A Woman’s Right to Her Body

A Womans Right to Her Body

In a post Roe vs. Wade society, many are left to decide which side of history they want to be on in regards to reproductive rights. The debate of women’s reproductive rights has been one of the most divisive issues in the United States. Many people argue that life begins at conception and that taking the life of an unborn child is wrong. Others argue that the issue of abortion goes far beyond whether life begins at conception and the morality of taking an unborn child’s life. Also a controversial topic in reproductive rights is accessibility to contraceptives such as condoms and birth control pills. Conservatives say that this availability promotes promiscuous behavior and lowers the collective social morality while liberals state that people need to be protected regardless and that people’s sexual expression should not be regulated by the government. Sonia Muzemil ‘17 states, “I don’t think men should have a say on what women do with their bodies. There are all sorts of reasons for why a woman would need an abortion. I don’t believe it would be fair to restrict their rights.”

While abortion has remained legal, many places in the U.S. have legal bans limits that make it virtually impossible for some women to receive abortions. Recently in Ohio, a law known as the ‘Heartbeat Pill’ was going to get passed, but was vetoed by John Kasich and replaced with a ‘Twenty Week Plan’. According to the Huffington Post, the ‘Heartbeat Bill’ is a law that when a fetal heartbeat can be heard, the mother must carry the child and cannot have an abortion. Not only does this law ignore exemptions in cases of incest or rape, but according to Healthline Media, Inc, fetal heartbeats can be heard as early as in the 6th week of pregnancy – at which point many women have not yet experienced signs of their gestation. “These are actual bodies of real people that can have grave consequences if not taken into control properly by their own person. Having some government or politicians or whoever who is not the women themselves is something that is ridiculous and shouldn’t even be thought of. I remember reading many articles about these politicians knowing nothing about women’s reproductive system, or even a basic sex education. Why would I want to leave my own body to the hands of someone who knows less than me about my own body?” says Marzena Kowalczyk ‘17. As a result, this law has been a source of much controversy, prompting protesters to gather outside of Kasich’s house. The Ohio Senator decided to veto the law and pass another law similar to it. The ‘Twenty Week Plan,’ which will replace the ‘Heartbeat Pill’ is a marked improvement. In a statement from Kasich for the Columbus Dispatch, “I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading, pro-life advocates that Senate Bill 127 is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life.” The new law forbids termination of “a human pregnancy of a pain-capable unborn child.” It extends the date of illegality to 20 weeks, by which time most women have had ample time to act on their pregnancy. The enactment of this bill is a testament to the ideal of active citizens being able to affect legislation in their country.

Still, many people are disgusted by the invasiveness of these laws. “This law utterly disgusts me, it is the definition of restricting human rights and is very pro-life, Ohio lawmakers passed this law not taking into consideration that most women do not know they are pregnant until after the second month, now how do you expect someone to get an abortion by choice if they do not know that they are pregnant? It’s just not right,” says Onyeka Anosike ‘17 and a member of I Am She. These laws restrict women from making their own decisions about their bodies.

 

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