Your Vote Matters Now More Than Ever
By Melanie Morrissey Clark
Photo by Scott Dobry
A few years ago, I wrote about the energy I always feel at the annual Women’s Fund of Omaha Lead the Change luncheon—the palpable excitement in the air when women and those who support them gather in one place to focus on equity and advancement. This year, I expect this energy to be heightened, and possibly tinged with a bit of anxiety as our state, and our country, find itself in an election season that puts women’s issues and concerns squarely at its forefront.
In Nebraska, reproductive rights are on the ballot—not just once, but twice. Initiative 439—Protect Our Rights—would allow the fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability, while Initiative 434 seeks to codify into our state constitution the current abortion ban. There is much confusion around these competing initiatives and make no mistake: This is absolutely intentional.
Since the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, efforts to scale back all reproductive rights—from birth control to pregnancy health care to abortion to in vitro fertilization—have grown from concerning to downright alarming. When physicians are getting together to sign letters and educate our governing bodies about why this is dangerous, which happened here in Nebraska—it’s time to pay attention. More importantly, it’s time to get involved, speak up and VOTE.
This isn’t just about the fundamental right to abortion—it’s also about health care. It’s about our daughters, sisters and friends possibly not getting the care they need for an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. It’s about people like me—who only have children thanks to in vitro fertilization—possibly missing out on parenthood.
And yet, as frightening as this all is, there is also so much hope, and a great deal of excitement.
Women all over the country are banding together to take back their rights—alongside the men who care about them. Men understand the risks if their wives, sisters and daughters are unable to get proper reproductive health care, and they are in this fight with us.
Our voices—and our votes—matter now more than ever before. We each have the power to educate friends and family members about the issues and candidates on our ballot this November, including legislative candidates who decide what happens in our state. Nebraska legislators passed the current abortion ban. Legislative elections across our state are critical to our future. So do your research, share your knowledge and encourage others to vote.
As Barack Obama said: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” W