When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are people, I couldn’t help but laugh. How can blobs stored at -320 degrees Fahrenheit that look like misshapen seahorses be considered human beings? The basis for this decision was a law from 1872, the same year that Susan B. Anthony voted for the first time and was subsequently arrested. In true American fashion, we are married to the moonwalk – believing that we are moving forward when we are actually regressing.
In his majority opinion for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Justice Alito argued that by overturning Roe v. Wade, the Court was “return[ing] the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” Our choices are stripped away from us under the guise of restoring freedom. This decision has left us vulnerable to the state negating even more of our rights – rights that we once thought were inalienable. Now, the right to control my body depends on whether I live in Arkansas or Washington. I doubt that the Founding Fathers hoped for this wishy-washy interpretation of our rights that self-proclaimed “originalists” like Justice Alito have cast upon us.
Despite these huge setbacks, I am optimistic that there will still be a future for reproductive rights in America. The galvanized ballot initiatives in both red and blue states reflect strong American support for reproductive rights. The 2022 midterm elections were a powerful indicator that people pay attention and show up to vote when their rights are encroached upon. In every state that had measures on the ballot on abortion access, voters chose to protect and to preserve abortion access. Although views on IVF, abortions and birth control are complex, the majority of the American public supports the right to bodily autonomy, which is encouraging news.
At the moment, federal legislation to protect reproductive rights is quixotic, but there are still ways to avoid the landmines of Congress. When the question of bodily autonomy was taken directly to the people in 2022, reproductive rights consistently prevailed. We have an opportunity to circumvent the predominantly-white and aging institutions like the courts and “representative” bodies in the upcoming election. Initiatives like those in 2022 are so persuasive because they spotlight the truth: abortion access is about fundamental rights and healthcare, not people’s partisan allegiances. Importantly, they reorient the conversation from men vs. women and liberals vs. conservatives toward a more nuanced discussion of the intersections of wealth, gender, race, age, and other social factors that affect a person’s ability to access reproductive services.
The road to solidifying reproductive rights goes beyond the next nine months, and it will be costly, calling for canvassing, petitioning and injections of cash and volunteers. I see these sizable obstacles as a sign that we have reached an opportune moment for change. As a first-time voter this fall, I am grateful for the amalgamated efforts of suffragists 150 years ago and today’s activists because I, along with millions of American women, still have a chance to protect our fundamental rights at the ballot box.