Reproductive justice for women is under attack across America, but as a Christian, a woman of color, and a mom of two, here’s how I feel about a woman’s right to choose.
We are living in perilous times, as Republican lawmakers across the country are rushing to roll back the clock to erode a woman’s right to control her own body. I guess with the current administration stacking the courts and the addition of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, lawmakers think they have a solid rightwing advantage to overturn Roe v. Wade.
So what is Roe v. Wade? Roe v. Wade is the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. According to Roe, abortion is legal until the fetus reaches viability, usually at 24 to 28 weeks. A “viable pregnancy” is one in which the fetus is considered safe and have a reasonable chance of survival. This why most women usually don’t tell their family and friends they are pregnant until after the first trimester.
Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and Missouri are among the growing list of states that have brought forth strict anti-abortion bills to deprive women of their reproductive autonomy. These bills pretty much ban abortions before a woman would even know she is pregnant, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Alabama’s bill is the most restrictive—making no exceptions for cases of rape or incest plus it also proposes life in prison as punishment for doctors who perform these procedures.
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The backlash is being felt all over the country, with the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood among others arguing these laws are unconstitutional, as well as Hollywood calling for a boycott of production in the state of Georgia. For years Republicans have been chipping away at the reproductive rights of women, but these current legislations even have some conservatives including Pat Robertson saying these bills have gone too far.
This is a sensitive and very personal issue, and I don’t think the arm of big government should be reaching into women’s wombs. How is it that a mother can’t make medical decisions for her eighteen year old child? But government wants to make medical decisions for women! While it is true that God gave us laws, He also gave us free will.
Can you also imagine having to go through the additional ordeal of having to prove—in court, that you had a miscarriage? Or a twelve year old child forced to carry to term the child of her father who raped her? Yet despite the many school shootings, they fight to hold on to their gun rights. Tell me again, why is it that there are no laws that regulate a man’s body? If you ask me, there may be few I would like to put on the books!
Studies show that countries with stricter abortion laws have higher abortion rates, with abortion rates lower when countries make it legal. History has proven that extreme anti-abortion laws end up having major implications. So maybe instead of putting restrictions on women’s reproductive rights—which tend to affect mostly the health of lower-income women, they should provide better education and health resources. But that’s not their concern. Instead, bills seeking complete abortion bans are being proposed and passed faster than First Response Early Result Pregnancy Tests!
Am I pro-life or pro-choice? I am both!
