Every Thursday is Thotty Thursday on our Instagram! This week, learn about Roe vs. Wade and how it affects sex workers.
Thotty Thursdays:
Let’s talk about sex workers and Roe vs. Wade.
What’s going on?
According to a leaked Supreme Court opinion, the Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade.
If the decision were to go into effect, there would be little or no access to abortion in over 25 states including Missouri.
How does it affect sex workers?
Not only will the overturning of Roe v. Wade effect anyone with a uterus, it will have doubly negative effects on sex workers.
Sex workers’ bodily autonomy and access to healthcare are already undermined by laws that criminalize erotic labor.
How else does it affect sex workers?
Contraceptives are not 100% effective and there’s always a possibility of pregnancy due to this type of work.
Sex workers with a uterus may have to carry on with a pregnancy even if it is unwanted. Sex workers already struggle with having access to healthcare and having control with their own bodily autonomy.
Restricting people’s right to choose their own medical procedures would further reinforce the violent notion that sex workers do not deserve agency over their bodies.
Pregnancy is already a fatal occupational hazard for many sex workers.
Many disabled sex workers cannot make a living in other industries nor safely carry a pregnancy to term.
How else could sex workers be impacted?
Sex workers are vulnerable to sexual harassment and violence in the workplace. If sexual violence does occur, we should not be forced to carry the perpetrator’s baby.
If sexual violence results in pregnancy, the law of the land should not perpetuate the violence via forced birth, nor criminalize the victim.
So what’s the bottom line for sex workers?
Nobody should be forced to carry a pregnancy, and what we do with our bodies should not be dictated by the Supreme Court.
What can you do about it?
Read up. Get organized. Spread the word!
We recommend following and becoming active within these grassroots MO organizations: