Opinion

Voting on Amendment 1

We have a voice. Let’s use it. We have a choice. Let’s use it. We have a life. It’s debatable.

Well, at least that's how our nation views the value of human life, and that’s currently the political situation Tennessee is in.

Come Nov. 4, the state of Tennessee has a right to vote yes on Amendment 1 being upheld. This will “open the door for informed consent for women and girls considering abortion, inspection or regulation of abortion facilities, and hospitalization requirement for later term abortions,” according to YesOn1TN.org.

Seems like a lot of gibberish, right? I spent about four hours just trying to understand what “no” really meant and what “yes” stood for. So here I am to try to break it down.

The state of Tennessee houses many out-of-state abortions because of our current regulations. “Yes on 1” claims that this amendment change will make out-of-state abortions cease to exist. Yet, parallel to this, “No on 1” citizens say that abortions in general will cease to exist, not only for out-of-state people, but also to residents of Tennessee.

This situation is tricky.

I believe everyone has a right to make decisions—including the baby. That baby, whether made from love, abuse, incest or rape, is still a baby. We can agree on that fact, right? I bet if that baby could make a decision it would choose life. Why? It’s a basic human right.

However, I still have a problem with the “Yes on 1” campaign. This campaign demands the government intercedes on our behalf to make decisions for us. To choose when life is given. Whoa now that is just too much power for them.

I would love if every baby conceived was born, raised by loving parents, received education, met the spouse of their dreams and became president—but that’s not guaranteed if they don't have life.

Ideally I wish those considering abortions made this conscious decision, not the big guys at the Capitol.

If you’ve read my articles before, you know how passionate I am about equality. And if you’ve stayed up-to-date on the news you have probably seen the campaign running with the United Nations right now called HeForShe. In the campaign’s opening speech by actress Emma Watson, she states the actual and true definition of the word feminist; but its nature has a different meaning than what we are used to.

Stereotypically, feminists are known to be “men haters” and violently liberal, which could not be further from the truth. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, feminism is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”

That’s it—equality.

So as a human being and a woman of my word, I desire equality for men and women of all ages. Catch word: ALL ages. With that being said, this would include babies, even those unborn.

In essence, by taking away the rights of a human and letting the government or another human choose whether it gets the chance to survive in this world is not equality. You are treating the baby as less than human.

This issue becomes a matter on the value of human life and whether equality is ever attainable.

We can’t preach feminism and demand for equality between both genders, yet neglect those who can’t speak for themselves. We’re running in a vicious cycle when we ask for equality for everyone and then pretend that everyone isn’t even a someone.

So if you’re still stuck on what exactly this vote entails, here are the main points: If you believe exceptions should be guaranteed and abortions made possible, then vote “no” on Amendment 1. If you believe in equality in its rawest form, not only highlighting the rights of women, but all humans, vote “yes.”

It's time for us to make decisions just for ourselves.