I don’t say “aweeee” every time I see a baby in a store. I don’t play peek-a-boo with the kid across the room. In fact, I laugh when I see a kid fall down. I think that the way kids drink juice is repulsive. I don’t like kids, and I certainly don’t want kids of my own. Sure, you might be thinking, how do I really know this if I’m only 17. I’ll give you that. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll change my mind, but I can tell you for a fact that I don’t want kids right now.
However, if I lived in Texas and got pregnant, I would be forced to carry that pregnancy to term or else face a $10,000 dollar legal fee and extensive jail time. I would be forced to endure 40 long weeks of pregnancy, forced to go through labor, and forced to live with the fact that abortion is no longer an option for me. I would have no choice on what to do with my own body, which now falls in the hands of the Texas government.
This is why this Saturday, I am ready to march. For the women in Texas and for women everywhere. But first let me backtrack to four weeks ago.
On September 1st, a 5 to 4 ruling by the Supreme Court decided not to block the controversial Texas abortion laws, causing women and feminists all over America to fall into a spiral of outrage and concern.
The Texas laws (also referred to as Senate Bill 8) prohibit abortions past six weeks of pregnancy, far earlier than most women even know they are pregnant. Additionally, this law still stands in cases where the pregnancy results from incest, rape, and underaged relations.
Furthermore, Senate Bill 8 allows citizens to sue abortion clinics and people who violate the law in any way. If the suit is successful, the claimant will receive a minimum of $10,000. While patients cannot be sued, doctors, hospital staff, and even clinic transportation services like Uber or Lyft are subject to the outrageous law.
Not only are these laws complete horrors on their own, they totally disregard the legal precedent set by the Roe v. Wade court ruling in 1973.
These vile Texas Senate Bill 8 laws, which attack women’s reproductive rights and completely overlook legal precedent, have become known as the most restrictive abortion measures ever passed in the United States. Not only has just about every news publication heavily covered these appalling regulations, but now feminists around the country have decided to take action.
This Saturday, October 2nd, there will be a nationwide rally for abortion justice. Every single state currently has at least one participating city that will serve as a voice for pro-choice feminists across the nation. Locally, there will be a march held at Luther Ely Smith Square at 10 AM on Saturday. The protests aim to alert the public of these horrible events and have some sway in the reconvening of the Supreme Court following Monday, October 4, hoping that they will overturn Senate Bill 8 and take a progressive step toward a more feminist future.
This is far from the first time feminists around the country have rallied for our rights. One of the most notable marches was in 2017 when women gathered to protest the inauguration of former President Donald Trump. Feminists everywhere were infuriated by the former president’s blatantly anti-women statements and the fact that despite his remarks he was still elected into office. The movements took place all across the country and sparked a lot of conversations regarding the issues facing women today. One of those biggest issues being the pro-choice vs. pro-life agendas. And now we have come full circle. We are back to having to march on the streets just for simple rights and for the control of our bodies.
This Saturday, I will be marching alongside my fellow feminists to send a message to the Texas government and to the Supreme Court. Now more than ever we need passionate women to call themselves feminists and inspire change in a world where government and society are working against us. Women deserve the right to choose, and legislature has no place in our uteri.
These wildly unjust and regressive laws set the standard that our government does not care about women. Although abortions affect nobody but the mother, conservative government officials today cannot help but restrict women’s rights to choose. By taking away this simple right, you are also taking away a young teens chance to go to her dream school, a traumatized woman’s chance to move on past her rape, a daughter’s chance to get away from her father who took advantage of her, and so many more lives that these horrendous laws will forever harm.
Furthermore, as teens, we fall most victim to these outrageous laws. For those teens who live in Texas and other places with these restrictive laws, they aren’t able to fly or drive out of the state to get an abortion, and even if they could, most states require parental consent or a pass from a judge. But we also aren’t able to take on the responsibility of having a child. We cannot be expected to take on the full responsibilities of parenthood and adulthood before we are even legally considered adults.
We should be worrying about where we’re going to college, what grade we got on our calculus test, or what we’re going to wear to the school dance, not whether we should have a natural birth or a C-section. That is simply unacceptable.
I am marching because I want a future where women have choices. I am marching because I want a future where women aren’t told to cover up, or to smile more, or to carry pepper spray, or keep our legs closed, or that we can’t have control over our own bodies.
This is why I am marching on Saturday. And this is why I hope to see you there, too.
October 4, 2021 Update
Despite rainy conditions and counter-protests, hundreds of people attended the St. Louis rally for abortion justice. Groups stood outside the Old Courthouse with their pro-choice signs held high and their voices raised for reproductive rights. Signs read “No More Wire Hangers,” “No Uterus, No Choice,” and “Stop the Bans.” The rally lasted about two hours and featured many various speakers in that time frame. Captured below are images from the rally.
