After the leak of the draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, I felt the need to work through my anger and frustration knowing that a fundamental human right to essential health care was soon to be lost for millions of women. The more than 3,000 squares of this quilt form a red cross that swirls and fractures around the edges. Each square, made up of red fabrics covering the full spectrum from purple to orange, solid to patterned, is uniquely shaped, a visual reminder of how each woman must uniquely cope with the unpredictability of having a uterus and how all women collectively depend on access to safe reproductive care and safe, legal abortion. The red cross is a potent emblem of protection and care, a fitting symbol to represent this unfolding calamity for American women, for those they love, and for those who love them.
