niyad
niyad's JournalDomestic Violence Calls About 'Reproductive Coercion' Doubled After the Overturn of Roe
(FUCK THE GODDAMNED WOMAN-HATING, CHRISTOFASCIST GESTATIONAL SLAVERS AND ALL THEIR ENABLERS)
Domestic Violence Calls About ‘Reproductive Coercion’ Doubled After the Overturn of Roe
10/20/2023 by Jennifer Gerson, The 19th
Those experiencing domestic violence are facing a reality where an inability to receive reproductive care is also further endangering their lives, new data shows.
Abortion rights activists march to the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, 2023, to mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. (Anna Rose Layden / Getty Images)
This story was originally published by The 19th.
Reports of abuse involving reproductive coercion—actions that prevent someone from making crucial decisions about their body and reproductive health—nearly doubled in the yearlong period after Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to new data from the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH). “If you cannot make these decisions, it could mean unfortunately that you have to stay in an abusive situation longer than you want to,” Marium Durrani, the vice president of public policy at the NDVH, told The 19th. “It could impact your escape, it could mean that potentially you’re forced to have a child with someone you don’t want to have a child with.”
Durrani explained that reproductive coercion can take the form of any situation in which one partner is exerting power over another in a way that impacts their reproductive health: forcing someone to engage in sexual activity, refusing to use contraception, restricting a partner from seeing a healthcare provider, telling a partner they are not allowed to receive abortion care. “A lot more people are now citing some sort of reproductive issue as part of their experience [with domestic abuse],” Durrani said. “Dobbs is having a huge impact on not only all individuals around the country, but survivors in particular.”
. . . .
The Supreme Court is hearing a case next month that may further change the risk factors that pregnant people in abusive relationships face: United States v. Rahimi is about whether or not the federal law barring individuals who have a standing domestic violence restraining order against them from possessing guns is constitutional. Experts point to the links between pregnancy, abuse and death by gun violence, as well as the rise in calls to the hotline in the year after the Dobbs decision, as critical context about the stakes in the Rahimi case.
Talukder said that now that the Supreme Court is about to decide whether those who are under domestic violence restraining orders—which require a preponderance of evidence to be granted by a judge in a civil court—have the right to own firearms, it is impossible to isolate what is currently at play with Rahimi with what the Court already decided in Dobbs. “The bigger issue now is why the Supreme Court decides who gets to have rights in this country.” With the documented spike in calls already to the NDVH citing reproductive coercion post-Dobbs, Durrani emphasized that it is critical to remember that Dobbs and Rahimi both exist in a landscape where Supreme Court rulings stand to impact “the ecosystem of what survivors have available to them, the world that they live in to try to get safe. When you take away any of those options, then you put survivors in much more dangerous situations.”
https://msmagazine.com/2023/10/20/domestic-violence-reproductive-coercion-doubled-roe-dobbs/
Domestic Violence Calls About 'Reproductive Coercion' Doubled After the Overturn of Roe
(FUCK THE GODDAMNED WOMAN-HATING, CHRISTOFASCIST GESTATIONAL SLAVERS AND ALL THEIR ENABLERS)
Domestic Violence Calls About ‘Reproductive Coercion’ Doubled After the Overturn of Roe
10/20/2023 by Jennifer Gerson, The 19th
Those experiencing domestic violence are facing a reality where an inability to receive reproductive care is also further endangering their lives, new data shows.
Abortion rights activists march to the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, 2023, to mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. (Anna Rose Layden / Getty Images)
This story was originally published by The 19th.
Reports of abuse involving reproductive coercion—actions that prevent someone from making crucial decisions about their body and reproductive health—nearly doubled in the yearlong period after Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to new data from the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH). “If you cannot make these decisions, it could mean unfortunately that you have to stay in an abusive situation longer than you want to,” Marium Durrani, the vice president of public policy at the NDVH, told The 19th. “It could impact your escape, it could mean that potentially you’re forced to have a child with someone you don’t want to have a child with.”
Durrani explained that reproductive coercion can take the form of any situation in which one partner is exerting power over another in a way that impacts their reproductive health: forcing someone to engage in sexual activity, refusing to use contraception, restricting a partner from seeing a healthcare provider, telling a partner they are not allowed to receive abortion care. “A lot more people are now citing some sort of reproductive issue as part of their experience [with domestic abuse],” Durrani said. “Dobbs is having a huge impact on not only all individuals around the country, but survivors in particular.”
