15 year old Missouri sophomore weighs in:
As a female and member of a younger generation, it is not only discouraging, but actually frightening to see what is happening across the nation. I hope to grow up in a society that recognizes and upholds the reproductive rights of women — not one that essentially takes them away. For a teenager that is on her way to entering the real world, I hope for all women in this country to have access to basic health care, to be in control of their reproductive health, and to be able to decide when it is right for them to have children. Legislation itself cannot prevent all of this from occurring, as our rights are still being legal challenged. Reproductive rights are not an issue of right or left, rather is an issue of politicians prioritizing our health before their ideology, which in the end benefits the entirety of our society. Not only are reproductive health services life-saving, but making them accessible reduces unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, as well as granting women the freedom to control the timing of their children. Women, young or old, and also men need to let this message — that our rights cannot be taken away — ring loud and clear, whether it’s by spreading the word and informing others, calling our state representatives to prevent absurd laws from going into place, or taking to the streets in protest. This is our time to remind our politicians and leaders, just as men and woman did 50 years ago, that we demand, not ask, the recognition of our right to privacy, the right to control our bodies, the freedom to determine when and in what manner we reproduce, and to not have these rights taken away from us simply because we are women.
Read the rest on the Huffington Post
