EDITOR:

I have a fear of losing many of our freedoms. Freedom is the bedrock of a democracy and it is under attack. Right now these are the three I fear of losing most:

1. Women’s Reproductive Health Rights. According to Guttmacher Institute in 2021-22, there have been 561 abortion restrictions introduced in all but three states. Michigan is one of them. Of them, 97 have been voted into laws, including the “bounty hunter law” that gives citizens the power to sue anyone they think has anything to do in helping a woman receive an abortion. According to Pew Research, 60% of Americans believe in a woman’s right to make her own reproductive health decisions. What women in your life do you feel are incapable of making an informed decision about their reproductive health care and feel it is better in the hands of the government, run most by those who are incapable of getting pregnant? The belief that one should put the child up for adoption instead of aborting is an unfathomable objective when there are 3,000 children waiting for adoption in Michigan alone. Why should a government have any control over our bodies? Of the 17 states with legislation passed in this arena, all are controlled by the Republican Party.

2. Legislation on restrictions of the LGTBQ population and their parents. In 2021-22, 250 anti- gay bills have been introduced. The most recent one in Florida, which is known as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” not only removes the safeguards against discrimination of this already-marginalized population but enables citizens to police the parents of these children and turn them into Child Protective Services as a perpetrator of child abuse if they support their child who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. This is similar in nature as the “bounty hunter law” in Texas. The top nine states that have passed the most restrictive legislation are all Republican.

3. Voters’ Rights. After the 2020 election and declaration of the “Big Steal,” which we all learned was the “Big Lie,” 19 states passed 34 laws restricting access to voting. More than 389 bills with restrictions on voting have been introduced by 48 states. In the first quarter of 2022, 27 states have 250 bills introduced that have restrictive provisions. Of those, 96 bills would make it harder to vote in 12 states (Brennan Center for Justice). Even in our own state, after an exhausting investigation conducted by area state Sen. Ed McBroom where no fraud was found, restrictive bills have been introduced by and are supported by the Republican Party. Without secure and non-restrictive voting rights, how will our democracy endure?

Lynne Wilson

Iron Mountain