The fight for reproductive rights has been one of the longest battles we have had to fight for. While, yes, there has been exponential progress made, we have taken some steps back as the years continue to go by. Reproductive rights vary from the opportunity to practice safe sex (condoms, different forms of birth control) to abortions. The main one we continue to advocate for is the right to an abortion.
In different places around the world, abortion is legal, but in some places it has been criminalized/banned once again. Here in the state of Texas, abortions have been banned and the Supreme Court ruled that they could not do anything about it. Men in office are constantly making life changing decisions for others and specifically here in Texas. We are left to question what happened to Roe Vs. Wade and whether it will be overridden in the future. This ban has left hundreds of women terrified for what’s to come and searching for alternatives to an abortion, such as more accessible/affordable “night after pills.” On top of the fear of pregnancy women have to take on different forms of birth control when many avoid it due to the chemical imbalances it causes in one’s body.
Legislators in Texas ruled that they were banning abortions of those carrying for up to six weeks, meaning that a month and a half into pregnancy women could not get an abortion. The ban is really confusing because women do not tend to experience pregnancy symptoms until around 3 months in and until then is when they take tests to confirm the pregnancy. It also doesn’t only penalize women who get an abortion but will also penalize those that help with getting women to the clinics or those doing the procedure. While this is something that has raised many concerns, companies have spoken out and continued to show support for people to have the right to an abortion, such as Lyft. Lyft put out a statement that they can and will offer safe and private rides to women who are in need of going to a clinic to receive some type of contraceptive or an abortion. There are also many other people in our communities offering different forms of contraceptives to prevent pregnancies, meanwhile we continue to fight for the right to an abortion.
Everyone should be entitled to decide what they can and can’t do to their bodies. It isn’t fair that government officials can decide for everyone when it comes to reproductive rights. REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A UTERUS/WOMB THEN YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO MAKE SUCH DECISIONS FOR THOSE WHO DO. OUR BODY OUR CHOICE.