It was lost before there was even a name for it. It was lost with the Hyde amendment, that meant poor women on Medicaid had to pay out of pocket for abortion services, unless you live on one of a handful of progressive states that use state money to pay for it.

It was lost with with the enactment of Welfare Reform, removing the guarantee of some small income to the poorest of women and children.

It was lost with weak child support enforcement and the refusal of Congress to allow federal collection of all child support through the IRS, instead leaving it to the patchwork of state agencies.

It was lost everytime another clinic in small town was shut down. It was lost when long waiting periods coupled with long drives meant that poor women with precarious employment had to choose between being fired or having a kid they weren’t able to care for.

It was lost when the Family Medical Leave Act made it so that small employers didn’t have to provide unpaid the same leave to care for a sick child or parent or to have a baby that large employers do.

It’s lost everytime feminism focuses on the glass ceiling with the rising tides lifts all boats theory while ignoring that women are more likely to live in poverty than men.

Feminism is a whole lot about what we do with our own wombs, but it’s also about making sure being female doesn’t come with a monetary penance. It’s about making sure that women don’t have to choose between feeding and housing their kids or keeping themselves and their children safe from violent partners.