A Poem About Recent Abortion Bans in the State of Florida
Image Via NBC News
I claim it’s my body and my choice
But in Florida it is the government’s body
Ron Desantis’s choice
Our basic rights were signed away
A room full of people cheered
Women are drowning in the waters of conservative ideologies
Ideologies that claim an embryo deserves more protection than us
Ideologies that claim a six week old unborn human is more worthy of rights than us
Did my sisters of the seventies fight for nothing?
Our screams for justice are being suffocated
Silenced and overlooked
Women deserve better than this
I deserve better than this
Give me back my rights
Am I screaming out loud and no one can hear me
“Pro Life” they say
What about MY life?
Give me back my rights
I am tired of fighting a battle that was already won
I am tired of being fearful of the government
Give me back my rights
Give US back our RIGHTS
In my poem, which is titled “Whose Choice,” I am speaking about the recent six week abortion ban in Florida. I strongly believe the signing of this bill is an attack against women and therefore a feminist issue. On April 14th, 2023 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that plans to outlaw almost all abortions after just six weeks from conception. According to CNN, “The six-week ban would not go into effect until the state Supreme Court overturns its previous precedent on abortion (Contorno).”
I believe there is a common misconception that pro-choice means pro-abortion and it simply put, does not. Being pro-choice means that you believe everyone should have the right to decide when to and whether or not to have a child. Being pro-choice means you believe it is acceptable for an abortion to take place in the circumstance of an unwanted pregnancy – regardless if you would choose to have an abortion yourself. The Pew Research Center writes that, “Dan Maguire, a former Jesuit priest and professor of moral theology and ethics at Marquette University, says that to have a child can be a sacred choice, but to not have a child can also be a sacred choice (Pew Research Center).”
On the other hand however, supporters of the pro-life agenda commonly believe that abortion is murder and should be illegal under all circumstances. When writing about the beliefs of pro-life people, Planned Parenthood states that, “the only life many of them are concerned with is the life of the fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus. They are much less concerned about the life of women who have unintended pregnancies or the welfare of children after they’re born. In fact, many people who call themselves “pro-life” support capital punishment (Planned Parenthood).” I believe that referring to pro-lifers as “anti-abortionists” is a more accurate description.
People who claim to be pro-lifers also tend to support the overturning of the 1973 Supreme Court Case: Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court Case Roe v. Wade legalized abortions in 1973 and sadly, was overturned in 2022. According to Planned Parenthood, Roe v. Wade protected, “ a person’s right to make their own private medical decisions, including the decision to have an abortion prior to fetal viability (Planned Parenthood).” Just a few months after Roe was overturned, eighteen different states placed abortion bans. You might be asking why this case was overturned and according to NPR News, Justice Samuel Alito claims it is because, “they were “egregiously wrong,” the arguments “exceptionally weak” and so “damaging” that they amounted to “an abuse of judicial authority” (Totenberg and McCammon).”
Florida has been seen as a swing state for a while now, so the extreme right turn was unexpected by many. Despite many protests and cries for change, DeSantis still signed into effect his 6-week abortion ban. Roughly a year ago Florida allowed abortions until twenty four weeks after conception which is about a half-term pregnancy. Since then this number was cut down to fifteen weeks and now six. The New York Times points out an important argument when they state, “Florida would now join Georgia at the next-most-restrictive level with the six-week ban, around the time when fetal cardiac activity can be detected. At that gestation stage, many women do not yet realize that they are pregnant (Mazzei et al.).” At just six weeks from conception, many women are unaware of their pregnancy yet, their fate is already sealed.
Thankfully, there are a few things that we can do in Florida to help protect abortion rights. First, we can support abortion funds as well as clinics across the state. Speaking out and using your voice is extremely important and can help to educate fellow Floridians. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, “67 percent of Floridians believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases (ACLU FL).” Another way we can help is by voting out politicians who do not support abortion access or who claim to be pro-life.
To conclude my thinking, abortion is healthcare and should be accessible by all Floridians, as well as Americans, regardless of the circumstance. Banning abortions will not stop abortions, it will only stop safe abortions. While Ron DeSantis signs a six week abortion ban, he simultaneously signs the death certificate of many Floridian women.
Work Cited
“Abortion Access in Florida.” ACLU of Florida, 14 Dec. 2022, https://www.aclufl.org/en/abortion-access-florida.
Contorno, Steve. “Florida Gov. Desantis Signs 6-Week Abortion Ban | CNN Politics.” CNN, Cable News Network, 14 Apr. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/13/politics/florida-abortion-ban/index.html.
Korecki , Natasha. “For Better or Worse, Ron DeSantis Now Owns Florida’s Six-Week Abortion Ban.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-florida-six-week-abortion-ban-rcna78990.
Mazzei, Patricia, et al. “DeSantis Signs Six-Week Abortion Ban in Florida.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/us/florida-six-week-abortion-ban.html.
Parenthood, Planned. “Can You Explain What pro-Choice Means and pro-Life Means? .” Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 6 Apr. 2023, https://www.plannedparenthood.org/blog/can-you-explain-what-pro-choice-means-and-pro-life-means-im-supposed-to-do-it-for-a-class-thanks.
Parenthood, Planned. “Roe v. Wade Overturned: How the Supreme Court Let Politicians Outlaw Abortion.” Planned Parenthood Action Fund, https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/roe-v-wade.
“Pro-Choice Does Not Mean pro-Abortion: An Argument for Abortion Rights Featuring the Rev. Carlton Veazey.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/09/30/pro-choice-does-not-mean-pro-abortion-an-argument-for-abortion-rights-featuring-the-rev-carlton-veazey/.
Totenberg, Nina, and Sarah McCammon. “Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Ending Right to Abortion Upheld for Decades.” NPR, NPR, 24 June 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn.
April 27, 2023 at 12:05 pm
Hi! This is such an important topic, especially with everything that is going on in Florida today, it can be pretty challenging to identify which politicians are actively working towards getting abortions rights back in Florida(to a certain extent), mainly because there are so many opposing views, and we live in a state where the rules on certain rights are not clear. It’s scary and then expected to see how quickly things can change.
April 28, 2023 at 9:05 pm
IM SO IMPRESSED . I love your poem and the references of our history. You used so much pathos to evoke emotions in the readers, definitely worked for me, it was overall a great read. One thing I would say, would be to add images/visionary. I think that you adding abortion funding websites was also a great, smart, and strategic addition. Great Job Haley!