. . . .
The Supreme Court is hearing a case next month that may further change the risk factors that pregnant people in abusive relationships face: United States v. Rahimi is about whether or not the federal law barring individuals who have a standing domestic violence restraining order against them from possessing guns is constitutional. Experts point to the links between pregnancy, abuse and death by gun violence, as well as the rise in calls to the hotline in the year after the Dobbs decision, as critical context about the stakes in the Rahimi case.
Talukder said that now that the Supreme Court is about to decide whether those who are under domestic violence restraining orders—which require a preponderance of evidence to be granted by a judge in a civil court—have the right to own firearms, it is impossible to isolate what is currently at play with Rahimi with what the Court already decided in Dobbs. “The bigger issue now is why the Supreme Court decides who gets to have rights in this country.” With the documented spike in calls already to the NDVH citing reproductive coercion post-Dobbs, Durrani emphasized that it is critical to remember that Dobbs and Rahimi both exist in a landscape where Supreme Court rulings stand to impact “the ecosystem of what survivors have available to them, the world that they live in to try to get safe. When you take away any of those options, then you put survivors in much more dangerous situations.”
https://msmagazine.com/2023/10/20/domestic-violence-reproductive-coercion-doubled-roe-dobbs/
Domestic Violence Calls About 'Reproductive Coercion' Doubled After the Overturn of Roe
(FUCK THE GODDAMNED WOMAN-HATING, CHRISTOFASCIST GESTATIONAL SLAVERS AND ALL THEIR ENABLERS)
Domestic Violence Calls About ‘Reproductive Coercion’ Doubled After the Overturn of Roe
10/20/2023 by Jennifer Gerson, The 19th
Those experiencing domestic violence are facing a reality where an inability to receive reproductive care is also further endangering their lives, new data shows.
Abortion rights activists march to the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, 2023, to mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. (Anna Rose Layden / Getty Images)
This story was originally published by The 19th.
Reports of abuse involving reproductive coercion—actions that prevent someone from making crucial decisions about their body and reproductive health—nearly doubled in the yearlong period after Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to new data from the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH). “If you cannot make these decisions, it could mean unfortunately that you have to stay in an abusive situation longer than you want to,” Marium Durrani, the vice president of public policy at the NDVH, told The 19th. “It could impact your escape, it could mean that potentially you’re forced to have a child with someone you don’t want to have a child with.”
Durrani explained that reproductive coercion can take the form of any situation in which one partner is exerting power over another in a way that impacts their reproductive health: forcing someone to engage in sexual activity, refusing to use contraception, restricting a partner from seeing a healthcare provider, telling a partner they are not allowed to receive abortion care. “A lot more people are now citing some sort of reproductive issue as part of their experience [with domestic abuse],” Durrani said. “Dobbs is having a huge impact on not only all individuals around the country, but survivors in particular.”
. . . .
The Supreme Court is hearing a case next month that may further change the risk factors that pregnant people in abusive relationships face: United States v. Rahimi is about whether or not the federal law barring individuals who have a standing domestic violence restraining order against them from possessing guns is constitutional. Experts point to the links between pregnancy, abuse and death by gun violence, as well as the rise in calls to the hotline in the year after the Dobbs decision, as critical context about the stakes in the Rahimi case.
Talukder said that now that the Supreme Court is about to decide whether those who are under domestic violence restraining orders—which require a preponderance of evidence to be granted by a judge in a civil court—have the right to own firearms, it is impossible to isolate what is currently at play with Rahimi with what the Court already decided in Dobbs. “The bigger issue now is why the Supreme Court decides who gets to have rights in this country.” With the documented spike in calls already to the NDVH citing reproductive coercion post-Dobbs, Durrani emphasized that it is critical to remember that Dobbs and Rahimi both exist in a landscape where Supreme Court rulings stand to impact “the ecosystem of what survivors have available to them, the world that they live in to try to get safe. When you take away any of those options, then you put survivors in much more dangerous situations.”
https://msmagazine.com/2023/10/20/domestic-violence-reproductive-coercion-doubled-roe-dobbs/
Welcome To Wonkette Happy Hour, With This Week's Cocktail, The Regrettable Tattoo!
(Calling Aristus!!!!)
Welcome To Wonkette Happy Hour, With This Week's Cocktail, The Regrettable Tattoo!
They said it couldn't be done. They were wrong. They said it shouldn't be done. I did it anyway.
