Abortion is controversial, yet it is a misunderstood issue. Pro-lifers, as they like to be called, oppose the belief that a pregnant woman should have the freedom to choose to have an abortion. Conservatives attacking reproductive freedom is nothing new. For years now, the anti-choice movement has been trying to classify themselves as “pro-life,” but we can see the truth behind the act. In reality, it is pretty hard to call yourself a “pro-lifer” when you’re actively working to tear babies apart from their families while locking them in cages and having no plan to reunite them. 

Pro-lifers argue that abortion is murder and that it is what is stated in the Bible. However, it is the 21st century. What happened to the separation of church and state? If pro-lifers were really pro-life, shouldn’t they really care more about bettering America instead of being a bunch of narcissists? For example, if one was really pro-life they wouldn’t vote Republican because in 2017, Trump created the zero tolerance policy. The policy included charging all undocumented border crossers with criminal violations causing thousands of immigrant families to be torn apart. If they cared about children, they’ll support candidates, likely Democratic, who advocate for causes like immigration reform and don’t punish vulnerable women. Also, how can someone be pro-life and pro-death penalty, as many conservatives are? It doesn’t make sense to want to “save lives” but condone killings or reduce education funding or make healthcare harder to access.  

To me, pro-life means advocating for free condoms, free birth control, universal healthcare, better sex education, assistance programs, child adoptions, and wearing masks during a pandemic. But it’s not about supporting lives, is it? 

Recently, the Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. There’s now the possibility a woman could be sentenced to death for getting an abortion. There are many facts that conservatives ignore when it comes to the abortion debate. They can pretend the fetus can feel pain even though science tells us that until at least 24 weeks, a fetus can not feel pain because they do not have fully developed brains yet. But, they do pretend that women who have had abortions are murderers who should be hanged, even if science proves that a fetus’s life cannot live unsupported. The possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade could put more than 25 million women in danger of losing access to abortion.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear that he believes a woman’s access to abortion should be limited and that doctors who perform abortions should be put in jail. However, it should not be up to men to decide what a woman can and can’t do with her body. Every woman should have control over her own body. Reproductive freedom is a basic right.

In 1973, the U.S Supreme Court took on Roe v. Wade, a case where Texas wanted to ban abortion. Instead, things took a big turn and the Supreme Court decided to effectively legalize the procedure all across the United States. But, with senators appointing conservatives to lifetime positions on the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade is at a risk like never before. 

A pro-lifer may argue that life starts at fertilization, but in fact, the unborn is an embryo. Abortion is terminating a pregnancy, not killing a child. Many women may need to have an abortion for different reasons: having a baby may interfere with their education or job; some simply can not afford to have a baby. Other women may have to terminate their pregnancy due to fatal defects or other health risks. In some cases, women may get pregnant because of sexual assault or incest. In Alabama under the Human Life Protection Act abortions in cases where rape or incest occur are rejected. 

Poland criminalized abortion on October 22,2020. This resulted in protests happening immediately after the verdict and women have shown their fierceness as they fight against the abortion ban. There is a possibility of women having abortions, but they would have to be performed illegally. Nonetheless, many illegal abortions can lead to severe health risks for women and can possibly lead to death. Poland’s new laws can lead to many women suffering throughout their pregnancy. 

 Do we really want America to degenerate to such a point where women can’t have reproductive rights?