I’m taking 
a break from my regularly scheduled programming (i.e., writing about my vagina and issues related to my inability to iron) to write a post about the importance of reproductive choice.
Which is kind of related to my vagina.
94% of Americans believe that there is no right that is more consistently under attack than a woman’s right to reproductive freedom.
I totally just made that statistic up.
But wouldn’t it be grand if it were true?
If that many people believed that, we wouldn’t have things like personhood measures (their tagline is protecting the unborn by love and law. I am not evening shitting you right now. And I refuse to link to them. Sorry. Google it.), potential presidential candidates who act like they have the right to control their daughter’s access to healthcare would be laughed out of the race, and there would no longer be people who choose candidates based on a bizarre need to control every uterus in the United States.
But really, it’s more likely that I will eventually learn to not be a domestic disaster.
In all seriousness, reproductive choice is a crucial issue and it is consistently in danger of not being a legal right. And just like there are smart, brave, wonderful people like my friend Jen LaBarbera on the front lines of keeping abortion legal, there are equally smart (but not brave and wonderful) people working to push personhood ballot measures and getting out the vote for anti-abortion/anti-choice candidates who impact women’s health policy.
Anti-choice candidates (and let’s be real here – we’re mostly talking about Republicans) are campaigning on the idea that we need to get government out of the way and let American people live and breathe the freedom for which our Founding Fathers fought so valiantly. I truly don’t understand the inherent contradiction that comes with being simultaneously anti-abortion/anti-choice and so anti-government.
I also don’t understand how that’s not readily apparent to, um, everyone.
In addition to supporting (with donations, volunteering, and spreading the word) organizations doing great work to keep abortion and birth control legal, safe, and accessible, it is crucial that we vote for (and encourage others to vote for) candidates who understand that legislating against choice is dangerous – to women’s health and to our democracy. Addtionally, be aware of the language you use around choice and reproductive freedom; don’t call someone who is anti-choice “pro-life” because there is nothing pro-life about being anti-choice.
And don’t tread on others and/or their lady parts designated for reproduction. It would be very anti-freedom of you.
