Ursula Le Guin

Ursula Le Guin is one of my favorite thinkers and my favorite pieces of hers tend to be her theoretical musing.   I recently ran across a speech she gave in 1982 called “The Princess.” The piece is a call to action and inspirational, but what struck me the most was that the speech was given in 1982 and yet Le Guin’s words are acutely appropriate at this exact moment in time.  It made me realize that the debate over a woman’s right to choose was never fully won, that Roe v. Wade was just a stepping stone and that we have to spend every day of our lives fighting for the right for women to have control over their own bodies.  Below is an excerpt from the conclusion that I found to be the most powerful.  Hope you enjoy!

What was it like, in the Dark Ages when abortion was a crime, for the girl whose dad couldn’t borrow cash, as my dad could? What was it like for the girl who couldn’t even tell her dad, because he would go crazy with shame and rage? Who couldn’t tell her mother? Who had to go alone to that filthy room and put herself body and soul into the hands of a professional criminal?–because that is what every doctor who did an abortion was, whether he was an extortionist or an idealist. You know what it was like for her. You know and I know; that is why we are here. We are not going back to the Dark Ages. We are not going to let anybody in this country have that kind of power over any girl or woman. There are great powers, outside the government and in it, trying to legislate the return of darkness. We are not great powers. But we are the light. Nobody can put us out. May all of you shine very bright and steady, today and always.”

-Ursula Le Guin

“The Princess” 1982

Dancing at the Edge of the World