We are writing to you as newly adult women who feel our basic human rights are under attack in the state of Utah. We want to make our voices loud and understood, and that is the purpose of our letter.
We hope that our words can be heard by other people across the state who empathize with our struggles as women. We feel unimportant — as though our value is directly tied to our ability to reproduce.
We are humans, entitled to the right to choose for our bodies, a right that should be equal to that of men.
We are tired of hearing our stories disregarded by a system largely dominated by white males.
It is impossible to make any progress when we as women are disregarded and muffled by said white males.
The belief that women should have access to abortion only under circumstances involving rape or incest communicates to women that in order to have a choice in their bodies, it must be violated first. That is unacceptable.
We live under a constant blanket of anxiety, aware that our bodily autonomy is merely a political discussion rather than a personal choice. We should not have to fear losing control of our bodies.
Abortion is health care, meaning it should be a decision between a woman and her doctor, no one else. Abortion is already such a large and emotional decision for women, a decision that does not need to be looked down on or overcomplicated by people who can’t fathom what it’s like to be a woman.
Amira Baayd, Luci Vincent, Kacey Cisar, and Phoebe Workman, Salt Lake City
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