On Dec. 1, online adolescent-targeted publication Teen Vogue published an op-ed written by Mini Timmaraju, the newly-appointed president of pro-abortion organization NARAL Pro-Choice America. In the op-ed, Timmaraju discussed the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could potentially overturn landmark case Roe v. Wade. Roe, in 1973, gave American women the right to abortion.
In the op-ed, “The Supreme Court Is Hearing a Case That Could Overturn Roe V. Wade, But I Remain Optimistic About Abortion Rights,” Timmaraju called Dobbs, which centers around a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi, the “greatest crisis for reproductive freedom” and said “anti-choice lawmakers across the country are escalating their attacks on abortion access with a terrifying new level of cruelty.”
Timmaraju went on to mention how her home state, Texas, passed a “blatantly unconstitutional, vigilante-enforced” heartbeat law, S.B. 8, that bans abortions after fetal heartbeat detection. The law allows private citizens to pursue legal action against individuals who provide an illegal abortion or “aid or abet” an illegal abortion.
“For too long, too many believed that Roe was too embedded in our social contract to ever be overturned,” Timmaraju wrote. “But as many of us have long known, our rights have never been secure and Roe has never been enough.”
Timmaraju then wrote that Americans need to support “critical legislation” like the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA). As I covered, WHPA is Democrat-led legislation that would “codify” precedents set by Roe into federal law. It would guarantee nationwide abortion access and push back against state legislation meant to curtail abortion, which Timmaraju describes as “extremist” and “out-of-touch.”
“In order to hold these extremist, out-of-touch politicians to account for putting out rights on the lines, we must make critical investments in a new generation of leaders – equipping activists and candidates to go on the offense. Not only have these same young people and people of color historically been at the forefront of the fight for reproductive freedom, but it is also these same people who have felt the harshest ramifications of and anti-choice politicians’ attacks on reproductive freedom and abortion access.
It’s time to throw out the old conventional political playbook of shying away from reproductive freedom and instead build a future generation of political champions who embrace reproductive freedom and are ready to galvanize the 8 in 10 Americans who support the legal right to abortion.”
To wrap up, Timmaraju said she remains “optimistic” about “reproductive freedom” though she sometimes feels “our system is broken beyond repair.” She said that abortion rights drive voters – though the audience she’s writing to isn’t old enough to vote.
“The majority is with us and we already know that reproductive freedom is an issue that drives voters,” she concluded. “The stakes are high, but so are the energy and dedication of a rising, diverse generation of people leading our movement and running for office.”
Teen Vogue, which used to focus on fashion and makeup, regularly publishes articles promoting abortion rights, like “Texas Abortion Ban: What to Know and How to Help” and “What Self-Managed Medication Abortion Is Really Like.” In 2017, the website even published a piece titled “What to Get a Friend Post-Abortion,” which included an “angry uterus” heating pad and a Ruth Bader Ginsburg coloring book.
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