Politicians and judges may not inflict their personal religious beliefs on Americans in legislative or judicial decisions.
Americans practice many religions, and almost a third of Americans choose no religion at all. Abortion is a part of comprehensive health care which should not be impacted by the religious beliefs of the few in power.
If your religion says abortion is wrong, don’t have an abortion. But you should still be legally allowed to have one. Interestingly, more than half of all abortions are had by mainline Protestants, evangelical Protestants and Catholics, all whose religions currently oppose abortion.
Arguments against abortion (and certain contraceptives) based on when life begins are completely religion-based. These are modern interpretations — certainly when the ancient religious texts were written, most of the medical milestones were unknown. These arguments are also irrelevant in our civil lives; constitutionally, religion does not dictate our laws.
Pregnant people should be able to make personal health decisions without the imposition of government officials’ private religious beliefs. Individuals make medical decisions in collaboration with their doctors. Faith-based attacks on bodily autonomy are clearly unconstitutional and dangerous to Americans’ civil liberties.
— Maeve Watkins
Anchorage
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