SYSTEM DOWN.

• Author: Rudin, Alex
• Position: POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

"The U.S. stands at an inflection point. While we have been here many times before, for many different reasons, we currently are experiencing a sea change in ideology and, more specifically, those who implement it."

THE CRITICAL ROLE of women and voting in the post-Roe era has solidified. My latest series of artwork, "System Down," asks citizens to think critically about their role in supporting the systems in which we live. This series focuses on governing bodies and the architectural structures of the American system. It asks the viewer to contemplate their role in keeping or dismantling systems deemed "status quo." Are the systems in which we live working to lift us up, or are they working to oppress us and strip women of their fundamental human rights?

The U.S. stands at an inflection point. While we have been here many times before, for many different reasons, we currently are experiencing a sea change in ideology and, more specifically, those who implement it.

America appears to be riding the wave of fundamentalist thinking and wading deep into the waters of power politics. Not only are these extreme ideas being endorsed, they are resulting in enacted laws restricting autonomy. Freedoms we have fought for and learned to take for granted during our lifetimes are being rescinded. Women, especially the most needy among us, stand to lose the most. Our bodies and our choices have been and continue to be usurped by those who care less for the living than the unborn.

In today's America, autonomy yet again is up for discussion. A predominantly white, male, right-wing governing body has chosen to value its own power, guised as religious ideology, over the safety, progress, and individual rights of female constituents. The reversal of Roe v. Wade, while impacting all women, most severely will affect the most vulnerable among us. As often is the case, the burden will be shouldered by those lacking resources. This is an American story.

When women have the right to decide their future, namely motherhood, education, and financial stability, our society benefits as a whole. Autonomy over our lives and bodies allows women trapped in the cycle of poverty to choose a different path. By not perpetuating this pattern, women can uplift themselves and their families to independence. Not only can women live fuller personal lives, but they can realize a more equal and just existence for themselves and their children. Overturning Roe v. Wade is a direct...