As women, our voices have been discounted for generations.  We decided that being pushed to the side was no longer acceptable, so we demanded our voices be heard. Slowly but surely, our voices were given the power we already knew they had. Opportunities began to rise for us and we began to be respected. People began to value our opinions and they looked to us to guide them. While we still are not fully considered equal we have made progress that is getting us closer to achieving that goal. 

    Flash forward to 2022, when our voices are once again being silenced. We are being told that our opinions(whatever they may be) are invalid.  We are once again being put below our male counterparts. With the signing of one document into law, we were told that our freedoms, access to health care and our rights to make decisions about our own bodies no longer matter.  We were told that everything we had worked so hard for held no real significance. 

So what do we do about the situation? We use our voices once again to stand up to those who have put limitations on us. We engage in protests and tell our government exactly what our stance on the issue is today!  In taking away our rights, they are starting a movement but so are we! We are going to fight extremely hard to make sure that we don’t lose any more of our rights. This issue, while divisive, has presented some of the supreme court’s other intentions. If they are able to make abortions illegal what else can they change? The answer is everything. 

Protesting, while effective, isn’t reaching the people we need it to. When the government attempts to silence us, there are other ways to make sure they hear us.  The biggest thing that we can do is vote!  Election day is less than 2 months away. This November, we are voting on topics that will play a role in the way future generations grow up. Not only are we voting to protect our bodies, but we are fighting for the bodies of our grandchildren. Elections are determined based on the voice of the people. We need to make our voices loud and clear. We need to inform the government that we’re still here and we are not going away. By voting this fall, you are able to take part in a movement. If you are eligible to vote this November, it is imperative that you do so! The future of this country depends on it. 

To quote Ruth Bader Ginsburg “Women deserve to be in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception ”!