When I turned 18 in 2020, the last presidential election year, I felt as though I didn’t need to vote. I was at college and would have to send in an absentee ballot, something I knew nothing about. I figured there are millions of other Americans, who cares if I don’t add just one more vote to the pool? I only voted in the 2020 election because my parents pushed me to do so. No matter which party I was voting for, I felt that my vote did not hold much of an impact in the state I grew up in, so I sent in my absentee ballot just to get it over with.
Today, I look back at that attitude and shake my head, knowing I could not have been more wrong. I now know that every single vote matters! By seeing the impact that one election can have on our state and country, I have come to recognize that it is not only a privilege but a civic duty for us to vote in America. Casting a ballot to elect officials you believe will defend your rights and values is so incredibly important, as it is a right that many brave men and women have fought hard to defend. And as my eighth-grade teacher once told me, you can’t complain about the election results if you didn’t vote (not sure why that was a topic of discussion at 14 years old, but it sure has stuck with me!)
There can sometimes be some tension when you share that you are a prolife voter. I have had people I consider to be friends stop talking to me simply because I voted for a candidate that I believed would do a better job of protecting the unborn. While I’m sure many of you have experienced a similar situation while defending life, we cannot let the opinions of others deter us from doing what we know to be right. Women, children, and the most vulnerable are counting on us.
The “right” to abortion is now in our state constitution due to the passing of Proposal 3 in 2022. Because of this, abortion access is not on the ballot this year, despite what pro-abortion advocates have been telling us.
It is still essential that we get prolife legislators in office as we fight to protect parental consent laws and to prevent tax dollars from paying for abortions. Since the passing of Proposal 3, we have seen the careless discarding of so many commonsense abortion laws. Abortion clinics have been stripped of health and safety regulations, reporting abortion statistics is no longer mandatory (horribly irresponsible as 2023 saw a 38% spike in serious complications from abortions, a number that may continue to grow unwatched), and there is currently a preliminary injunction blocking the 24-hour waiting period and informed consent laws.
You and I both know that these moves were not done to “protect women’s rights” as pro-abortion legislators claim. If that were true, women would have less risks when getting an abortion, not more! We NEED to take back the State House with a prolife majority so we can end this abortion-obsessed agenda and let women know that there is another choice: life!
With early in-person voting having already started here in Michigan, and Election Day right around the corner, I encourage you to go vote. The prolife movement needs votes now more than ever. I encourage you to be proud of your prolife stance. Do not shy away from it just because it may seem like an uphill battle. When we take our foot off the gas and ease up on our prolife advocacy, that is when we lose elections. All it takes is an election like this one to turn the ship around and start heading towards being a state that women and their children are safe and supported. Vote, vote, VOTE!
Email any questions to Danny Earl at [email protected].