Abortions are a Human Right
Let’s talk about abortions…
As many people know, Roe vs. Wade has officially been overturned as of today. What does this mean? This means overturning the constitutional right to get an abortion. People just lost their fundamental right to make their OWN decision about their OWN body. Individual states will decide when abortions would be legal. Many states will continue to allow them, however, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, 24 states are likely to ban abortion. This does not necessarily mean an end to abortions, it just means an end to safe abortions. Now, the only thing that will change, is not how many abortions are being done, it’s how many people are going to die trying to get one. There is data showing that denying women the access to legal abortion does not prevent the amount of abortions from happening. It increases the likelihood that a pregnancy will end in an unsafe way.
There is nothing “Pro-Life” about forcing someone to give birth against their will.
If it was really about the child and their right to live, then the government would make childbirth free, push for paid maternity leave or push for better childcare. But no, instead they’re taking basic human rights away from women and trans and non-binary folks. They don’t care about pro-life, they care about controlling people’s bodies. The babies’ life matters until it comes out as trans, queer, non-binary, black, gay, disabled, sick, etc. right? How about then, are you still going to fight for the child’s rights now? Right. Because it isn’t about the child, it’s about control.
You are allowed to enjoy sex and not want to give birth. I’m tired of hearing the narrative, “well you had sex, so you deserve to deal with the consequences” or “women need to stop using abortion as a contraceptive.” How about all of the men that don’t want to use condoms? Or the men that knock women up, only to leave once they hear they’re pregnant. So just because pregnancy is something that happens when you have a uterus, it’s all left on the woman to take care of it? Men need to be held responsible too. Having sex for pleasure is completely normal. Pregnancy should not be a punishment for enjoying sex. If we were so concerned about women using abortions as a contraceptive that you want to take away the right to abortions how about we make every young man have a vasectomy instead? Then when he’s deemed fit to have a child, he can get it reversed. Oh, too far? Regulating a man’s body is too much? Then as a man, you do not need to have an opinion on what to do with women’s bodies.
If I, as a man, know when to shut the fuck up about women’s bodies, then why can’t you?
What about rape?
If you only support abortion in instances of rape, you are reinforcing the idea that in order for women to have a right to her body, someone else has to violate it first. It shouldn’t matter when, why, or how someone has gotten pregnant. It should not be up to the government to force a pregnancy on someone against their will. People who have experienced rape have already gone though one harm, and now the government wants to add on another one? By forcing her to have a child against her will? Interesting, because the wording there sounds a bit familiar.
Abortion is not just an issue centered around cis folks. People of all genders need and have abortions.
Restrictions and bans on abortion access and a direct violation of basic human rights. This ruling is not preventing abortions from happening, it is simply putting safe and necessary medical care out of reach for low-income women, queer/black folk, trans, non-binary, black, brown, and indigenous people. The abortion ban is harming those who already face constant barriers in the healthcare system. Trans and non-binary people face a large amount of discrimination in the health care system as it is, so stripping away access to abortions is yet another concern for them. Most people don’t realize men and non-binary people can get pregnant too. Just because trans people are not thought about with this subject does not mean we are not affected. A lot of Planned Parenthood places provide care like hormone therapy to trans folks as well. So if abortion clinics are closing, so is the access to medical healthcare for trans folk looking to transition, get pap tests, cervical cancer screenings, breast cancer screenings, etc.
There is a certain violence that comes with forcing pregnancy on people. There’s even an extra layer to that when that person is trans due to gender dysphoria. Trans men, depending on their testosterone dosage and other things, still have the ability to get pregnant. So you’re saying if a trans man gets pregnant, you’re going to force him to have the baby against his will and cause unnecessary dysphoria on his mental health that could potentially kill him? Never looked at it that way have you? That’s because trans rights are almost never talked about when it comes to the topic of abortion. Abortion rights and reproductive rights include trans people too. Particularly trans men and non-binary folks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 25 million unsafe abortions take place each year. So many of those unsafe abortions are the third leading cause of maternal deaths worldwide. Taking away the right to have an abortions is not only a form of discrimination but it’s a form of violence. Human rights are decisions about your body that are your own and the government is simply taking that away.
What does this mean for us?
The effects of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade won’t stop at just abortion. Other rights are now being threatened. Gay and interracial marriage is now indirectly being threatened and who’s to say the government won’t ban drag queens, or one day outlaw transitioning as a whole. With the Court’s decision, it’s terrifying to think about what else could be taken away from us. At this point, it’s clear that the government is not protecting us from anything. They are the people we need protection from.
Feel free to check out the link below for more information on abortion funds and what you can do to help.
https://abortionfunds.org/need-abortion
If you or someone you know needs an abortion, visit AbortionFinder.org
The link below is for abortion funds in every state:
