You need to care about Roe v. Wade

I am usually hesitant to share my political beliefs, but today feels different. For 21 years, I have lived in a country where abortion could not be denied to a family by law, a right I have come to view as fundamental to individual and societal health. You may know this right by the name Roe v. Wade. Today, this right is slipping away, and frankly, I feel sick.

As of June 24, I live in a country where a large block of states have denied the right to abortion. To those who feel indifferent or unaffected, here’s why you need to care.

When you got the notification from the Supreme Court that morning, you may have silenced your phone because it didn’t affect your body. Maybe you began reading, got caught up in the drama for a second, and then scrolled to the next story. After a few headlines, maybe you were comforted by imagining that families seeking an abortion could still travel to states with abortion clinics. Don’t be comforted. You should care about the decision as if your future depended on it, because it does.

Consider the rampant inflation you’ve complained to your friends about at work. Imagine all the families struggling to afford gas prices — which have surged as high as $6 per gallon — on their way to an already expensive procedure because their local abortion clinic closed. Taking away Roe v. Wade will dramatically increase the cost of an abortion, which is around $750 according to Planned Parenthood.

If very real, not hypothetical, families are too far removed for you to care, consider your own family. If you live in one of the many states that close abortion clinics, what will you do if your family needs one? If you live in Florida or Louisiana, your nearest Planned Parenthood may soon be hundreds of miles away. Massachusetts, a state committed to keeping abortion clinics open, has only four Planned Parenthood clinics statewide. Does this sound like easy access to you?

And if that’s not sobering enough for you, imagine the world you’ll leave to your children. Imagine explaining to them that on June 24, 2022, they lost the right to make a key health decision for themselves, the right to choose. Do you want to deny your children anything? Doesn’t it bother you that access to safe abortion may not be something provided to them?

If I’ve got you thinking, and I hope I have, here is what we must do to ensure that abortion clinics stay open in all states and our families hold onto their right to choose. You can start by donating to Planned Parenthood, which is helping ensure at-risk Americans can access the family planning care they need. Next, you can campaign for Senate candidates like Rev. Raphael Warnock of Georgia who have the support of NARAL and advocate for the right to access safe abortion.

Care about access to safe abortion for your community, your state, and your country. Care about Roe v. Wade for your family. Care about the right to choose for your children.