I was fresh out of eighth grade when the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion. I remember my mom telling me how scared she was, and I said to her, “How do you think I feel?”
I had no faith in the state of Kansas, given that we have voted red in every election since 1964. I was pleasantly surprised when Kansas voted no; however, my heart still broke for young girls around the world.
Currently, abortion is criminalized in 14 states. That is at least 39 million women who are affected by reproductive laws, often created and enforced by men.
Throughout Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, she has consistently promised that she will veto a national abortion ban, and do her best to protect access to abortion across the country. Her opponent guarantees the opposite.
During his presidency, Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsucch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. He appointed these conservative justices with the goal of leaving abortion legislation to the states; his plan succeeded.
Donald Trump is now running again. Among the major issues in this election are the candidates’ stances on two constitutional rights, the right to bear arms and the right to possess one’s bodily autonomy.
A common phrase that I hear from conservative media when it comes to protecting gun laws is that a constitutional right should not be infringed upon, yet they don’t hold the same position pertaining to protecting women’s bodies.
Why does the Republican Party seem to care more about guns and fetuses than the lives of mothers? Forcing an unprepared household to raise an unwelcome child can transform the lives of all those involved.
Young girls specifically are affected by reproductive laws. Not only does teenage parenthood heavily affect mental health, it also restricts job and education opportunities. Over 50% of teen moms drop out of school, which is an astounding figure considering that at least 158,000 babies were born to teenagers in 2020.
The statement that ‘abortion is murder’ is wrong and invalid. Fetuses do not have the ability to live, grow, or develop until at least 20 weeks. Under Roe v. Wade, 91% of abortions happened in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. The consciousness of a fetus is also heavily debated in the media, but a fetus can not feel pain before 24 weeks.
The two opposing sides of the debate on abortion are pro-life and pro-choice; however, ‘pro life’ is arguable. A common saying among the pro-life campaigns is ‘value them both.’ Yet my question remains: how is forcing a woman–or a girl– to have a baby valuing her at all?
Another overlooked aspect of criminalizing abortion is that it will still happen. There are many unsafe methods of abortion that women have had to resort to in order to avoid the punishment that they would face; in 2022, two women in Georgia lost their lives because of abortion restrictions.
To be clear, I am not writing this to defend abortion, I’m writing this to defend women and young girls specifically in our country. It is sickening to hear stories about women dying because they didn’t have geographical access to the necessary healthcare.
Abortion needs to be protected nationally. I prioritize giving the choice to the women over giving the choice to the states. Unfortunately, I am not able to vote on this matter. The only thing I can do is use my voice to urge people to make the safest choice for all people ahead of the presidential election.
