It Is A Right.
On this 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, it saddens me that this still needs to be said:
Legal, safe abortion is not a privilege that may be withheld from the many and granted to the few.
Legal, safe abortion is a fundamental human right that is given to the many for the benefit of all.
Got that?
Not a privilege.
A right.
It is not a privilege to be withdrawn if it is abused.
It is a right.
It is not a privilege to be extended only to a select few who are deemed "worthy" to bear it, and withheld from others who are not deemed "responsible."
It is a right.
It is not a privilege to be earned.
It is a right.
It is not a favor to be granted to one group and withheld from another; it is not an exception to be made; and its availability should not be dependent on or restricted by marital or social status, intelligence, race, income, education, age, or any other factor.
It is a right.
A fundamental human right.
And any law that restricts that right, I will fight. I will fight for myself, my friends, my colleagues, my enemies.
I will fight for those whose physical health would be threatened by pregancy, and for those whose mental health would be threatened by pregnancy, and those to whom it would not present a threat at all, but only an inconvenience.
I will fight for the pro-life picketer's right to do what she wants with her body.
I will fight for the drug-addicted prostitute.
I will fight for the abused woman.
The woman whose birth control failed.
The woman who did not use birth control.
The woman who was raped.
The party slut.
The mother of five.
The woman who made a foolish mistake and will not make it again.
The woman who was irresponsible in the past, and who will be irresponsible again.
Because it is their right to make that decision for themselves. Their human right.
And the fact that it is still not recognized as such is utterly inhuman.
Legal, safe abortion is not a privilege that may be withheld from the many and granted to the few.
Legal, safe abortion is a fundamental human right that is given to the many for the benefit of all.
Got that?
Not a privilege.
A right.
It is not a privilege to be withdrawn if it is abused.
It is a right.
It is not a privilege to be extended only to a select few who are deemed "worthy" to bear it, and withheld from others who are not deemed "responsible."
It is a right.
It is not a privilege to be earned.
It is a right.
It is not a favor to be granted to one group and withheld from another; it is not an exception to be made; and its availability should not be dependent on or restricted by marital or social status, intelligence, race, income, education, age, or any other factor.
It is a right.
A fundamental human right.
And any law that restricts that right, I will fight. I will fight for myself, my friends, my colleagues, my enemies.
I will fight for those whose physical health would be threatened by pregancy, and for those whose mental health would be threatened by pregnancy, and those to whom it would not present a threat at all, but only an inconvenience.
I will fight for the pro-life picketer's right to do what she wants with her body.
I will fight for the drug-addicted prostitute.
I will fight for the abused woman.
The woman whose birth control failed.
The woman who did not use birth control.
The woman who was raped.
The party slut.
The mother of five.
The woman who made a foolish mistake and will not make it again.
The woman who was irresponsible in the past, and who will be irresponsible again.
Because it is their right to make that decision for themselves. Their human right.
And the fact that it is still not recognized as such is utterly inhuman.