Prior to the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that overturns abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade, 58% of Americans said they were opposed to overturning the 1973 decision, according to a Gallup poll published on June 9.
Since the SCOTUS decision last Friday, activists both for and against abortion have been protesting across the country. Abortions are expected to be banned in about half of the states, while the timing of laws going into effect varies in each state, according to the Associated Press.
Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization aimed at increasing the number of women in computer science, published an op-ed for NBC News on Wednesday, and said that "we can’t vote or march our way out of this one."
Instead, Saujani gave her thoughts on what women in the United States should do instead of taking a stance by protesting the SCOTUS decision.
"One solution might be to let things fall apart for just one day. Stop working, stop washing, stop doing any of the labor — visible and invisible, paid and unpaid — that makes this country run," Saujani wrote.
"That’s what women did in Iceland in 1975, when 90% of the nation’s women went on strike on a Friday, refusing to go to work or care for their kids, to demand equity. Iceland’s parliament passed a law banning wage discrimination based on gender a year later."
Saujani acknowledged a large strike would be a challenge to accomplish, but she believes that if something like that were to happen it could actually make a difference.
"Indeed, even with the massive challenges of pulling off such a protest in a nation far bigger than Iceland — where strikers can lose their jobs and their health care — this tactic would be worth it," Saujani wrote. "I’m not so naive as to think it wouldn’t require the full participation of a nation infamously known for refusing to endure even the mildest discomforts for the greater good.
"But I would hope that in a country where most people agree that access to abortion care shouldn’t be taken away, we can work together for one day to have our voices heard."
Saujani said that women need to "make our anger heard" and continues to push for change in the future.
"And if it’s not this, I remain hopeful that we’ll find new ways to meet a moment in which our righteous anger is co-opted and weaponized and our autonomy is criminalized."
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