The USA’s Celebration of Freedom is Today, Yet Many Are Not Celebrating
Letters from America
Saturday, June 24, 2022, changed a lot of lives, as it was the day that Roe v. Wade, the right to abortion, was overturned by the United States of America Supreme Court. This decision now allows states to ban abortion, after nearly fifty years of allowing it to be a choice. Some were rejoicing, some were not.
After Roe v. Wade was overturned, social media was a flood of posts regarding abortion. I saw a mix of reactions. There were posts sharing resources for those who may need an abortion, posts spreading awareness that the person carrying the child now has a greater risk of death, posts arguing that abortion should be a choice due to various factors, such as rape, and posts stating that Roe v. Wade getting overturned was a win. I struggled seeing some of my friends post how happy they were that abortion is now getting banned. People are going to die because of this. Many will attempt to abort the fetus themselves. Some will have an unsafe pregnancy or delivery that could kill them. Some may take their own life due to the burden of having to carry a child that they do not want. A few may even get murdered by the person who impregnated them. The ironic part is that those who want to ban abortion call themselves “Pro-Life”, yet many of them seem to only care about the life of the unborn child. Yes, abortion is sad and a traumatizing experience for many, but losing a loved one you have known for years is an even greater loss. Our world is already overpopulated – we need to focus on the people that are here on this Earth. We need to focus on the thousands of kids in foster care and the millions of people who go hungry every day.
I have attended a small Catholic high school and a small Catholic university. Like many Christian religions, The Catholic church believes that life begins at conception, which therefore classifies abortion as murder. This personally is not what I believe in, as I am Pro-Choice. This does not mean that I am Pro-Abortion, but that I simply believe the choice should be of the person who is pregnant. I understand that people have different views than myself. I respect their decisions and can have rational discussions about abortion. If I am friends with someone, it is because I believe they are a good person and I get along with them well. An opinion should not change that, right?
A lot of my friends are posting on social media that if you are happy that abortion is banned, they do not want to be associated with them anymore. So, while I struggle with celebrating the abortion ban, I do not believe that the answer is to stop being friends with people because of it. Instead, I think that we need to listen to each other and work together to come to a solution. Our country is the United States of America, and we need to act like it. America’s Independence Day is today, and a lot of people will be boycotting it this year. Instead of celebrating, they will be protesting Roe v. Wade. While they do that, others will be relaxing, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, celebrating the USA. Both options are valid, but the USA will not truly be the land of the free, until we are free to have the choice to do what we want with our bodies. Americans must find a way to respect a difference in opinions, and that starts with respecting each other.
Anna Laine
Writer is Finnish-American university student from St. Louis, MO who is interning at Blic for the month of July.