With three new appointments from former president Donald Trump, in June 2022, the Supreme Court took a far-right extremist turn, and repealed 50 years of Roe precedent, stripping Americans of their freedoms over their bodies and their futures. Since then, everyone is seemingly an expert on the subject of access to healthcare and abortion rights, including your MAGA uncle who’s seething for someone to say they’re pro-choice. We can imagine how difficult it is for you to navigate these sorts of conversations.
Don’t let them corner you, if you’re unsure of what to say, we’ve got you.
MAGA UNCLE SAYS: “Abortion is a states’ rights issue!”
YOU SAY: Our rights shouldn’t depend on our zip codes. True freedom means every American has access to the health care they need, regardless of economic status, income, or state where they work and live.
MAGA UNCLE SAYS: “Abortion bans protect women!”
YOU SAY: Forced pregnancy is not an American value. You can't downplay forced pregnancy, forced birth, and the real harms of the anti-abortion agenda. Outlawing abortion care harms pregnant Americans experiencing complications, who are trying to start or grow their families, too. Freedom is for everybody. It's not the government's place to decide if, when, and how to start a family.
MAGA UNCLE SAYS: “Abortion pills are dangerous!”
YOU SAY: Mifepristone has been proven to be a safe and effective method of ending pregnancy, in fact, it’s safer than Tylenol. More than 96 countries have approved its use, established for more than 20 years and used in half of all medical abortions, and extensive research has been done to test the safety of the drug.
MAGA UNCLE SAYS: “Adoption is always a choice!”
YOU SAY: Texas has the second highest rate of foster care children in the nation, 28,042 children are under the state's care. Nationally, 73% of the approximately 437,000 youth in the foster care system, will graduate highschool compared to 90% of the general population youth. Less than 3% of those that graduate will earn a college degree, 40% will experience homelessness at least once by 19, 25% will be incarcerated, and approximately 51% will age out alone. These are more than just statistics, these are people abandoned by the system that claims to save them.
MAGA UNCLE SAYS: “Women will regret their abortion!”
YOU SAY: For many women, abortion is a medical procedure to end unintended pregnancies for victims of incest and rape, women with ectopic pregnancies and women experiencing other health complications. Abortion should be a personal decision, period. Additionally, more than 95% of women surveyed five years after having their abortion reported that it was the right decision for them.
MAGA UNCLE SAYS: “Rape related pregnancies are rare!”
YOU SAY: Extremist legislators have created conditions where young Texans are susceptible to abuse and forced pregnancies. A little girl who could become impregnated by an abuser has no options in our state. In Texas, in the 16 months after Senate Bill 8 passed which triggered our six week ban, there were 26,313 recorded rape resulting births in the state of Texas.
MAGA UNCLE SAYS: “People should be more responsible!”
YOU SAY: Nearly one in four women will get an abortion by age 45, and fifty-nine percent of abortions are obtained by women who have children. These are responsible people, and more than half care-takers already, who should have the option to decide how and when to build their families. Deciding if and when to have a child is one of the biggest economic, health, and lifestyle decisions a person can make, made more difficult by restrictive legislation that decreases access to lifesaving healthcare.
MAGA UNCLE SAYS: “If you get an abortion, It's hard getting pregnant again in the future!”
YOU SAY: According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, abortion is not associated with an increased risk in infertility, people can get pregnant immediately after having an abortion. Ignoring accurate medical information is harmful when discussing reproductive health.
What’s Next:
- Watch the pros talk about the issue on our YouTube channel! Abortion rights advocates Wendy Davis, Michelle Vallejo, and Amanda Zurawski share why abortion is on the ballot in Progress Texas’ latest Abortion Happy Hour Podcast, listen here!
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