How this reform will bring positive change in our community
By: Adia Smith
A new development in the fight for abortion rights has recently come to light. On January 3rd, 2023, the FDA released new guidelines allowing common pharmacies to provide medical abortion in states where abortion is still legal, vastly increasing accessibility. As the memory of fundamental human rights being stripped away at the overturning of Roe v. Wade is still vivid and painful for many, this should come as a relief. This FDA reform is a step in the right direction, as increasing accessibility to abortion medication will protect fundamental human rights, while upholding core American values.
The most important reason why this reform was necessary is simple and indisputable: all women deserve the right to bodily autonomy. As human beings, women deserve to choose what life to lead and whether they want to include children in their life. This statement should be indisputable, as each individual person deserves to decide what to do with their body.
If nothing else, this reform should be considered necessary by all Americans due to the fact that not having access to abortion care can very often be life-threatening. According to a recent study conducted by the Center for American Progress, if abortion were banned across the US, the overall number of maternal deaths would rise by 24 percent. The higher rates of death would result from desperate women, who, knowing they won’t be able to raise a child, attempt to perform their own abortion, which can be extremely dangerous without the right equipment or training. There is no way to ban all abortions, anyway, only safe ones. Additionally, for people who have a condition that makes it dangerous for them to physically give birth, not having access to abortion could mean that many women will have to endure a pregnancy knowing that they will most likely die during childbirth when the nine months end. Considering that anti-abortion arguments center most often center on the protection of life, this outcome doesn’t seem to uphold their values—unless their true goal is to oppress and control women’s bodies.
Photograph of the newly approved medication.https://news-northeastern-edu.go-vip.net/2022/05/04/post-roe-could-states-outlaw-abortion-pills/embed/#?secret=mTMYXEwcvQ#?secret=r3EiQilMRv
By approving new abortion medication, the FDA is promoting democracy. The basis of the American government is that reforms are made due to the ideas of the people, and it has been shown that the majority of US citizens are pro-abortion rights. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, around 57% of American adults disagree with the resolution, believing that access to abortion should be a right for all. This percentage is even higher among women, at 62%. The fact that major pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS, have decided to carry abortion medication is once again indicative that access to abortion medication is wanted by many. It would be undemocratic for our government to prohibit access to a drug that upholds the values of the majority of the American people.The argument around abortion rights is only harmful when ideals are forced upon other people. For example, religion or faith is a valid reason not to get an abortion as long as someone with different ideas is not forced to follow those guidelines. Each individual person should get to decide what they value and leave everyone else’s morals, lives, and bodies alone. Nonetheless, when it comes to individual choice, for the preservation of democracy, it is clear why continuing the fight to regain full abortion rights for women will create a safer world, a world where freedom and justice is granted to all.
Protestors taking a stand and advocating for abortion rights
