RAB Source Entry 3- Nyazia B

Part 1 – MLA Citation 

Johnson, Akilah. “How the Abortion Ruling Could Impact Black Women.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 10 June 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-reports/how-the-abortion-ruling-could-impact-black-women/.

Part 2 – Summary 

In the podcast “How the abortion ruling could impact Black Women.” Akilah Johnson discusses what the overturn of Roe v Wade could mean for Black Women. It starts off with a recording of a Women giving blessing to three black women – Anarcha , Lucy, and Betsy who sacrificed their bodies during times where they were tortured and experimented on to advance gynecology. Johnson begins to discuss what it’s been like for Black Women when it comes to reproductive healthcare and how it will look with a Post-Roe future. Throughout the podcast how the attacks on the autonomy of Black women’s bodies and the abortion rights both have to do with slavery and racism and also poverty . The overturning of Roe v Wade in states where it’s completely banned has made it difficult for Women to recieve an abortion but it’s especially difficult for black women when systemic racism and poverty plays a part. Black women suffer the most when it comes to reproductive healthcare and their lives are not valued compared to other women.

Part 3 – Reflection 

As a young black woman this podcast moved me and also made me angry. I never knew black women were tortured and experimented on for the sake of advancing gynecology. Black Women have always been disproportionately affected when it came to reproductive healthcare due to systemic racism and poverty, now the overturn puts them at a higher risk because of the obstacles they need to go through just to receive it I agree with the message that is discussed throughout this podcast when it comes to reproductive health about black women. Black women ultimately suffer the most when it comes to reproductive healthcare and the overturning of Roe V Wade has made their experiences even harder. Many people are oblivious to what the overturn of Roe v Wade really does for women who do not have the privilege of receiving accessible reproductive healthcare. Now that roe v wade has been overturned lack Women have to thin I think Johnson uses the recording of a women giving blessings to the women who sacrificed their bodies during a time where women were tortured for the purpose of advancing gynecology as a representation of what Black Women endured over time and to show how it will be even worse with the overturn. Privilege makes people less aware of what really goes on for the people who live most of their lives in poverty and have to deal with systemic racism when it comes to their reproductive health. 

Part 4 – Rhetorical Analysis 

Johnson’s audience is black women and the general public. Her purpose is to educate people on what women have endured over decades and how the overturning of Roe V Wade disproportionate them. The occasion is the overturning of Roe V Wade. Her choice of the podcast as the genre is effective. Hearing the percentage of black women compared to any other race that receive abortions to now having to go through difficult obstacles that majority are not able to do and have to suffer sends a powerful message. The podcast captures the cruel reality of being a black woman trying to receive reproductive healthcare. She uses the rhetorical appeal of pathos to connect with the audience by sharing a story of a young Black Women who has experienced this. She also uses logos by telling how black women have had no choice for decades and how the overturn of Roe v Wade will disproportionately impact them. Akilah Johnson was a narrative healthcare reporter for ProPublica and is now a national reporter for the Washington post focusing on health disparities. The Washington post is credible because it is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, has a large national audience, and has won 68 Pulitzer Prizes. 

Part 5 – Notable Quotables 

“And what does it mean to raise a child in a world that already doesn’t value Black lives the same as it values other lives.” 

“And how now that is less of a choice that folks have to make. Well, let’s think about Black women and their place and how we have existed in American society. For decades, Black women have had no other choice or option but to work outside of the home to support their family, right? And so, when it comes to a choice between staying home or working, that’s not even a choice for Black women. And so that is part of the it’s always been more than a choice. It’s been about the choice to not just decide whether or not to have a child, but it’s also the world in which that child is raised.”

“You have to think about the instances of Child Protective Services being involved and mass incarceration. So, when Black women are talking about reproductive justice, it is a much more holistic argument that abortion is a part of but is not the sole focus of.”