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Congressman Donald Norcross wrote the following op-ed on the consequences overturning Roe V Wade would have on women and children in America:
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Overturning Roe would deny women, children a chance at the American dream [[link removed]]
Earlier this month, a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion was leaked foreshadowing the overturning of Roe V. Wade, a pivotal case that established a women’s constitutional right to make decisions about her own body and, if necessary, make the very hard decision to have an abortion.
If this draft reflects the ultimate decision, which the court is expected to release this June, it will be a major blow to women’s reproductive rights and the fundamental human rights and well-being of women in America.
Most men have not been forced to think about or contemplate making this difficult decision, but we can’t sit this one out because we think it doesn’t affect us. Let me be clear: it does. Women being able to have the freedom to make their own reproductive choices affect the women in our family, our friends, and the economics and health of millions of families around the nation.
I work tirelessly for families by fighting for higher wages, better retirement plans, and health care for all. Ensuring women can make decisions when it comes to their bodies is a workforce fairness issue. A 2016 study showed that delaying motherhood significantly improves lifetime earning potential. That makes a woman’s fundamental right to decide when to start a family one of the most important career choices she can make.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 60% of all U.S. abortion patients are in their 20′s, and 75% of abortion patients are low-income with nearly half living below the poverty line.
Forcing someone to start a family before they are ready, whether financially or psychologically, has significant implications. Being forced to have a child at a young age, especially if you lack the finances or a support system to care for the child, is not only cruel but has lasting impacts on our society that go unmet by our safety net programs.
A landmark research project known as The Turnaway Study uncovered several negative outcomes for mother and child. Women who were denied reproductive freedom spent more time living in poverty; were not likely to have enough money to cover basic living expenses like food and housing; and were more likely to be raising the child alone.
Women who chose to and were able to receive abortions, on the other hand, often went on to have a child by choice when they were more financially secure, therefore improving outcomes for the mother and the child. In short, by overturning Roe, we would be denying an entire generation of American women and children their chance at the American Dream.
This is not news for the radical conservatives who advocate an anti-women and anti-child platform. Republicans have aggressively pursued this agenda, including by: opposing landmark legislation passed by the House to provide universal child care; attempting to kill the child tax credit; voting against the Paycheck Fairness Act; and opposing paid family leave. Over 100 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against the Fairness for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which would have banned discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace.
The Republican anti-woman, anti-child agenda is at odds with their rhetoric, of course. Republicans claim to be the “party of workers” but draw the line at protecting pregnant workers from discrimination in the workplace. Republicans say they stand for “family values” while doing everything they can to stop women from deciding if or when to start a family. Republicans say they want to “protect children” while trying to destroy school lunch, allowing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to expire, and voting against a bill that would address the baby formula shortage.
Like an absentee father, the Republican Party is happy to force women to give birth – just don’t expect Republicans to stick around once the child is born.
The Declaration of Independence, which Republicans often confuse for the U.S. Constitution, lays out the aspiration of the American government to guarantee for its citizens the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Instead, radical Republicans are hell-bent on using the government to control women’s lives, restrict their liberty, and destroy their happiness. I guess we should expect nothing less from the anti-women, anti-child, and anti-worker party. But that doesn’t mean we need to sit back and let it happen. We need to fight like hell for women’s rights.
- Congressman Donald Norcross
Paid for by Donald Norcross for Congress.
Donald Norcross for Congress [[link removed]]
PO Box 160
Collingswood, NJ 08108
United States
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