June 24, 2022 is a date that will be remembered by women for decades to come. When the world awoke to the news that Roe v. Wade had been overturned, the unfathomable decision to limit a woman’s right to an abortion was a brutal signal that an anti-women’s rights movement has been gathering pace and has now weaved itself into the fabric of the Western World.

This patriarchal resistance has proactively reversed the rights and freedoms that were hard won by previous generations; rights that were deeply necessary for developmental progress to be made — and now, women who had long hoped that their basic freedoms were secure have found themselves back on unsteady ground.

Against the relentless backdrop of challenges and regimes against women that we’ve witnessed in developing nations , the Roe v. Wade decision casts a net of fear far beyond the borders of the United States.

Only weeks after the ruling, we can already sense that this decision has given renewed energy to existing anti-women’s rights movements across the world. Over the years, the United States has identified itself as a nation that represents a beacon of liberty, whose fundamental values are based on freedom and choice.

But as we witness one of the key members of the United Nations Security Council stripping women of autonomy over their bodies, we must ask what message this sends to dozens of countries across the world, and what permission it grants to the brutalist regimes that yoke and limit women’s futures.

We must ask, if the rights of 50% of that population are withheld, how can we possibly move forward? Among our most powerful solutions to combat the climate crisis, there is no greater potential that exists than the inclusion of educated women and young girls to our society. When given the right to use their voices, to develop their dreams into skills, they will be given the power to redefine the future of humanity as we know it.

As we look to the fall out of the Roe v. Wade decision, one thing is abundantly clear: the answer to sparking progress is never to take away from women’s rights — it is to grant them. To some, the overturning of this case is simply a legislation change. To others it’s a captivating dinner table debate, or a fired up social media post. In reality, it is an annihilation of a woman’s right to make a choice about her body and her future.

Today, we must all choose to rise and defend our fundamental rights, and our freedom to contribute to the decisions that shape all of our futures. This fight to regain and protect our remaining rights cannot be won by a few of us. It will take all of our collective power, and it must start now.

Read the full article about women's rights by Naza Alakija at Global Citizen.