By Ericka Rodgers 

For as long as humans have existed, men have wanted to have rule over women's destiny. Decisions about a woman's hemline, voting rights, and her right to give birth or not. Well, as the world has progressed, so have women.

In most countries, we can now wear whatever we choose, vote in elections. And, in my country, on January 22, 1973, the United States Congress gave women the right to choose to have an abortion or proceed with a pregnancy.

Staying In Your Lane

Men need to know something before they steer over into a woman's lane of expertise. They should not assume that a woman wants his advice or him to take control over her personal human right to not give birth.  

Historically, men have always played a role in how women should conduct themselves. I am sure that it was a blow to many of them after the Roe vs Wade outcome confirmed that it was a woman's right to have an abortion. The law stated that it was her decision and no one else should make that choice for her. Now 48 years later, no one would have ever thought that the state of Texas would come back with a vengeance to restore their control of a woman's right to have an abortion.

Representation

Let's talk representation, are women really represented fairly across the board in governments? When Texas ruled and placed a ban on abortions performed after six weeks, it highlighted the gender imbalance of the decision-makers. The Texas Tribune wrote about the overrepresentation of white males in the Texas Legislature, with 61% to the 27% of women as of 2021. 

Men, particularly white men in Western governments, have always had the first and last say over a woman's life. Whether directly or indirectly, they took control through a woman's spouse, religion, or family. Texas has proven with this new abortion law that if you have enough men in power, they can control and manipulate women's rights. 

If women do not take the reins and elect representatives that look like us and place our interests at the top of their platform, I am afraid that we will lose rights altogether. If you think I am stretching it a bit, watch The Handmaid's Tale. 

The Domino Effect

What happens when you knock over one domino of a hundred? The entire structure that you spent so much of your time setting up will feel the effect of that one domino that you tip over. Total destruction. 

My opinion of abortion is sort of skewed. On the one hand, I believe that a fetus is full of life at the time of conception, and yet, I believe that a woman should have the right to choose whether to give birth to that same fetus or not. 

Contrary to what some men may think, women are capable of making decisions for themselves. Except for size, there is no difference between the male and female brains. In the past, scientists, usually men, determined that males were more intelligent and, therefore, better at making crucial decisions than their female counterparts. Well, modern science quashes all of that antiquated nonsense from the past and brings more accurate research to the table. 

Back to that domino effect that I mentioned earlier: If we don't insert ourselves more, as it pertains to voting, and speaking to our representatives about women rights, then abortion laws and other laws that don't represent us as a whole will definitely affect and control the outcome of our rights. 

What's Next?

Okay, you may ask, what about the women that choose to not have an abortion. That is my point, they have that choice to procreate and have a family, and no one is writing laws to work against that choice. My opinion is that every woman should have the right to decide to have a baby or not to have a baby.

Control can be a wonderful thing as well as dangerous. No one, especially the government, should have complete control over reproductive rights. What's next? Will a woman be made to marry her rapist if he impregnates her? Will interracial couples be torn apart because some man in the legislature decides it is not proper? Will freedom of religion be on the chopping block? These are the questions that everyone, especially women, should be asking themselves.

Let's stay in our own lane and not insert ourselves into a person's human rights. We need to get more representation of females and minorities in the legislature. We deserve it. Let's recognise how laws affect and impact us as women. The wrong law being passed can trickle down and negatively influence so many other women's rights, and we cannot let that happen.

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