Matthew Hooper
Nov 3, 2023
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F582b6c48-31c0-4745-b1fd-e4538481ace3_4032x3024.jpeg
If you live on the West Coast, you have no idea how much terror is in this picture.
Greetings, Wonketeers! I’m Hooper, your bartender. And I am a little smug today. Last weekend I was bartending a gig with some pretty savvy cocktail nerds. They threw me some pretty hefty curveballs. A drink featuring Angostura bitters? Yeah, I’ve got a recipe for a Trinidad Sour in my back pocket. Want a Zombie (a 15-ingredient tiki monster)? Yep, no sweat. I’ve made dozens. And then the Midwestern bartender’s nightmare came out: Malört. The absolute worst liquor ever created in the United State of America. Many mixologists have tried to make a Malört cocktail. Many have failed. But I had an inkling of how to tackle this beast. I made it work, but only by breaking all the rules. Ladies and gentlemen, I submit for your drinking pleasure: The Regrettable Tattoo. Here’s the recipe:
Regrettable Tattoo
2 oz Boodles Gin
1 oz Malört Liqueur
2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz passion fruit puree
1 oz simple syrup
½ oz pomegranate molasses
2 shakes Angostura bitters
Shake all ingredients and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting Malört, I can only describe this wormwood liqueur as resembling seven or eight dissolved aspirin in a glass. But somehow, it tastes even worse than that; the finish lingers on your tongue for a good minute, despite all efforts to sandpaper the flavor out of your mouth. It’s a liqueur that tastes of pencil shavings and heartbreak. It is, charitably, a strong drink.
That’s been the selling point of Malört since its inception. Originally created in the 1930s by Carl Jeppson, Malört’s back label tells you that “Its bitter taste is savored by two-fisted drinkers.” Malört was freely sold during Prohibition; the government was convinced that no one would actually drink the stuff for fun. The brand withered away to almost nothing until social media found it and celebrated its unique awfulness. The fan-created advertising slogans are priceless:
Malört, tonight's the night you fight your dad!
Malört, the Champagne of pain.
Malört, turning taste-buds into taste-foes for generations.
Drink Malört, it's easier than telling people you have nothing to live for.
Malört, what soap washes its mouth out with.
Malört, these pants aren't going to sh** themselves.
Malört, the liver is evil and must be punished.
Malört, pumpkin spice for sadists.
These days, Malört is an underground icon of the gritty Midwest, especially Chicago. Ask for a shot of Malört at the bar, and the bartender knows that you’re an authentic tough guy. They also know that you’re an idiot, and that cleaning out the bathrooms at the end of the shift will require a strong constitution.
Send this post to your baddest-ass friend!
Share
The unique character of Malört does make one wonder why you’d try to build a cocktail around it. I’m certainly not the first. Chicago’s finest speakeasies have made the attempt. It is a very, very difficult ingredient to work with, and making it palatable is … challenging.
I threw all caution and sense to the wind and made something tiki-inspired, but without any attempt to balance the drink. You’ll never convince Malört to be sweet or pleasant, so why not just keep throwing bitter and sour flavors at it until it joins the punk rock choir? Grapefruit makes a lot of sense in that context; you expect bitter pith to come with your grapefruit. The other juices were chosen for their pucker power. I’m really pleased with the pomegranate molasses here; the earthy sourness ties everything together nicely. The end result is a cocktail that will make your face curdle when you taste it, but somehow you keep going back to the glass.
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F544ce8da-a302-448e-af79-e86c6300805a_4032x3024.jpeg
Let’s talk ingredients:
Ingredient shot. Yes, I finished the cocktail. I made a “Malört face” every time I sipped it. It kept sucking me back in.
. . . .
https://www.wonkette.com/p/welcome-to-wonkette-happy-hour-with-2e7
The Republican Crusade Against Issue 1: Ohio's Reproductive Freedom Amendment
(lengthy, disturbing, important read)
The Republican Crusade Against Issue 1: Ohio’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment
11/3/2023 by Morgan Carmen
To counter Republican and anti-choice talking points about Issue 1, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights focus on personal medical freedom—and urge voters to vote yes.
ohio-republicans-abortion-issue-1-reproductive-freedom-amendmentAbortion rights supporters attend at Bans Off Day of Action in Columbus on Oct. 9. (Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights / Facebook)
In the face of a referendum that could add a right to reproductive freedom to the Ohio constitution, state Republicans have organized a campaign to confuse voters and undermine the democratic process.
