Posted By Gettysburgian Staff on Oct 16, 2022 | 1 comment

By Nathan Keely 

I’d like to first acknowledge that as a man I have no idea of what it is like to be a woman, nor can I fully understand the societal plight that is put upon them. Though I am pro-choice, I would like to also acknowledge that those who are pro-life should be treated with respect and dignity. Shouting at those who disagree with you will not solve the problem and will only polarize this country even further. This issue is controversial in that there are legitimate moral reasonings from both sides. I ask that you try to understand those who disagree with you.  

June 24, 2022 is a date that will never leave the minds of Americans, when the Supreme Court overturned the precedent case that was Roe v. Wade. While conservatives rejoiced, liberals went to the streets to protest. The case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is a symptom of what is wrong with our republic and how it can be corrupted by forces that are not meant to be in government. The modern conservative movement stems heavily from Christian values and in turn conservatives use religion to justify their argument. This cannot be tolerated in a functioning and representative democracy with constituents of all creeds. I myself am Catholic but I do not see any justifications to impose my religious beliefs on anyone. Religion is a personal matter that should not have any say in government because laws without separation of church and state are injustices to those who do not practice. I understand the justification to protect life, but what conservatives don’t factor into the debate is quality of life. We live in a wealthy and industrialized country where women have the opportunity to have autonomy over their lives and their careers, but the overturning of Roe v. Wade opened the floodgates for Republican-led state governments to take away that right.

The anger coming from liberals is granted but that anger should not be directed towards conservatives and should be directed in a more constructive way by voting in droves in this year’s midterm elections. It is very apparent that we can no longer rely on the federal government and the only thing stopping Republicans from succeeding is the state governments with either a Democratic governor or a Democratic legislature. This year’s election is extremely significant here in Pennsylvania where the Republicans propped up a con artist from New Jersey and a Gettysburg-local MAGA fanatic, who both pledged to end abortion rights. Christian nationalism is out and proud in today’s political climate and that’s even more apparent with Doug Mastriano on the ticket, who will definitely work to impose his backwards version of Christianity onto Pennsylvania. I don’t wish to belittle conservatives for their views but to implore empathy in them that the policy they support has immense and negative consequences for women, especially for those who don’t have enough money for the financial strains of having a child. We must all consider the celebrated American virtue of individual liberty in the context of the debate and treat others on the opposing side of the aisle with compassion. 

This article originally appeared on page 9 of the September 2022 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.