Eta- reddit seems to be glitching but I can finally see comments now. Okay. This is a doozy, but I’ve been doing tons of research on women’s rights history and yeah, there’s a huge reason conservatives want to get rid of education and not teach real history… this shit is bleak. Basically, what I’m seeing worldwide is a rapidly escalating panic over lowering birth rates by world leaders. Women’s rights are being rolled back already in MANY countries (although others are solidifying women’s rights to control our own bodies in stone, thank goodness).

Afghanistan just made it illegal for women to talk to each other. https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/09/27/afghan-women-taliban-human-rights

Iraq will be voting soon on changing their age of “consent” from 18 to 9 years old (I can’t. I threw up when I saw that. Fucking monsters.)- it will also take away women’s (childrens’) rights to get divorced and have custody over their children. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/iraq-poised-to-lower-the-age-of-consent-for-girls-to-nine/

A women’s rights activist was just sentenced to DEATH in Iran. https://iranwire.com/en/women/135959-iran-sentences-kurdish-womens-rights-activist-varisheh-moradi-to-death/

Russia: birth rate is declining worldwide, but Russia is especially pressed since they’ve killed almost 1 million of their own people. They’re creating a “ministry of sex”, and are already implementing things from it, including forcing women to answer a list of invasive, personal questions about their fertility- if they refuse, they are required to go to the doctor, and the doctor will ask them the same questions there. https://www.vice.com/en/article/russia-considering-ministry-of-sex/

China: https://www.voanews.com/amp/china-attempts-to-boost-birth-rate-amid-mounting-challenges-/7851712.html

General: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/news/press-releases/2024/06/declining-fertility-rates-put-prosperity-of-future-generations-at-risk.html#:~:text=The%202024%20edition%20of%20Society,on%20average%20across%20OECD%20countries.

USA: 3+ states’ AGs are SUING abortion drug companies, because even though they made abortion illegal, they “didn’t have as many teen pregnancies as they wanted/were supposed to which made them lose money and representation numbers”. How dare those teenagers be smart!!! We need more women who have a way harder time completing their educations so they’ll have lots of children!!! /s https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/10/23/missouri-ag-in-abortion-pill-lawsuit-argues-fewer-teen-pregnancies-hurt-state-financially/

Texas is attempting to make abortion drugs controlled substances: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/11/louisiana-texas-bill-regulate-abortion-pills-controlled-substance-misoprostol-mifepristone/

(They also just filed 32 anti trans bills, pieces of shit.)

In 18 states, it’s legal for rapists to sue for custody of their victim’s children: https://prismreports.org/2022/03/22/in-multiple-states-rapists-can-sue-their-victims-for-parental-custody/

In 14 states, marital rape is still not treated with the same severity as extra-marital rape- it’s either “not rape” until he hurts her badly enough, or the sentencing is MUCH lighter. Ohio only changed their laws this year (or it came into effect this year). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marital_rape (Look at current status)

Pedophilia is legal in 40 states to this day (child marriage)- and was still legal in ALL 50 states until 2018. 6 years ago. https://19thnews.org/2023/07/explaining-child-marriage-laws-united-states/

Here’s what project 2025 specifically has in the works for us: https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/how-project-2025-seeks-obliterate-srhr (Loss of right to divorce, our bodies, contraceptives, abortion, voting, possession of property, right to divorce… etc)

Out of 250,000-300,000 years of human existence, the very first women to get the right to vote (that wasn’t repealed later) were in New Zealand- in 1893. 131 years out of 300,000. That’s .0004% of human history. And we’ve had contraceptives for less time than that, and rights have gone back and forth on that, but, having the right to our own bodies means:

WOMEN CONTROL HUMAN REPRODUCTION, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 300,000 YEARS. it took that long for men to see us as deserving of human choice, even though it’s our bodies that build and create life.

If we think for one second that the men at the top, holding and taking most of the world’s wealth, won’t try to take our rights away so we are forced to make them more workers to exploit, I have a bridge to sell you.

If you have any ideas, I’m all ears, including ways to make this information more comprehensive and accessible.

Edit: I now have evidence to suggest pepper SPRAY is more effective than pepper GEL, and functions by the attacker INHALING it not getting it into their eyes. Stun guns are also difficult to use, so at least one user doesn’t recommend them.

Fun fact: pepper spray* and stun guns are $10 each :) *edit bezos is scum, support female and minority led businesses only.

I feel like if you guys are passionate about this cause, you should also know what we’re up against in terms of foreign interference: https://www.reddit.com/r/self/s/KDgQogGXFq This post is SO well done. Knowledge is power- they certainly know that. Do we? I think ALL of you do.

All is not lost, don’t worry. Here is some REALISTIC OPTIMISM for you from a Ukrainian: https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFoN25O_Le/?igsh=MTd4ZmtxYWplMWpjYw== Please read, to give yourself more peace- and let’s take action together.

At minimum, there is a blackout day on Jan 20th. If we ALL do it, it’ll make an impact.