After Roe fell last summer and a six-week abortion ban went into effect in the state, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) and other pro-choice advocates turned their focus to a citizen-initiated ballot measure.
As OPRR started collecting signatures to make sure the Reproductive Freedom Amendment would be on the ballot in November, state Republicans started plotting.
. . . .
First, the Ohio Ballot Board, chaired by Secretary LaRose, decided to present a summary of the amendment on the ballot, rather than the actual amendment. The Ballot Board’s summary used words like “unborn child” instead of “fetus” and originally suggested that the amendment would limit the actions of private citizens, among other changes. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights challenged the ballot language in court as misleading; those who are in favor of the Reproductive Freedom Amendment could be puzzled by the anti-choice language (“unborn child”) or the fact that this description says that the amendment covers a right to “one’s own reproductive medical treatment” when the actual amendment covers a broad range of reproductive health care decisions, they argued. In late September, the Ohio supreme court left most of the Ballot Board’s summary intact. The only change was a clarification that the amendment will only impact state interference with reproductive decision-making.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/11/03/ohio-republicans-abortion-issue-1-reproductive-freedom-amendment/
The Republican Crusade Against Issue 1: Ohio's Reproductive Freedom Amendment
(lengthy, disturbing, important read)
The Republican Crusade Against Issue 1: Ohio’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment
11/3/2023 by Morgan Carmen
To counter Republican and anti-choice talking points about Issue 1, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights focus on personal medical freedom—and urge voters to vote yes.
ohio-republicans-abortion-issue-1-reproductive-freedom-amendmentAbortion rights supporters attend at Bans Off Day of Action in Columbus on Oct. 9. (Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights / Facebook)
In the face of a referendum that could add a right to reproductive freedom to the Ohio constitution, state Republicans have organized a campaign to confuse voters and undermine the democratic process.
After Roe fell last summer and a six-week abortion ban went into effect in the state, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) and other pro-choice advocates turned their focus to a citizen-initiated ballot measure.
As OPRR started collecting signatures to make sure the Reproductive Freedom Amendment would be on the ballot in November, state Republicans started plotting.
. . . .
First, the Ohio Ballot Board, chaired by Secretary LaRose, decided to present a summary of the amendment on the ballot, rather than the actual amendment. The Ballot Board’s summary used words like “unborn child” instead of “fetus” and originally suggested that the amendment would limit the actions of private citizens, among other changes. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights challenged the ballot language in court as misleading; those who are in favor of the Reproductive Freedom Amendment could be puzzled by the anti-choice language (“unborn child”) or the fact that this description says that the amendment covers a right to “one’s own reproductive medical treatment” when the actual amendment covers a broad range of reproductive health care decisions, they argued. In late September, the Ohio supreme court left most of the Ballot Board’s summary intact. The only change was a clarification that the amendment will only impact state interference with reproductive decision-making.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/11/03/ohio-republicans-abortion-issue-1-reproductive-freedom-amendment/
The Republican Crusade Against Issue 1: Ohio's Reproductive Freedom Amendment
(lengthy, disturbing, important read)
The Republican Crusade Against Issue 1: Ohio’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment
11/3/2023 by Morgan Carmen
To counter Republican and anti-choice talking points about Issue 1, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights focus on personal medical freedom—and urge voters to vote yes.
ohio-republicans-abortion-issue-1-reproductive-freedom-amendmentAbortion rights supporters attend at Bans Off Day of Action in Columbus on Oct. 9. (Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights / Facebook)
In the face of a referendum that could add a right to reproductive freedom to the Ohio constitution, state Republicans have organized a campaign to confuse voters and undermine the democratic process.
After Roe fell last summer and a six-week abortion ban went into effect in the state, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) and other pro-choice advocates turned their focus to a citizen-initiated ballot measure.
As OPRR started collecting signatures to make sure the Reproductive Freedom Amendment would be on the ballot in November, state Republicans started plotting.
. . . .
