On Jan. 22, America marked the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade. As a graduate student and one of four women in my family, it has been extremely important for me to know that Roe v. Wade allows me to make my own decisions.
I am proud to support the values of freedom and privacy this decision represents but, after nearly eight years of an anti-choice president, I must do more than say I am prochoice. I must vote pro-choice. Many people think this issue does not apply to them, which could not be further from the truth.
The erosion of our individual rights affects us all. Elections matter when it comes to protecting a woman’s right to choose. Six presidential candidatesincluding Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompsonsaid they support overturning Roe altogether. Worse yet, these same politicians not only oppose safe, legal abortion, but they also oppose improving women’s access to birth control, which is the best way to help prevent unintended pregnancy and thus reduce the need for abortion. I am tired of this divisive hypocrisy, as I am sure we all are.
The vast majority of voters oppose allowing politicians to interfere in our personal and private decisions. In 2008, we must vote for pro-choice leaders at all levels of government, from the state Assembly to the White House. Do not look back when it is too late and wish you had done more.
Renee Pasciak
Milwaukee
