On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court made the disheartening decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. This decision ended nearly 50 years of federal protection for the right to abortion. The overturning of Roe v. Wade meant that women and girls in America are left without the ability to obtain an abortion.

There is a clear division in America when it comes to being pro-choice or pro-life. Some were pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to let individual states decide if abortion should be legal or not, whereas others were furious.

On Aug. 2, 2022, in the state of Kansas, citizens chose to vote no and protect the right to abortion. According to NBC NEWS, 59 percent of Kansans voted no. The number of votes shocked the state with a blue result even though Kansas is a red state.

According to The New York Times, in Newton, 53 percent of people voted no, with a little over 12,000 people voting in total. That means that Harvey County is almost 50/50. That data is not surprising to me. According to more data provided by The New York Times, smaller less diverse counties voted yes, and larger more diverse counties voted no.

There was quite a showing on the Aug. 2 ballot compared to gubernatorial elections. According to The New York Times, over 900,000 people voted. More than 540,000 people voted no.

I think that because this ballot was over physical freedom, more people showed up and registered to vote. For example, in the past governor elections, there have been about 700,000 voters in total. On Aug. 2, 200,000 more people came out to vote.

Numbers provide truth, and in my opinion, the truth is that in this day and age, more people care about their reproductive health. Times are changing and people are seeing things in a new light. Women deserve a right to make decisions about their own bodies.

A Harvey County resident who voted “yes,” Father Andrew Bergkamp from Saint Mary’s, said that he believes a person has a soul from the moment they are conceived, and deserves the chance at life. Bergkamp was quite disappointed in the advertisements for vote no.

“I know that some people voted no, but not realizing what the actual amendment meant; I personally think that the deception goes both ways. For instance, when I saw some ads that said- you know- the lives of mothers could be in danger, well that was false,” Bergkamp said.

I absolutely disagree. According to NBC NEWS, Texas has banned abortion unless it is a life or death situation, meaning a mother has to be dying in order to get an abortion, and sometimes it doesn’t happen until it’s too late.

I think that everyone deserves an opinion, however, we do need to keep it factual. It is not just about babies, it is about how people are trying to take rights away from women.

This choice is tough on women. Keeping a baby will affect them for the rest of their lives just like how aborting one will. When a woman gets an abortion, it does not mean that they do not value human life. The majority of women who get abortions either cannot financially support a baby in their life or are just not ready.

Adoption is an alternative to abortion, however, there are many aspects of the foster care system that are flawed. According to Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, every year almost 1,000,000 children suffer from neglect in foster care with only about 10 percent being reported. One in five of those children being neglected is also being physically abused.

To know that I am birthing my child just to give them to a potentially unsafe environment is unsettling to me. Also growing up in a traumatic environment can make a kid turn to illegal things, and that child could end up in prison. What I would want is for my child to at least have a fair shot at life, and if not then I don’t think it’s worth it.

Abortion is very safe for women. According to Planned Parenthood medical problems rarely occur after having an abortion procedure.

Abortion is healthcare. It should be an unquestionable right for women all over the U.S.