October 7, 2024
By Linda Sulzen
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 which threatened abortion rights in the United States; Stevie Nicks wrote her song “Lighthouse” a few months later as a battle cry for women to stand up for their rights. The song was released at the end of September ahead of the U.S. elections. It is not just the U.S. Presidential candidates that are contending over pro-life and pro choice agendas but a record breaking 10 states will have reproductive rights on their ballots this Fall.
At the beginning of Nicks video, a lighthouse is defined as…
lighthouse
1: A guide for weary travelers through stormy seas,
2: A beacon of light providing a sense of direction, safety, hope, and…
3: A powerful beam that illuminates a path from darkness and uncertainty toward light.
The lyrics speak of empowering women to not take a step back with their rights; Stevie sings to a haunting melody,
“I have my scars, you have yours,
Don’t let them take your power,
Don’t leave it alone in the final hours,
They’ll take your soul, they’ll take your power,
Unless you stand up and take it back.”
The University of Alabama Birmingham blog article about the rights of women v. the rights of unborn children and stated that both pro-life and pro-choice advocates use human rights to support their stances. While there are needed exceptions to every hard line there is only one general international human rights instrument which extends the right to life to the unborn and that is the American Convention on Human Rights; in their article 4 they state,
“Every person has the right to have his life respected. This right shall be protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.”
Whose rights are we protecting?
To explain why she wrote “Lighthouse,” Nicks expressed what the loss of Roe v. Wade would mean, “I have often said to myself, ‘This may be the most important thing I ever do. To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters – and the men that love them.’ This is an anthem.” She sets herself up as the lighthouse guiding women to take action with her song released when the U.S. has elections with abortion at the forefront of campaigning.
According to an article by Live Action Stevie Nicks’s message in ‘Lighthouse’ is that women being powerful is the right to kill their unborn children. Previously Nicks spoke about her own abortion when she got pregnant in 1979 while dating Don Henley of the Eagles. She said there would not have been a Fleetwood Mac if she had not aborted her baby, and the Fleetwood Mac song ‘Sara’ was about that aborted child. Nicks recognized the humanity of the baby on some level when she spoke about her and insinuated she has had several abortions. In 1992 she admitted she felt remorse about her abortions in an interview and said,
“To give up four babies is to give up a lot that would be here now. So that bothers me, a lot, and really breaks my heart. But they’re gone, so…But I couldn’t have because I was too busy. And I had all these commitments.”
In Merriam Webster the definition of a scar is defined as…
scar
1 : a mark remaining (as on the skin) after injured tissue has healed
2 : a mark left where something was previously attached : cicatrix sense 2
especially: a mark left on a stem or branch where a leaf or fruit has separated
3 : a lasting moral or emotional injury
The lyrics from Stevie Nicks emotional song, “You have your scars and I have mine,” in a sad reality should be taken instead as a cry for help in a world where women and babies need protection, support and love with healing from emotional and physical wounds.
