OPINION
By ANDREW TERRY
Page Editor
On May 3, a draft of a majority court opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked by Politico that says that the Supreme Court has found that “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
I have seen a lot of social media posts that say that people who cannot give birth should not speak on this issue and I firmly disagree. In fact, it is more important than ever that white upper-class men speak up.
While I believe that change is possible without the support of people in power, it is much harder. If you do not speak out against an issue, you are supporting the suffering that will disproportionately affect people of color and low income individuals.
While it is not the time for men to take a backseat on this issue it is also not the time for men to speak over women.
It is also important to remember that this is not the last step in taking away essential human rights. According to President Biden, the same arguments used in the opinion could be used to repeal gay marriage rights and constitutional protections for birth control access.
Even if you aren’t affected now, take a step back and think about just how fragile your human rights really are. If your rights aren’t in danger, think about the lives that will be irreparably damaged by being forced to carry a life-dangering pregnancy to term or by a desperate back-alley abortion. People will have to live with permanent mental and physical trauma.
Not all hope is lost however. State governments can still allow abortions in their states and people from states where abortion will be illegal can travel.
With enough dedication, we can change.
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