We Need More Women in Government to Combat Anti-Choice Legislation

On January 22, 2021, a man shot at the front doors of the Planned Parenthood building in Knoxville, Tennessee. On December 31 of the same year, a man intentionally burned down the building.

I’m from Tennessee and have often passed protesters on the sidewalk next to the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health on Clinch Avenue, who wave signs that express that women who choose to abort are murderers that will go to Hell. I have also seen these protestors block the parking lot of this center so that women cannot enter the building easily or safely.

Of course, protestors are one thing — legislators are another. Women have no control over men’s bodies, so what gives politicians, who are still overwhelmingly white and male, the right to control women’s bodies? Abortion rights will continue to be restricted unless women take over more government roles to create and vote for laws that ensure gender equality and do everything to stop restrictive bills from becoming laws.

Even before the news that the Supreme Court will almost certainly overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, many states had begun to enforce legislation that made abortion effectively inaccessible. In Texas, abortion is illegal when a heartbeat is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. In March, Tennessee legislators introduced a “Texas-style” abortion bill that would prevent women from receiving abortions and allow people to sue abortion providers or anyone who helped them obtain the procedure. In April, the governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, signed a bill to make abortion illegal except for medical emergencies and would also allow friends and relatives the right to sue someone for having an abortion.

It’s no coincidence that Texas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma all have majority-male legislatures — or that women are the minority of all state legislators. In fact, women still only make up 30% of all state legislators.

It seems these men don’t understand that imposing severe abortion restrictions will not simply stop those who need abortions from seeking them but instead forces people to seek abortion care in other states or turn to unsafe abortion methods, which can cause physical, mental, and emotional harm. Yet it’s clear that safety is not a concern for these legislators, as they continue to crack down on other safe abortion methods as well.

If the Supreme Court ultimately overturns Roe v. Wade, many states’ “trigger laws,” or bans on abortion that are “triggered” after Roe v. Wade is struck down, will go into effect. In Tennessee, for example, 30 days after such a Supreme Court ruling, a trigger law will prohibit all abortions except in cases where an abortion would prevent the death of the woman.

Ultimately, men should not be in charge of making decisions about women’s bodies. More women are needed in government roles to ensure that women have the rights they deserve because, ultimately, our government cannot ban abortions — they can only ban safe abortions. Plus, if our abortion rights are taken away, who knows what other rights will be taken next?

Planned Parenthood is fighting against abortion restrictions, and you can, too. There is currently a petition and pro-choice rallies happening across the nation. Our voices need to be heard, and I hope you’ll add yours to the chorus.