For decades, women were told to be grateful.
Grateful for Title IX. Grateful for Roe v. Wade. Grateful for protections that generations before them fought tooth and nail to secure. The message was clear: take the win, smile, and stop asking for more.
But gratitude has never been armor. And progress is not protection.
Rights That Can Be Taken Back Were Never Treated As Rights
When Roe v. Wade was overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022), it was framed by many as a shocking moment. But for those who have been paying attention, it wasn’t a surprise. It was a reminder.
A reminder that we were never finished. That every inch of progress is conditional when it rests on a foundation built by those still deciding whether women’s full humanity is negotiable.
Legal rights that hinge on the mood of a court or the makeup of a legislature are not stable ground — they’re temporary ceasefires. The moment we mistake them for permanence, the pushback begins. Politicians weaponize morality. Judges rewrite precedent. And suddenly, the win becomes a loss.
The Myth of “You Got What You Wanted”
This is how patriarchy disguises itself as progress: once women achieve a milestone, any further demands are labeled greedy, divisive, or unnecessary. The public narrative shifts from recognition of injustice to irritation at those who keep insisting the work isn’t done.
Title IX passed in 1972, mandating gender equity in education. But girls still face discrimination in sports, sexual harassment in schools, and unequal funding. Athletic programs for girls are still cut first. Pregnant and parenting students are still pushed out.
The Equal Rights Amendment has never been fully ratified, despite nearly a century of fighting. And with each passing decade, its opponents claim it’s no longer “needed.”
Legal access to abortion was never fully realized for poor women, disabled women, or women of color — even before Roe was repealed. Rural counties had no clinics. Medicaid coverage was blocked by the Hyde Amendment. Immigration status often determined whether someone could seek care without risking deportation.
The illusion of progress becomes a tool to silence further activism. You got what you wanted, they say. Be quiet now.
The Fight Doesn’t End With a Win
We should celebrate progress. We should teach the history of Roe, of Title IX, of every battle hard-won by women who refused to sit down. Victories matter — they inspire, they protect, they give the next generation a platform to fight from.
But we should also recognize the truth: winning doesn’t mean we’re done. Every right won is a right that must be defended. The forces that opposed it before will come for it again. And the moment we stop pushing, the door swings shut behind us.
That’s why we fight louder after a win — not quieter. Because in the story of women’s rights, there is no final chapter. Only the ongoing work to keep what was earned, expand what is possible, and refuse to be grateful for crumbs when the table is still ours to sit at.