Watch Where You Step: “Don’t Tread on Me” Used to Support Access to Abortion

As I was reading about the new law Texas passed on September 1st, 2021 regarding abortion, I came across this image (above) from Sergio Flores of Getty Images. The image depicts a woman holding up what, at first sight, may appear to resemble the “Don’t Tread on Me” yellow flag with a curled up snake in the middle. The flag and motto first appeared in the Revolutionary War, but have become a symbol of conservative and right-leaning movements, with an emphasis on the idea of one’s protected individual rights (Dictionary.Com). The original flag and motto of “Don’t Tread on Me” are examples of a commonplace, or a repeated notion that often add to the context of a rhetorical situation.

The woman, however, was holding a warped version of this traditional flag, with the snake curled into the shape of a female’s uterus, instead of how it is usually depicted on the left. The sign had the same phrase “Don’t Tread on Me,” meaning do not interfere with people’s individual rights. This is an example of a commonplace actually being used for something it is not traditionally used for, protecting a woman’s right to an abortion. However, this is in response to the rhetorical situation that Texas’ law created. Below, we’ll dive into what that situation is and why the modified commonplace is effective at persuading an audience of a certain belief.

First, the rhetorical situation is the argument and politics surrounding an abortion. Texas has pursued many strict anti-abortion laws in the past, which I believe is when the original photo from Flores was actually taken (May 2020). However, more recently, Texas passed a law making abortion illegal after the first 6 weeks of a pregnancy and allows citizens to essentially sue any person seen helping a pregnant woman access an abortion. This means that anyone from the doctor who performs the service to the driver that took the woman there could be prosecuted. Those who report them could be rewarded with up to $10,000. People had problems with this for a variety of reasons, namely that the bill directly contradicts the verdict of Roe v. Wade, the monumental Supreme Court case that protected a woman’s right to an abortion. Opposition also notes that most women do not know they are pregnant when the fetus is 6 weeks old, making it harder for them to actually access an abortion. Additionally, Texas politicians are aware that putting a target on the backs of anyone remotely related to the process of getting an abortion means it is likely less people will participate in that process- also making it harder for a woman to get an abortion. In an already tense political climate, Texas’ law sparked new debate and protest in the seemingly endless topic of abortion and women’s rights.

In responding to the rhetorical situation, the woman in the photo used a piece of propaganda (a commonplace) that anti-abortionists often use and applied it to this situation. “Don’t Tread On Me” is typically a conservatively-endorsed commonplace because conservatives tend to favor less government involvement and believe in less interference with what the government has already determined are their rights. Conservatives are also often against protecting a woman’s right to an abortion since that is not a stance usually associated with the Republican party. Therefore, the woman in the photo used the commonplace which Conservatives support the core idea of (don’t interfere with my rights) and applied it to the idea of abortion, asking them not to interfere with her and other women’s rights. This is an incredibly effective tactic of persuasion because the opposition cannot deny the core idea of the commonplace, since they have used it to support their own, separate ideas in the past. The commonplace is also simple, visual, and sends a clear message to the audience, whether that be conservatives or the Texan politicians, that they cannot and should not interfere with a woman’s right to an abortion. In this rhetorical situation, supporters of a woman’s right to choose will understand and support the poster in the image. Opposers of a woman’s right to choose might struggle, though, to directly argue against the woman’s sign because the foundational message of “back off of my rights” is a commonplace they have potentially used or supported before.

Sources:

1. https://www.dictionary.com/e/pop-culture/dont-tread-on-me/