Written By: Neharika Palivela, 17, Indiana
Recently, the Women’s Marches occurred across the nation, despite the controversy surrounding the national organization. In my second year of marching, I was proud to be on the Youth Empower committee for Indiana, helping lead the herd of powerful women in the bitter cold in downtown Indianapolis. As we turned a corner, approaching the end of the march, my eyes fell upon a sight that horrified me: anti-abortion protesters holding up signs featuring blown up pictures of dead babies covered in blood. We drowned them out, chanting “my body, my choice! My body, my choice!” These protesters followed us to the end of the march and stood with their disgusting posters raised high and proud. We covered up their signs with pride flags. We continued to scream, “my body, my choice!” as a man behind us began whispering into our ears. It was chilling, what he said.
“Ladies, ladies. You’ve been lied to,” he pleaded, his voice full of desperation. “Please, listen to what I’m saying!”
We fought back. “
My body, my choice! My body, my choice!”
“You’ve been fooled. What’s inside of you is not your body. It does not belong to you!”
To be honest, it was a struggle to retain my composure. My face, I’m sure, was bright red. The cold was searing, my head was burning, and my heart was racing as I screamed, louder than I ever had before, to drown him out. I simply could not understand the logic behind what he was saying, and it made me so angry I was tempted to turn around and deck him so he would shut up.
It was an extremely eye-opening experience for me. I’ve always been pro-choice, but I never really stopped to consider what the other side was saying; I wrote them off as stupid, like they didn’t know what they were talking about. I went home that night and spent hours doing research as I realized that not only did I not know how abortions actually worked, but I also just didn’t quite understand why some people were so opposed to the practice.
The truth is, it’s a difficult topic. I wish it was black and white, but most political arguments aren’t. When people have grown up surrounded by a community that condemns the act of abortion because they believe that God has a plan for every soul before it is even planted in a woman’s body, it is very difficult to change their minds. Just as I would never for an instance take to that logic, I don’t think people who call themselves “pro-life” would ever really take to our logic:
That what’s inside our bodies is part of our bodies. That our own beating hearts and breathing lungs are part of us, and under our control, just as any “soul” planted inside of us would be.
Abortion is never an easy decision, especially late term abortions (which according to the CDC includes less than 2% of abortions). I think a lot of “pro-life” supporters fail to grasp that
concept.
Statistics from the World Health Organization show that unsafe abortions, which occur far more often in developing nations where women’s rights are severely restricted, result in over 7 times the amount of deaths as safe abortions result in; in fact, in some regions it is as much as 17 times. The risk is known; the fact is that women who want abortions will go to extreme lengths to obtain them. If the baby is that unwanted, then it will not be had. We want to ensure that women who choose to abort their unborn children can do so safely. It is not murder, it is not monstrous. Reproductive rights are necessary in order to protect one life over the “life” of something that can’t even breathe yet.
It’s not an easy way out of a situation. While pregnancy itself can wreck a person’s life, especially if it interferes with a woman’s education or occupation, abortions can also do psychological damage to a woman, driving them to severe depression. However, as I said before, the risk is known when it comes to abortion, be it safe or unsafe. Women make that choice knowing it is the only option that is right for them.
If people who are “pro-life” truly want to decrease the amount of abortions that occur around the world and in this country, they need to call for better sex education. Easier access to condoms. And an eradication of the stigma around teen pregnancy. How can you shame a girl for carrying a baby but condemn her for aborting it?
From Margaret Sanger’s work in the 1920s and 30s to establish birth control as a necessity in urban areas, to Roe v. Wade’s historic conclusion that gave women the right to abortion, and even to the recent New York bill that was passed legalizing third trimester abortions, we’ve come a very long way in terms of reproductive rights. Organizations like Planned Parenthood do extremely important work to ensure safe abortions are available to women who need them. But despite this immense progress over the last century, people who refuse to recognize the legitimacy of our choice in what occurs inside of our own bodies put our rights under attack. But I urge you all to consider those who disagree with respect. Don’t get disgusting like the “pro-life” protesters at the women’s march. In order to demand respect, we have to give it. Education and logic is what makes the strongest argument, so push for better sex ed, push for easier access to contraception, and start with yourself when you consider halting the slut-shaming. We need to respect each other if we want to build a stronger cause.
We need to teach our future daughters and sons that what’s inside of a woman is part of her. That she has the right to eliminate it if it poses a threat to her own life. Truly, those who are “pro-life” aren’t actually supporting life. If they were, they’d be more concerned about the lives
of all the women who struggle through a pregnancy without access to an abortion, women who forfeit their education to have a child and women who struggle to keep themselves and their child afloat.
“Pro-life” supporters aren’t the ones who are going to change, so when we try to build our case we need to target it toward people who are willing to listen.
So say it loud:
My body, my choice!