Last week, the Branding Iron ran a poll asking students how they felt about a hot-button issue: abortion. In the beginning, the choices battled it out in a heated back-and-forth showdown. Pro-choice. Situational. Pro-choice. Situational again! And then pro-choice began to take a running lead to the top, hanging out around 71 percent for a period of time.
Pro-choice myself, I found this to be pretty exciting. But I had to wonder: is this really accurate? How could it be? Even for the most liberal states — which, clearly, Wyoming is not — I doubt 71 percent would be an accurate figure.
Wyoming is a conservative state. That is a fact. After 144 votes, the poll closed with 67 percent pro-choice, 20 percent pro-life and 13 percent situational. (No one voted undecided. I think it is great that everyone who voted had an opinion!) I am still skeptical that these results are actually representative of our student body. Students are often generalized to be more liberally spirited, but we are still located in a very conservative state.
Are we as students really pro-choice in nature? Or are the pro-lifers and middle-of-the-roaders not as vocal?
The Wyoming Legislature has proposed a new bill to redefine abortion laws in our state, making the topic more important than ever.
If the bill passes, the current law would change from “an abortion shall not be performed after the embryo or fetus has reached viability” to “an abortion shall not be performed after the embryo or fetus has a detectable fetal heartbeat.”
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Mentioned in an article last week, more than 750 abortions were performed for Wyoming women outside of the state in 2009. Comparatively, 475 abortions took place in Colorado, 160 in Montana and 128 in Utah.
To answer my own question, this new definition is a bad thing. It just continues the cycle of forcing women to seek help outside the state if they need or want the procedure.
I think women should have access to health care in their own state. I would consider an abortion to be a health care issue. While the Affordable Care Act is bestowing many benefits to women’s health, abortion coverage is not among them.
The act remains neutral in the matter, stating, “the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act maintains the status quo on abortion policy and does not shift federal abortion policy in either a pro-life or pro-choice direction. The following provisions will ensure that the bill does nothing to restrict or expand existing abortion law, while ensuring that federal funds cannot be used for abortion coverage or care.”
Is it a wise move for the nation not to take a stance? Probably. But is it a progressive move? Not really. The ACA itself is progressive and I do commend the Supreme Court for declaring it constitutional. However, our country is still steps behind our fellow world leaders. In Sweden women are free to get an abortion for any reason through the first 18 months. In Canada, abortions are fully funded by the government in six out of 10 of its provinces, as well as in two of its three territories.
I do not think abortion is a decision that should be taken lightly. However, I think a woman should have the right to choose. Women choose to get an abortion for many different reasons, including rape, health risks to the mother or the child, or simply not being ready for parenthood. If the abortion takes place during the first trimester, like the standard abortion does, then it should be perfectly legal. I do not think the mother, who is already living, should have her life put at risk for the pregnancy, nor is it fair for both mother and child to face rejection.
What are your thoughts on abortion? The BI staff and I want to know! Do you think the poll results are representative of UW’s student body? What is your position on abortion? We are interested in hearing from all perspectives — especially pro-lifers and situationalists. Send us a letter to the editor at bi@uwyo.edu to let us know what you think.
