I have never shied away from talking about my personal political beliefs nor how I see them fitting into my grander world view. That's why the past few weeks, and the past few days especially, have been so hard. Although temporary, I am a current Georgia resident with a Georgian address and have kept up with Georgian politics. As a pro-choice individual, Georgia's heartbeat bill disgusted me. As a woman, it scared me. It's made me think about the country that exists outside of my recognized liberal bubble and about women or individuals with a uterus in my adopted state who don't have a home elsewhere to flee to should they ever need an abortion.

I'm tired of being combative, of going on the defensive for things I believe to be inalienable rights. I'm tired of fighting, of trying to be the loudest voice in the argument. Instead, I just want to state my case and make a case for the protection of abortions. I have been trying to vocalize exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it. I'm not looking for a fight or even a conversation, if I'm being honest; I know that I might be talking into the void but maybe someone will hear what I'm saying and consider it for longer than it takes to read a notification.

First, I think it is important to establish that being pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion, a term which calls to mind an image of Oprah throwing coupons for free abortions into a crowd at her show. Being pro-choice or supporting the defense of legal abortions doesn't mean you will be forced to get one if it goes against your religious or personal beliefs. Being pro-choice just means that you support the right for those who have become pregnant have to choose to safely terminate their pregnancy if that is the right choice for them. Abortions are a healthcare practice and like any healthcare procedure, it is a patient's decision to do what is best for their health. Being pro-choice means you're okay with that.

Second, I want to look at the definition of pro-life and what the term means in the context of these bills. This is because the thing that has stunned me the most about the recent heartbeat bills, especially the one in Georgia, is the lack of infrastructure and legislation in place to support women who were going to seek an abortion because they could not financially take care of a child, could not physically give birth to a child, or are giving birth to a child of rape or incest which may re-traumatize them. One of the most frequently repeated defenses of the bill is that all Georgians, Alabamans, Missourians deserve the right to life, one frequently used quote is: "What if the child you aborted had grown up to cure cancer?"This is an accusatory and unnecessary argument that won't stop abortions.

It doesn't help the pro-life argument that much either and instead creates more holes for counterarguments, such as: what if the kid who is living below the poverty line because their parent couldn't afford to have another child (but didn't want to risk prison time by getting an abortion) could have cured cancer? It also begs questions of race, gender, and sexuality equality: what if that child that could have been aborted but wasn't comes out? What if they're a child of color? Will they be given the same quality of life as straight, white, cis-gender children in states like Georgia? Those who are pro-life should work to strengthen the argument that everyone deserves an equal chance at life or that they might aspire to lofty potentials by implementing policies that will equally support all children that would be born as a result of criminalizing abortion. Those who are pro-choice should work to understand the disproportional effects these bills can have on different communities.

Third, I feel like it must be said after all that that criminalizing abortion will never stop the practice but will just make it incredibly unsafe. There have always been abortions and there will always be abortions, regardless of what the law says. With all of that said, it is becoming more and more clear that these bills are not intended to save children or even lives so much as they are to suppress women, trans men, and non-binary individuals. While I have you here, I would also like to mention another historic point, a Third and a Half if you will. Anti-abortion policies have their history rooted in religious ideology but it is important to recognize that the current politicization of the procedure has taken the religious defense away. If your opposition to abortion is rooted in your religious beliefs, I implore you to read prominent pro-life arguments and ask if there is faith in those words or just politics.

Although these bills are not currently in effect (meaning abortions are still safe at clinics, such as Planned Parenthood locations), the threat they have made to the safety of Roe v. Wade is not something to sit back and wait for. There are so many larger conversations around the issue of abortion that we need to start having pretty quickly, such as what pregnancy is like for trans men and nonbinary individuals, the protection of birth control and other contraceptives, the creation and implementation of a standard national sexual education that is not abstinence-based, and even felony disenfranchisement, should abortions be made a felony.

As kumbaya, happy go lucky as it sounds, the best weapon in fighting for freedom is education. I'm not even going to say "if this is an issue that you care about, then…." because it is an issue that we should all care about. It's not just an argument about abortion, let that be clear. The debate around abortions is about civil liberties and who is Constitutionally entitled to them.

While I understand that these are all pro-choice opinions, they provide incredible information on this on-going debate:

***** Lindy West on "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" *****

Abortion Laws: "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"

Sex Ed For Senators: "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee"

Alabama's Abortion Ban; Trump's War on Congress: A Closer Look: "Late Night with Seth Meyers"