WHY VOTE TOMORROW? SCOTUS DECISIONS ANSWER THAT QUESTION
The June Primary is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 28. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. We sent out literature asking you to vote for the candidates we at Local 1180 believe are the most labor-friendly. Please set aside a few minutes tomorrow, if you have not already cast your ballot in early voting, and VOTE! It's never been more important than it is right now.
Why? Just look at the horrific decision handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) regarding a woman's right to an abortion. Roe v. Wade has always been a controversial topic, but never more so than it is right now. Not only did SCOTUS overturn this ultra-important right guaranteed to women, but it also ruled on the rights of Americans to carry weapons. In both instances, the Supreme Court has turned back 50 years of Constitutional legislation due to a stacked Supreme Court that is now a conservative majority.
Their decisions are not based on fairness, or the will or desire of the American people. This is simply a matter of pure political partisanship and justices imposing their own moral values on the public. No one is here to say whether abortion is right or wrong; but what we are here to say is that no one, and especially a group made up mostly of men, has the right to dictate what a woman does with her own body.
The reversal of Roe v. Wade is a slap in the face to women across the country. SCOTUS wants abortions to be illegal no matter what the reason - lack of birth control, rape, incest, life of the mother, or the health of the baby. Yet, if a mother cannot afford even the basics for that child, such as food, rent, or a decent education, there are no provisions to assist.
Protests are occurring all around the country. Women from all walks of life are not sitting back and taking this lightly. They are signing petitions, taking to the streets, posting on all forms of social media. How is it that being forced to wear a mask during the COVID pandemic was a violation of human rights but being forced to carry a child to term against your will is not? How is it that abortions get banned by SCOTUS but AR-15s do not?
Former SCOTUS Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it best: "The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman's life, to her well-being, and dignity. It is a decision she must make for herself. When government controls that decision for her, she is being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices."
The phrase "my body, my choice" clearly only counts for anti-vaxxers, not those who are pro-choice. In America, a country with no universal health care, no universal childcare, no fully paid family or medical leave, and one of the highest rates of maternal mortality among all rich nations, forced births are now the rule. This decision is not about life, it's about control!
The SCOTUS decisions boil down to this: women are going to be forced to bring children into this world, but once those children are here, SCOTUS will not be protecting them. They will go to school every day knowing they might not make it home thanks to the fact there is no ban on assault weapons. We know what the lack of appropriate gun laws is doing to our children, our families, and our communities.
We need to all stand up to this hypocrisy of government and the Supreme Court we are living with. SCOTUS used to have true Justices like Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Thurgood Marshall. Now, all we have are political puppets who impose their own personal beliefs on this country.
The Roe v. Wade decision is most definitely going to bring about numerous court challenges, some based on the separation of church and state. This is yet another issue that's going to cause a greater divide in our already divisive country.
So, circling back to "why should I vote"? SCOTUS answered that question better than I ever could.