increasingly important with Catholics and Feminists, “...strategists for the Republican Party began to employ arguments [against] abortion in the campaign for the 1972 presidential election,” (Greenhouse and Siegel). Of course soon after the election was Roe who stood proud and strong for many years (I like to imagine Roe as a lovely, independent and very strong non-binary superhero), until the overturning in 2022 currently reshaping the United States in a plethora of facets; hence the importance of this topic.

In the respect of sharing first-hand experiences to hopefully destigmatize our word of the day, abortion, here is an account of my personal abortion experience.

In February of 2020, a month before the pandemic, I had an abortion. I would like to start off by saying explicitly that I was and am incredibly privileged (in a multitude of ways) in my abortion experience; many women do not have the resources I was able to obtain. I was 19 years old, two months away from 20 when I found out I was pregnant. Nothing particularly strange occurred. I just noticed my boobs looked way bigger than ever (like, wowza!); this prompted me to order two pregnancy tests. I ordered them with Amazon Prime and they arrived the next day. I was in no way equipt to be a mother; or to physically be pregnant. I will skip all of the dramatic details and move us right along to finding an abortion clinic. I am fortunate enough to live in Illinois and have access to multiple options of abortion clinics. In an article from The Atlantic, journalist and writer Jessica Bruder writes, “ Nearly 90 percent of U.S. counties lack a clinic that offers abortion”. Many women struggle to simply find and travel to a clinic; one needs resources, child-care, time off of work, if travel is required, especially to different states.

With the help of a friend I was able to schedule an appointment at a private clinic called CaraFem. It was a bit of a drive but I was terrified of seeing angry protestors at PlannedParenthood while making a very serious decision for myself, my health and my future. The anti-abortion protesting is so serious that there are special volunteers whose main job is to safely escort people into the PlannedParenthood for their appointments and do their best to distract the patient from the protestors signs, yelling, and more (Planned Parenthood). The clinic I had gone to looked just like any old doctors office; except almost everything was hot pink. I went into the exam room and the doctor did an internal ultrasound to confirm my pregnancy. She asked if I would like to see the ultrasound, I declined. After the exam I sat down with two people. One, a doctor and the other, a social worker. They explained my options in great detail, the first being the procedure and the second being the pill. I had never known of the pill, everything I had seen in the media showed the abortion as a procedure, done with a vacuum in a scary room. The pill was simple, you begin by taking the mifepristone then (you can choose when you take this next one within 72 hours) the next morning you insert the misoprostol either into your vagina and allow it to dissolve or in the sides of your mouth and let it dissolve, lay still for an hour and wait. This medication induces a miscarriage. The main abortion lasts roughly 12 hours with a climax around hour 6. You will experience cramping and bleeding. Then, after 48 hours you should not have “bad” symptoms and your abortion is over. That is it. A pill. I chose the pill.

My experience was almost exactly as what I described above; it was painful and I don't regret it for a second. I am very happy with how my abortion turned out and I am aware of how privileged I am to receive the care that I did. I was not ready to be a mother, I don’t know if I will ever be. I am living my life for myself as an individual, and I have to say it's not too shabby. In the chaos of the fight for reproductive rights I feel we often forget the reason, the individual; actual freedom; actual bodily autonomy. All humans deserve to experience their lives and achieve their dreams, whether that involves a family or not.

The leading cause of death in pregnant women is murder (Harvard). There is a real danger to women who are unable to access reproductive healthcare, such as abortions. Without public access to reproductive healthcare people have to look elsewhere for their reproductive care and the “Women who decide to have abortions tend to be disproportionately younger, lower income, unmarried and minority,” (Orrell). There is a network of various people, women and nonprofits who are creating spaces for reproductive care to happen safely, this is the underground abortion. These networks exist everywhere, in places one may never think, such as the hacker conference that had speaker (using the alias) Maggie Mayhem to demonstrate how to build and use a “Del-Em” which is an at-home abortion tool (Bruder). Nonprofits are forming across the nation to support access to reproductive care. The nonprofit, “Abortion Delivered,” for example, equips bulletproof vans with gynecological tools and is stationed outside of Texas, where abortion is illegal (Bruder). Others are trying to help around the world as well; There are conversations happening around the idea of suing the United States government for human rights violations; such as, “The right to nondiscrimination on the ground of sex is relevant to women’s human rights as related to abortion access,” (Berer). Other freedoms or rights in one or more of internationally ratified human rights covenants being broken are as follows:

• ●  right to life

• ●  right to health

• ●  right to equality and nondiscrimination

• ●  right to liberty and security of the person

• ●  right to equality before the law

• ●  right to benefit from scientific progress

• ●  freedom from torture

• ●  freedom from slavery

  A supporter of this idea says “Human rights are rights we simply have because we exist as human beings,” (Berer). At the end of the day that is all that we are, human beings. When asked about the possibility of more and more states making abortion illegal, Angela, the head of Abortion Delivered says, “Well, we’re going to need more,” (Bruder). There will always be

support, there will always be freedom, there will always be autonomy; but we may need to look underground to find it.

Abortions will never go away; they will always continue. It is up to us and our lawmakers to allow these abortions to be safe and accessible. For now we will trust in those risking their lives to get women the care they need. For now we will tell our stories. For now we will say “Abortion”.

Sources

Bruder, Jessica. “The Future of Abortion in a Post-Roe America.” The Atlantic, 2 June 2022,

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/roe-v-wade-overturn-abortion-ri ghts/629366/.

CaraFem. “Abortion Pills Online & Abortion Clinics” CaraFem, carafem.org

Greenhouse, Linda, and Siegel, Reva B.. “Before (and After) Roe v. Wade: New Questions About Backlash.” The Yale Law Journal, vol. 120, no. 8, 2011, pp. 2028–87. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41149586.

Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health. “Homicide leading cause of death for pregnant women in U.S.” Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 21 Oct. 2022, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/homicide-leading-cause-of- death-for-pregnant-women-in-u-s/

Lang, Charmaine. “Everyone Loves Someone Who Had an Abortion: The Ms. Q&A with Eveline Shen and Yamani Hernandez.” Ms. Magazine, 28 Jan. 2020, msmagazine.com/2020/01/27/everyone-loves-someone-who-had-an-abortion-the- ms-qa-with-eveline-shen-and-yamani-hernandez/.

Orrell, Brent. Life After Roe: Supporting Women and Families Facing Unexpected Pregnancies. American Enterprise Institute, 2022. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep42743.

Oyez. "Roe v. Wade." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18.

Parenthood, Planned. “Abortion in U.S. History.” Planned Parenthood Action Fund, www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/abortion-central-history-repro ductive-health-care-america.