[ad_1]
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and opened the door for the Indiana legislature to ban abortion this summer, I’ve heard the same question from friends, neighbors and strangers over and over again: “What can I do to protect abortion rights?”
Well, here’s the answer: vote. The best thing you can do to restore abortion rights and improve health care access in Indiana is to vote Tuesday for candidates who will stand up for your right to make your own decisions about your health care and your family. Vote for lawmakers who will fight extremists who made Indiana home to one of the most draconian laws in the country. Vote for the future you want for yourself, your children and our state.
More:Indiana abortion ban goes into effect in September: What you need to know
The stakes have never been higher. Anti-abortion lawmakers have worked for decades to manufacture a political climate that allowed them to pass Indiana’s abortion ban. And they won’t stop there. They’ve been clear they want to ban abortion outright. The only way we can stop them is by voting them out of office.
This is an issue about control over women’s self-determination of their bodies and their futures. This November is our chance to take it back — to demand control over our bodies, our lives and our futures. We have the majority — so if we all vote, we will win.
A vote for reproductive freedom is a vote for a brighter and healthier future for all Hoosiers. Maternal health in Indiana is dismal. Indiana already has the third-highest maternal mortality rate in the country. With a total abortion ban, experts predict we will see a 21% increase in the number of pregnancy-related deaths and a 33% increase among Black women. Highlighting how people who already face substantial barriers to health care will be hurt the most: the people of Black, Indigenous and communities of color, people in rural areas, LGBTQ communities, people with disabilities, and immigrants.
More:This is what new abortion law means for IU Health providers
Instead of directing taxpayer money toward policies like improving coverage for doulas, counteracting implicit bias in maternal health care, paid family leave and protective pregnancy accommodations to allow people to safely continue working and supporting their families throughout pregnancy — the Indiana General Assembly is delegating dollars toward ‘Predatory’ and ‘Dangerous’ religiously-affiliated fake clinics. Our elected leaders should be pursuing policies that have a proven track record of reducing maternal mortality and narrowing inequities, but they’re doing the opposite and instead stripping funds from institutions with medically trained professionals and sending them to bias anti-abortion establishments. These “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) have a harmful agenda to scare, shame or pressure patients. They tell lies about birth control, abortion and sexual health.
Young people deserve age-appropriate, medically accurate information about sex and reproduction concepts like respecting boundaries, asking before touching and who to turn to for help. Many young people need education and don’t have access to the information and skills they need to protect their health and safety because our public schools in Indiana are not required to provide comprehensive sex education — despite the overwhelming majority of Hoosiers who support it.
More:Banning abortions in clinics would reduce Hoosiers’ access to care, advocates say
We’ve seen who this legislature works for and unfortunately, it’s not the majority of Hoosiers. A poll from July found that 71% of Hoosiers say it is important to them that people in their state have access to all reproductive health care options, including abortion. This includes 58% of Republicans and 62% of independents.
The people of Indiana overwhelmingly support access to safe, legal abortion care, and they do not agree with the lawmakers imposing abortion bans and interfering with personal health care decisions.
The anti-abortion lawmakers in Indiana have gone too far. They have ignored our voices and it’s time we take their jobs. This is about control! Let’s show them where it belongs on Tuesday.
LaKimba DeSadier is Indiana state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates.
[ad_2]
Source link
