Many people are rejoicing while others are enraged after the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court. I personally consider abortion to be abhorrent, one of the worst evils to ever afflict humanity. That said, I do not believe that banning abortion will do anything to stop abortions from happening. If the pro-life side wants to end abortion, then a pro-life culture must be created. Rather than trying to abolish abortion by banning it, thus theoretically eliminating its supply (it does not; banning abortion does not stop it from occurring, but rather puts women at higher risk of preventable injuries and deaths from the procedure), pro-lifers should try to decrease the demand for abortions. This can be done through proper sex education (no abstinence-only nonsense that the Bible Belt insists on!), voluntarily providing financial and emotional support to pregnant women and continuing that support after birth, and making it easier and affordable to adopt children. 

There is more to discuss here than the debate about abortion rights. Many celebrities and politicians have been criticizing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe, and protests have erupted everywhere, including at the homes of these justices. I’d like to know when these people are going to start calling out Democrats and protesting at the homes of Democratic Party leaders like Nancy Pelosi. After all, Democrats had several opportunities to codify Roe into law, permanently ensuring women nationwide had access to abortion services. They did not do so because they wanted to keep using the GOP’s threats to abortion access for fundraising and to reel in votes. They put their party’s objectives over the desire of its members.

Finally, both parties flip-flopped on the issue of bodily autonomy. Republicans were mostly against mask mandates and vaccine mandates throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and red states reopened earlier than their blue counterparts and eased their restrictions sooner. Republicans advocated for bodily autonomy, while Democrats masked toddlers and several major Democrat-controlled cities forced residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in order to lead a normal life. In other words, the GOP was the pro-choice party on pandemic-related issues, while Democrats told people what they could and couldn’t do with their bodies. However, on abortion, Democrats are the pro-choice party advocating for bodily autonomy, while Republicans want to restrict what people can do with their bodies, and have already done so in several states in the wake of the ruling. The glaring hypocrisy of both establishment parties is on full display. Both parties will pretend to be pro-choice when convenient, then turn around and trample your rights.

Dear readers, why do you continue to subscribe to their trickery? Instead of rewarding them, punish them by ceasing your support. Eschew the two-party hackery, abandon the system and join the Libertarian Party. The LP is pro-choice on everything; it has always believed that the decision to get an abortion is the business of the patient and only the patient - nobody else’s, and certainly not the government’s. The LP has also always supported LGBTQ rights, gun rights, and ending the War on Drugs. There is room in our party for members on all sides of the abortion debate, but we are officially pro-choice, not just on abortion, but on all issues, including who you marry, whether you own a firearm, and consuming edibles. 

Check us out at our next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 7 p.m. at Clemson Bros. Brewery in Middletown. We look forward to meeting you.