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It is always of great interest to me when I “talk” to one-issue voters either online or IRL; I am especially interested when the one-issue is reproductive rights. I will hazard to guess that most people over the age of 16 know that Roe v. Wade was the Supreme Court decision on abortion. Many may not know that the decision was based on the right to privacy and may not know that the majority decision was written by a conservative republican, Justice Harry Blackmun in 1973, but most get the gist that Roe v. Wade is considered the most controversial landmark decision of the 20th century.
It is also interesting to me that what many don’t seem to know that a later case, Webster v. Reproductive Health Services gave access to abortion to individual states in 1989.
Why is this important to discuss when making a decision to vote for a presidential candidate? Because, IMO it is irresponsible at best to base a vote for a presidential candidate based on his or her personal stance on reproductive rights; access to abortion is a state matter! The current state of the struggling economy, global unrest, poverty, education, violence, climate change, health care, etc. and the candidate’s plans to address those are far more important to me in choosing who to cast my vote for in the presidential election.
A candidate’s stance on reproductive rights is important for me to consider when electing a candidate at the state level. While I would still never vote based on that issue alone, I do consider it when deciding who best represents me and my views. My point is, if it is your goal to restrict women from gaining access to safe and legal abortions, do so at the state level. Work your governor and your state representatives. Find a candidate for your state’s highest court who shares your views. Do that and you’ll find me, in the trenches next to you, working to ensure that all women remain in control of their own reproductive rights.
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Paige
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