Abortion is healthcare. Access to healthcare saves lives. Equitable access to healthcare is a human right, and no one should experience discrimination because of their gender. Americans should not wait for their doctor to consult administrators and lawyers before receiving treatment to save their lives because an overreaching government dictates which life is worthy of saving. Missouri’s trigger ban on abortion with no exception for violence, pre-existing medical conditions, or the health of the mother harms families already struggling to make ends meet and find affordable healthcare. Missouri’s failure to expand Medicaid and corporate consolidation of medical centers caused rural hospitals across the state to close and significantly decrease services, so now many people drive hours for basic healthcare, leading to high maternal mortality rates. The United States should set federal standards to prevent extreme laws from restricting access to medical care, so that families do not experience undue financial, geographic, or criminal penalties for protecting their lives and seeking care.
I support the Women’s Health Protection Act, ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, Medicare For All, and expanding access to virtual and telehealth services.
Additionally, I believe that the politicization of abortion comes from the anti-labor movement, which intentionally divides American workers to discourage solidarity and increase corporate profits. Terms like “late-term abortion,” “partial-birth abortion,” “Pro-life,” and “Pro-Choice,” all come from marketing campaigns in the 70s and 80s intentionally designed to inflame and divide American workers into emotional and personal issues to discourage them from coming together and fighting for things like better wages, working conditions, and access to healthcare. Denying basic healthcare services restricts access, and drives up prices, and corporations directly benefit from this strategy. Emotionally charging basic issues like health care access prevents people from meaningfully solving problems, and people in power know this.
I support the ProAct so that every worker can collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions, along with strengthening the enforcement capabilities of the National Labor Relations Board.
