Post-Kavanaugh: All is not lost, struggle against patriarchy must continue immediately

In the wake of the recent vote by the Senate to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court many women and supporters of women's rights have been emotionally devastated and understandably angry. With President Donald Trump now gaining two conservative appointments to the Supreme Court women's rights are in serious jeopardy. It is widely believed that with a conservative majority the precedent of Roe v. Wade will be overturned, stripping the right of women to control their own bodies and denying them access to abortion. However, believe it or not, all is not lost and it is imperative that women and allies pick themselves up and continue the struggle against patriarchy immediately.

More damage needs to be mitigated

In the short-term the midterm elections are heating up and it is imperative that women and all those who support women's rights make it to the polls to politically punish Republicans for their vote on Kavanaugh. On the other hand, revenge is not the only reason it is important to vote in November. Overturning Roe v. Wade will not happen overnight. The conservatives will still have to take their anti-choice lawsuits through the court system and work their way to the Supreme Court.

In the meantime the GOP will try to outlaw abortion and infringe on the rights of women on the state and local level. It is up to women, liberals, progressives and all those who support women's rights to stop them. At least four states have already passed laws through their state legislatures which would automatically make abortion illegal if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Undoubtedly, the confirmation of Kavanaugh will encourage other conservatives in state legislatures to attempt to follow suit. Therefore, it is imperative that Democrats and those on the left side of the political spectrum control as many state legislative seats and governorships as possible. The only way to do this is at the ballot box in November.

Culture can change politics

Although electoral politics is essential to mitigate the oncoming damage to women's rights in the long-term culture needs to become a larger part of the left's theory of change. Cultural changes are what makes political change possible. Before Brown v. Board of Education, Jackie Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut seven years prior. Ellen Degeneres came out as homosexual on her television sitcom eight years before the first favorable court ruling addressing same-sex marriage. Culture is the seed which must be planted before progressive politics can bear fruit. Now in the midst of the Me Too Movement, believe it or not, the seed has been planted and despite the set back we have yet to bear the fruit.

This means we must continue the struggle on the cultural front. Artists, writers, musicians, creatives and propagators of culture must continue to tell the stories of women's struggles and triumphs in the face of patriarchy. Stories should be created and visions should be shown that portray women of strength, independence, intellect and conscience. Continue telling stories reflecting on how economic inequality is intertwined with women's rights and ultimately human rights. Convey the emotions of women facing the economic reality of an unexpected pregnancy while in soul-crushing poverty with the father not in the picture. Tell the story of the woman who had been impregnated by her rapist. Make her humanity undeniable to even the most hardened of conservatives, including those sitting on the Supreme Court right now.

Humans can change

This may understandably sound naive to many, but believe it or not, likely attempted rapist, and now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is also human. This means he and any other humans sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court are capable of change. Even hardcore neoconservative Dick Cheney had a change of heart regarding same-sex marriage when he was faced with the reality of how it affected his daughter's sense of humanity.

Never give up

Like Cheney and the rest of humanity, none of the justices on the Supreme Court are completely disconnected from society and culture. They all surf the Internet and read the news and watch television just like the rest of us. They too will be subject to the cultural messaging of both the right and the left. But, if the left wins the culture war it is possible when it comes time for Kavanaugh and the other conservative justices to pull the trigger, they may ultimately find room in their hearts to maintain the precedent set by Roe v. Wade.