If you don't know about the abortion ban in Alabama, you either a) live under a rock or b) ...live under a rock. Alabama passed a ban that criminalized abortions, and it has people in an uproar. You can think what you want about abortion, but intermixing church and state, and criminalizing something that many require is frankly immoral and unconstitutional. However, there's a lot of social media drama that people are focusing on, such as the James Charles drama or the Jake Paul drama, and it feels like nobody cares anymore about this issue. So, I've decided to use pop culture to express my thoughts on the ban, in order to reel our attention back into the important things.
1. Policing my body is NOT okay
My body, my rules. No uterus, no opinion. It is totally okay to be against abortions, but it is not okay to dictate the lives of thousands of other women because of your personal opinions and religious beliefs. Religion exists as a way for us to govern how we live our own lives, not as a way to control mass amounts of people.
2. Banning abortions won't reduce them, proper sex education and access to contraceptives will
This may be a tough pill to swallow, but premarital sex does in fact exist. Mistakes happen. Even married couples don't necessarily want kids, whether that be because of monetary reasons or simply because they aren't ready emotionally. Banning abortions won't reduce abortions, it'll only reduce safe abortions. We are not ready to return to clothes-hanger times. If you want fewer abortions, teach youth about having safe sex. Provide access to birth control and other contraceptives. Teach young men that rape isn't okay. Educate the youth on consent. There are other safer, more effective, and more positive ways to approach this issue.
3. My reaction when more and more states kept restricting reproductive rights
To the eight states that now have more legal restrictions — Missouri, Ohio, Alabama, Utah, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Georgia — shame on y'all. If you were really pro-life, you would work on improving your education systems, reducing your child mortality rates, reducing your poverty rates, and improving your foster care systems. Put more money into social aid rather than this. You know better.
4. My face when I saw the demographic of who exactly made these laws
The vote to ban abortion in Alabama was made by entirely white people and mainly white men. This is not at all representative of the demographic which this law will affect. There are a lot of black women in Alabama and Georgia that these laws will hurt gravely. Understand your privilege, understand your place, and understand that yes, race does play a part in these bans. These bans will further institutionally discriminate against minorities.
5. We CAN fight this, we just need to stay on it
There has in fact been a lot of backlash against these bans, and social justice is peeking through. Colorado has been vocal about its support for women in the South who need abortions, saying that Colorado is a place where anyone who requires it can get a "safe, legal abortion." Many celebrities have spoken up, educating their followers on safe contraception, the importance of birth control, and the definition of women's rights and freedom. There is a lot left to do, but don't give up hope: we CAN do this.
I know this article is a bit radical, but I feel during times like this it is necessary. Do your research to form an informed and educated opinion.
