Big Brother caught them. They are being charged with a felony for removing, concealing, or abandoning a body, plus two misdemeanors: Concealing the death of another person, and false reporting.
At first, you may think that the people being charged with these crimes are guilty of committing pre-planned, horrific acts. You may even feel unsafe around them. You may feel relieved they are being put away.
Yes…these charges are real, but the crimes, in this case, are not.
A mother and her daughter, who is just 17 years old (and who is being tried as an adult at the male prosecutor’s request) are being imprisoned. They are being prosecuted for their crimes, the single felony and two misdemeanors , associated with assisting and obtaining an abortion in the United States of America, the so-called land of the ‘free.’
Believe it or not, police investigators found out about the abortion by obtaining Facebook Messenger messages between the mother and the daughter. Facebook, the centralized entity that owns every message you send and every picture you share, now gifts its data to the US government to help enforce the new Roe v Wade abortion bans and restrictions across all states. Scared yet?
Big brother is becoming more powerful, as women and other marginalized groups, in particular, are risking what they say and write online. There is a newfound need for anonymity, and crypto may be the answer.
Creating resources for women to communicate and get help on this blockchain may provide a safer and less traceable route to access abortion support outside of centralized platforms, like Google and Facebook, each of which works alongside the U.S. government. The need for activism and protection on the blockchain is real, and it has already proven itself countless times in the fight for abortion rights, as well as amidst the current Russian-Ukrainian war. Pussy Riot, a collective that prides itself on feminism and art, released an NFT that sold for almost 7 million dollars, all of which was donated to causes supporting the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis. Pussy Riot’s latest form of activism lies in LegalAbortion.eth, a crypto wallet where many NFT collections and people can donate money supporting five different reproductive rights organizations. It has raised almost one million dollars thus far.
Blockchain technology allows for anonymity and opens a new space for activism that has never previously existed by giving activists the chance to act fast in a disruptive world. Just like the activist group Pussy Riot was able to raise 7 million dollars for the Ukrainian-Russian war, anyone can raise money and create resources with anonymity on the blockchain. This technology is crucial to keeping women and girls safe by standing up to big brother. More decentralized applications (DAPPS) must therefore be built to help women access safe abortions while protecting their identities. The future is now, and our protection may lie in using new technologies, such as blockchain.
Some links to further understand blockchain:
About the Author: Miriam Haart is a recent engineering graduate from Stanford University as well as a past teacher in the department of Computer Science. She has built over 10 iOS-compatible apps and has most recently started the podcast, Faking It, a podcast about Fake it ‘till you make it–not faking orgasms. Her NFT collection, Cuteri: Cute Uteri, donates all funds it receives is directly to pro-choice organizations. Find out more about blockchain and activism, amongst other empowering topics for women on MiriamHaart.com/Podcast. Miriam also stars in the award-nominated hit series My Unorthodox Life on Netflix. Instagram: @MiriamHaart @ThisIsFakingIt
