Earlier this month, many of us were celebrating the Fourth of July. Ostensibly, it's a day when we honor the historical struggle that led to a nation founded on principles of liberty and justice. But more recently, amidst all the fireworks is an unsettling irony that is becoming harder and harder to ignore.
What does it mean to commemorate freedom when so many Americans are increasingly preoccupied with the battle for basic rights, particularly access to abortion and reproductive health care?
The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have shaped a certain American ethos that is supposed to symbolize a commitment to personal freedom and self-determination. The reality of these promises has always been complex and contested, reflecting the evolving struggles for civil rights and social justice. It should always be said that for many, particularly Black and Indigenous communities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, and women, access to those freedoms has come in fits and starts and is often incomplete.
In recent years, debates over reproductive rights have intensified, casting a shadow over the celebrations of freedom for myself and others who feel a distinct loss of freedom and autonomy since the Dobbs decision two years ago. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling that protected the federal right to abortion, has reignited fierce battles over abortion access across the nation. As a result, states have responded with a patchwork of laws, ranging from strict bans to protective measures, creating a landscape where access to reproductive health care is increasingly dependent on geographic location, income, and ability to travel. Meaning that once again members of already marginalized communities face outsized impacts of the loss of these rights and protections.
This reality starkly contrasts with the supposed American ethos of universal freedom and self determination. For many, the holiday now serves as a reminder of the rights they continue to fight for, rather than a celebration of liberties secured.
Adding to the complexity of this year's Fourth of July is the growing concern over threats to American democracy itself. In recent years, we have witnessed attempts to undermine the democratic process through voter suppression laws, gerrymandering, and efforts to delegitimize election results. These actions erode public trust in democratic institutions and threaten the foundational principle of government by the people for the people.
Anti-democratic and anti-abortion politicians are using the institutions that should protect us to exert their will over their constituents regardless of what their constituents actually want. The right to abortion remains steadfastly popular across America and across party lines, but that didn't stop politicians in Idaho from passing an abortion ban so extreme it denied even emergency, life-saving abortion care.
Senator Sam Brown and his allies like Donald Trump are among those who disregard the overwhelming public support for reproductive rights and put Nevadans in harm's way by continuing to devalue and de-emphasize how harmful his stances truly are.
Beyond Idaho, anti-abortion politicians in Congress are blocking critical protections for abortions access, birth control, IVF, and even codifying federal abortion rights, despite the widespread popularity and need for these policies. It is Senators like Jacky Rosen that we look to to encourage more politics to defend not just the right to abortion access, but for continuing the fight to restore the right to reproductive health care as a whole in federal law despite continued opposition from anti-abortion Senators.
The struggle for reproductive rights is not just about abortion; it encompasses a broader fight for comprehensive health care, bodily autonomy, and gender equality. And it’s not hard to see how restrictions on this access disproportionately affect marginalized communities, exacerbating existing inequalities and undermining the notion of equal freedom for all.
It is crucial to reflect on what freedom truly means. It is not merely the absence of oppression but the presence of opportunity, choice, and equality. True freedom encompasses the right to make decisions about one's own body, to access necessary health care, and to live without fear of discrimination or coercion.
The Fourth of July and all of the pomp and circumstance that surrounds it should inspire us not only to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy but also to recommit to the ongoing struggle for those freedoms that remain out of reach for many. It is a day to recognize the work that lies ahead in achieving a more just and equitable society.
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| Paid for by Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates PAC, 775-846-3077, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. |
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