We’ll soon celebrate July 4 with fireworks, parades and barbecues. It is actually pretty amazing to think about what happened on that day back in 1776, and it’s disappointing to know where we are today.
In 1776, a group of men from 13 British colonies – including Josiah Bartlett and William Whipple of New Hampshire – declared that those colonies were an independent nation. After a war for independence, our country was built around the concepts of democracy, freedom and equality. However, recent events show again that those ideals are only as good as people’s willingness to participate in our democracy and vote for those who will protect freedoms and liberty for all.
In November 2020, President Donald Trump did not have “the consent of the governed,” so the citizens chose to replace him with Joe Biden. Yet, as current Congressional hearings are making clear, Trump and his supporters refused to accept the outcome, trying various means to overturn the results, and when their claims of fraud were unsuccessful, some of them stormed the Capitol last Jan. 6 in an attempt to impose their will with force.
Last week marked the 50th anniversary of a major achievement in women’s equality – Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bans discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity that receives federal money. Unfortunately, it was followed by a giant step backward when the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, making women’s right to an abortion subject to the laws of the state where she lives. In this state, Gov. Chris Sununu stated abortion “will continue to remain safe, accessible and legal in New Hampshire,” although only up to 24 weeks and if you’re 18 or older.
The decision means women no longer have the right to choose what is right for their reproductive health and personal circumstance. No one ever wants to have an abortion, but having the right to control reproductive health was a right hard-won by those who recognized that personal choice should be protected. How is that different, really, than the right to carry a gun? Many will now be forced to have babies, even if in many places the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest, without safety nets to protect those who do not have means or supports to raise children.
The Supreme Court decision makes women less equal than they were just a couple days before. It makes our democracy less secure, and makes every single voice – and vote – more important if we are to ensure that women have the right to make decisions for themselves.