First, the Ohio Ballot Board, chaired by Secretary LaRose, decided to present a summary of the amendment on the ballot, rather than the actual amendment. The Ballot Board’s summary used words like “unborn child” instead of “fetus” and originally suggested that the amendment would limit the actions of private citizens, among other changes. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights challenged the ballot language in court as misleading; those who are in favor of the Reproductive Freedom Amendment could be puzzled by the anti-choice language (“unborn child”) or the fact that this description says that the amendment covers a right to “one’s own reproductive medical treatment” when the actual amendment covers a broad range of reproductive health care decisions, they argued. In late September, the Ohio supreme court left most of the Ballot Board’s summary intact. The only change was a clarification that the amendment will only impact state interference with reproductive decision-making.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/11/03/ohio-republicans-abortion-issue-1-reproductive-freedom-amendment/
The Republican Crusade Against Issue 1: Ohio's Reproductive Freedom Amendment
(lengthy, disturbing, important read)
The Republican Crusade Against Issue 1: Ohio’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment
11/3/2023 by Morgan Carmen
To counter Republican and anti-choice talking points about Issue 1, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights focus on personal medical freedom—and urge voters to vote yes.
ohio-republicans-abortion-issue-1-reproductive-freedom-amendmentAbortion rights supporters attend at Bans Off Day of Action in Columbus on Oct. 9. (Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights / Facebook)
In the face of a referendum that could add a right to reproductive freedom to the Ohio constitution, state Republicans have organized a campaign to confuse voters and undermine the democratic process.
After Roe fell last summer and a six-week abortion ban went into effect in the state, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) and other pro-choice advocates turned their focus to a citizen-initiated ballot measure.
As OPRR started collecting signatures to make sure the Reproductive Freedom Amendment would be on the ballot in November, state Republicans started plotting.
. . . .
First, the Ohio Ballot Board, chaired by Secretary LaRose, decided to present a summary of the amendment on the ballot, rather than the actual amendment. The Ballot Board’s summary used words like “unborn child” instead of “fetus” and originally suggested that the amendment would limit the actions of private citizens, among other changes. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights challenged the ballot language in court as misleading; those who are in favor of the Reproductive Freedom Amendment could be puzzled by the anti-choice language (“unborn child”) or the fact that this description says that the amendment covers a right to “one’s own reproductive medical treatment” when the actual amendment covers a broad range of reproductive health care decisions, they argued. In late September, the Ohio supreme court left most of the Ballot Board’s summary intact. The only change was a clarification that the amendment will only impact state interference with reproductive decision-making.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/11/03/ohio-republicans-abortion-issue-1-reproductive-freedom-amendment/
The Last Salem Witch Has Been Exonerated
(blessings to these determined students, and the adults who helped them. A fascinating, inspiring story. I am looking forward to the film!!!)
The Last Salem Witch Has Been Exonerated
10/30/2023 by Emmaline Kenny
More than 300 years after the conclusion of the Salem witch trials, a class of middle-school students has helped exonerate the sole remaining woman legally classified as a witch. Originally expected to be a simple class project, the path to clearing Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s name took three years and the help of a Massachusetts state senator, Diana DiZoglio (D). Filmmakers Annika Hylmö and Dawn Green tell this story in their upcoming documentary, The Last Witch.
The documentary follows the students’ path to exonerating Elizabeth Johnson Jr., one of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. She was tried and found guilty in 1693 after confessing that another woman had persuaded her to become a witch. Historical records suggest that Johnson was targeted partially due to experiencing mental disability, and her vulnerability was compounded by her status as an unwed and childless woman. Unwed women were viewed with suspicion at the time of the trials, and many individuals convicted were later exonerated by their own descendants. With no descendants to clear her name, Johnson’s wrongful conviction remained in place—making her the last remaining witch in Salem history—until Carrie LaPierre’s class came to her aid.
. . . .
Carrie LaPierre with some of her students at the Old Parish Cemetery in North Andover, Mass., where they worked to establish a memorial stone in Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s honor. (Instagram)
Righting the historical wrongs of the Salem witch trials is important because—as Sylvia Federici wrote in her book, Caliban and the Witch—they functioned as a way to police women’s behavior throughout the transition from feudalism to capitalism. During this time, resources like land became privatized, and people suddenly needed money to support themselves. This was especially difficult for women because the work they typically performed, reproductive labor, is often unpaid and undervalued. Women were also excluded from paid labor jobs or paid pennies compared to their male coworkers, forcing them into a role of heightened economic dependence on men. This new lack of independence was exacerbated by the targeting of midwives during the trials—the church deemed contraceptives, abortion and other reproductive care ‘witchcraft.’
