Our labor movement is all about fighting for all workers and all U.S. residents to be treated with respect and dignity and to enjoy equal rights and equal protections.
We also have a long history of fighting for affordable, quality health care, be it at the bargaining table or advocating for state and national legislation. Our labor movement believes that access to affordable, quality health care is a human right.
So when AFT Michigan endorsed the Reproductive Freedom for All ballot initiative, our board’s decision was entirely consistent with what the labor movement has fought for these many years.
This initiative, which would enshrine reproductive rights in the Michigan Constitution, turned in a record number of signatures, many more than enough to qualify for the November ballot. It is imperative that this ballot initiative is supported by voters, as here in Michigan we have a 1931 law that takes away the choice concerning pregnancy by banning abortions.
‘It provided hope’: Michigan advocates look ahead after abortion rights vote in Kansas
Planned Parenthood, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel are doing their best to fight this law in court, and Planned Parenthood secured an injunction barring the implementation of the 1931 law. However, on August 1 the Court of Appeals put the standing of the injunction in doubt. As of now, abortion is still legal in Michigan, but the status of reproductive rights is fragile.
The solution is this ballot initiative.
When considering the ballot initiative, we should ask:
Are we treating women equally and with dignity and respect if society tells them they do not control their life choices? Having had this control under Roe has led to more women being able to support their children, participate in the workplace and in community leadership positions, and pursue their education.
Are we treating women equally and with dignity and respect if society tells them they do not control their own bodies and may need to put their lives at risk?
Ana Langer, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, indicates that eliminating reproductive choice does not result in fewer abortions, but forces women to put their own health at risk by seeking unsafe abortion care or suffering through pregnancy complications.
Langer cites a 2021 study outlined in Duke University’s Demography that estimates that “banning abortions in the U.S. would lead to a 21% increase in the number of pregnancy-related deaths overall and a 33% increase among Black women, simply because staying pregnant is more dangerous than having an abortion.” These percentages do not include deaths from unsafe abortions.
As happens almost always, the people most hurt by restrictions on reproductive choice are those already marginalized — Black and Brown women, low-income women, people with disabilities, trans and non-binary individuals, all of whom face additional barriers to getting the care they need.
At its heart, the anti-choice movement is about wanting to control others and subjugate women. What I suggest here, and what the Reproductive Freedom for All ballot initiative fights for, is not radical. The initiative provides choice, just like we have concerning all of our health care needs, and trust that people know their own circumstances better than any lawmaker ever could.
In the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal, many people’s worst fears about the future of reproductive freedom have come to life — and it’s on all of us to defend these fundamental rights. I have not often spoken publicly about reproductive rights, but if there was ever a time to step out of our comfort zones and raise our voices in support of reproductive freedom, that time is right now.
authored by David Hecker
First published at https%3A%2F%2Fmichiganadvance.com%2F2022%2F08%2F17%2Fdavid-hecker-health-care-is-a-human-right-thats-why-we-support-reproductive-rights%2F
Comments are closed.