A lot of anti-abortion rhetoric centers on the idea of “protecting women.” But what does that really mean?
Here in Arizona, voters overwhelmingly supported enshrining the protections of Roe v. Wade in our state constitution. In fact, women — who make up the majority of the electorate — made their preferences loud and clear: they want access to abortion care.
So if women support access, who exactly are these lawmakers and activists protecting them from?
Apparently, people like me.
When I was in college, I had a friend who was a magician. Before performing in public, he’d test new tricks on me. Then he’d show me how they worked — the key was always misdirection. By focusing your attention elsewhere, the trick goes unnoticed.
That’s what anti-abortion activists are doing. I am the misdirection. They want you to focus on me — the abortion provider — as the threat. They want you to believe that my motives are something other than providing compassionate, evidence-based care.
While I’m being surveilled, maligned, and regulated, those same lawmakers are quietly working to dismantle the voter-approved constitutional protections that Arizona women just fought for.
For your “protection.”
I’m not here for that.
I’m here to protect your rights from state and federal overreach. At Choices Women’s Center and the Choices Abortion Network, we trust women. That means we know they don’t need unsolicited “protection” — they need unqualified support.