With the presidential election approaching, the topic of abortion has drawn increased concern from voters, particularly from young female Americans. A New York Times/Siena College poll from August shows that abortion is the most crucial issue for women under 45 to consider when casting their vote. At the same time, a Guardian poll indicates that 67% of women under 30 plan to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris likely due to her commitment to expanding reproductive rights. As a woman living in the U.S., I share these concerns about the future of abortion access and its potential impact on women's autonomy.
While the judicial branch has largely determined abortion laws in the U.S., the president can still assert significant influence on these laws. This is because the president has the power to appoint United States Supreme Court justices, who have and continue to play crucial roles in deciding abortion-related rulings. In the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case which overturned Roe v. Wade, thereby ending the constitutional right to abortion, former Republican President Donald Trump had appointed three of the six justices in the majority. To this day, Trump continues to take pride in shaping the court that led to the abortion ban. If he gets re-elected, the U.S. will likely see further restrictions on reproductive freedoms in an increased number of states.
Though their bodies are not directly affected by abortion policies, cisgender men should reconsider the role they play in influencing decisions on the issue of abortion law. They can focus on voting for politicians who benefit them in other areas, such as tax cuts and inflation control because their anatomical privilege of not having a uterus allows them to not consider bodily autonomy as a decisive or even important factor in their vote. This creates an inherently unfair voting mechanism because women — who make up half of the American population — must first prioritize an issue that threatens their fundamental right to bodily autonomy before they can even consider policy issues on other important fronts.
Economic concerns are of course very important. Many male voters support Trump precisely because they are enticed by his agenda to fix the economy through methods such as aggressive tax cuts. However, the very financial challenges the Trump administration seeks to address do not carry the same weight as the loss of bodily autonomy that Harris aims to protect. Trump's economic policies primarily favor the wealthiest 1% and often leave struggling communities behind. Restoring Roe v. Wade will help all women — roughly 50% of the population — directly while helping all parents who are not ready to emotionally or financially raise a child. Hence, unless Trump’s blueprint to fix the economy can enhance access to fundamental rights for certain communities in other ways, voting for him and passively neglecting the issue of abortion speaks volumes about one’s moral priorities. By voting for Trump, you are accepting the denial of women’s bodily autonomy and advancing the court's capacity to limit women’s reproductive freedom.
Reproductive health care is a deeply personal matter that should not be subject to state discretion inhibiting a medical professional’s ability to provide care. Individuals who will never experience pregnancies should also not have the authority to place the decision of what a woman ought to do with their body in the hands of the state. While government authorities realistically cannot limit themselves to enacting policies solely on issues that pertain to their own experiences, abortion is uniquely significant because it only pertains to the fundamental rights of women. This issue transcends mere political debate and differences in opinion; it touches on the core principles of personal autonomy and freedom for half of the U.S. population.
To any cisgender man reading this, your privilege that comes with not having a uterus protects you from pregnancies caused by rape or incest, guarantees that your life will never be at risk at the cost of bearing a fetus and at the very least allows you to approach presidential elections without the burden of considering your reproductive autonomy as a decisive factor in your vote. It is now time to recognize this privilege and return it to those whose lives and bodies are in fact directly impacted by their uterus.
