Reproductive rights have become one of the most debated policy issues in U.S. politics, shaping the everyday experiences of women and their communities. As recent restrictions on abortion and access to reproductive healthcare continue to emerge across different states, these policies directly influence the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of women. The new laws reveal the ongoing tension between individual liberties and government authority.<\/p>\n
In recent months, a series of cases have made news due to the lack of access to reproductive healthcare. The recent abortion bans in many U.S. states have sparked legislative action, such as the case of Adriana Smith. Smith was a 30-year-old nurse and mother from Atlanta, Georgia. She was hospitalized in February 2025 due to intense headaches. During her initial hospital visit, she was given medication and discharged, only to be readmitted the very next day when her boyfriend found her gasping for air. After further examination, medical professionals discovered blood clots in Adriana\u2019s brain, and she was declared brain dead soon after. It was then discovered that Adriana was about nine weeks pregnant. In Georgia, abortions are considered illegal after six weeks; therefore, Adriana was forced to stay connected to tubes and serve as a human incubator for her child against her family\u2019s will. The expectation was that Emory University Hospital would keep Adriana\u2019s organs functioning until the fetus reached a viable stage for delivery. This not only posed significant health risks for the fetus, but it also created immense emotional turmoil for her family, who were forced to watch her body be kept alive against their wishes.<\/p>\n
Another example of the consequences of restricted reproductive rights is that of Josseli Barnica. Barnica resided in Texas and, like Smith, was also a mother. She was 17 weeks pregnant when she was told that the fetus would not make it to term. She was informed that a miscarriage was \u201cin progress,\u201d and unfortunately, there was little that could be done. The delivery could not be sped up, as the fetus still had a heartbeat, preventing termination under the state\u2019s reproductive laws. Three days after she delivered, Josseli died due to sepsis. Sepsis is an extreme immune response to an infection in the body. Because Josseli could not receive the post-miscarriage care she required, the remaining uterine lining could not be removed, causing the infection. Barnica\u2019s death was entirely preventable, yet the restrictions in place made it unavoidable. It goes without saying how inhumane both of these cases are. Women\u2019s bodies being treated without respect in the 21st century is both shocking and unacceptable.<\/p>\n
Reproductive rights were on the line during the 2024 elections. As a woman, I knew that my vote would make a vital difference, so I voted yes for Proposal 1, which would \u201cexpand equal protection, including reproductive rights.\u201d I consider myself somewhat religious, and I definitely took that into consideration when making my vote. I believe that allowing individuals to make choices is important. Women experience hardship from systemic oppression to difficult life circumstances, which is why I strongly believe that we should have full authority over our own bodies and choices. I feel very strongly about this topic because, beyond it being the morally right position, I have seen firsthand how access to reproductive healthcare can be a matter of life and death for someone facing serious medical risks. A few years ago, my mother experienced a miscarriage. Watching all the emotions she experienced during that time was difficult, and it is chilling to realize that something as basic as access to reproductive healthcare could have cost her life due to the current political climate.<\/p>\n
The lack of reproductive rights has real consequences for all women, not only those who are mothers. This country has come a long way in advancing women\u2019s rights, and it is a shame that we are backtracking so quickly. Reproductive health is health, and restricting access to this necessary care puts women\u2019s physical and mental well-being at risk. Every woman deserves the ability to make informed decisions about her body without outside interference. The laws currently in place reflect the patriarchal system of the United States seeking control over women\u2019s bodies, with not even the slightest concern for prioritizing their welfare. This desire to enforce control and power should never cost a life, and a man should never dictate what a woman does with her body.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Reproductive rights have become one of the most debated policy issues in U.S. politics, shaping the everyday experiences of women and their communities. As recent restrictions on abortion and access to reproductive healthcare continue to emerge across different states, these policies directly influence the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of women. The new laws reveal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6760,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-fall-2025","czr-hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6760"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":445,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382\/revisions\/445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/democracy-in-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}