The witch trials worked to enforce new social roles which cemented these changes; they painted women as unruly, evil and dangerous, instilling widespread fear and quelling any desires to revolt. Any woman who did not conform to the new expectation of submissiveness and focus on so-called wifely duties—such as Johnson, who was unwed—could easily be labeled as anti-religion and deserving of punishments such as hanging, having her tongue cut or being stoned. Though these trials concluded hundreds of years ago, their effects on women’s place in society have lasted to this day. Work that is traditionally done by women is still undervalued, and the justice system continues to punish women for exercising autonomy over their own bodies. The Last Witch shows how addressing injustices of the past is crucial for a more equitable future. This class project was able to literally change history and arm students with the tools to advocate for equality and inclusion in the present. “There is a sense of hope and encouragement in this story, and the idea that you have the ability to take action,” Hymlö told Ms. “In fact, you’ve probably got the responsibility to,” producer Dawn Green added.
“The Last Witch” film is currently in production. For updates on its release date, follow @thelastwitchfilm on Instagram, @thelastwitch22 on X or @thelastwitchfilmdoc on Facebook.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/10/30/salem-witch-trial-exonerated-movie-documentary/
The Last Salem Witch Has Been Exonerated
(blessings to these determined students, and the adults who helped them. A fascinating, inspiring story. I am looking forward to the film!!!)
The Last Salem Witch Has Been Exonerated
10/30/2023 by Emmaline Kenny
More than 300 years after the conclusion of the Salem witch trials, a class of middle-school students has helped exonerate the sole remaining woman legally classified as a witch. Originally expected to be a simple class project, the path to clearing Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s name took three years and the help of a Massachusetts state senator, Diana DiZoglio (D). Filmmakers Annika Hylmö and Dawn Green tell this story in their upcoming documentary, The Last Witch.
The documentary follows the students’ path to exonerating Elizabeth Johnson Jr., one of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. She was tried and found guilty in 1693 after confessing that another woman had persuaded her to become a witch. Historical records suggest that Johnson was targeted partially due to experiencing mental disability, and her vulnerability was compounded by her status as an unwed and childless woman. Unwed women were viewed with suspicion at the time of the trials, and many individuals convicted were later exonerated by their own descendants. With no descendants to clear her name, Johnson’s wrongful conviction remained in place—making her the last remaining witch in Salem history—until Carrie LaPierre’s class came to her aid.
. . . .
Carrie LaPierre with some of her students at the Old Parish Cemetery in North Andover, Mass., where they worked to establish a memorial stone in Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s honor. (Instagram)
Righting the historical wrongs of the Salem witch trials is important because—as Sylvia Federici wrote in her book, Caliban and the Witch—they functioned as a way to police women’s behavior throughout the transition from feudalism to capitalism. During this time, resources like land became privatized, and people suddenly needed money to support themselves. This was especially difficult for women because the work they typically performed, reproductive labor, is often unpaid and undervalued. Women were also excluded from paid labor jobs or paid pennies compared to their male coworkers, forcing them into a role of heightened economic dependence on men. This new lack of independence was exacerbated by the targeting of midwives during the trials—the church deemed contraceptives, abortion and other reproductive care ‘witchcraft.’
The witch trials worked to enforce new social roles which cemented these changes; they painted women as unruly, evil and dangerous, instilling widespread fear and quelling any desires to revolt. Any woman who did not conform to the new expectation of submissiveness and focus on so-called wifely duties—such as Johnson, who was unwed—could easily be labeled as anti-religion and deserving of punishments such as hanging, having her tongue cut or being stoned. Though these trials concluded hundreds of years ago, their effects on women’s place in society have lasted to this day. Work that is traditionally done by women is still undervalued, and the justice system continues to punish women for exercising autonomy over their own bodies. The Last Witch shows how addressing injustices of the past is crucial for a more equitable future. This class project was able to literally change history and arm students with the tools to advocate for equality and inclusion in the present. “There is a sense of hope and encouragement in this story, and the idea that you have the ability to take action,” Hymlö told Ms. “In fact, you’ve probably got the responsibility to,” producer Dawn Green added.
“The Last Witch” film is currently in production. For updates on its release date, follow @thelastwitchfilm on Instagram, @thelastwitch22 on X or @thelastwitchfilmdoc on Facebook.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/10/30/salem-witch-trial-exonerated-movie-documentary/
Profile Information
Member since: Tue Jul 29, 2003, 03:30 PMNumber of posts: 123,261