Murphy should follow California governor to guarantee women’s rights in NJ (Opinion)

I swear I’m not trying to be hyperbolic, but the news this week feels straight-up dystopian. I suddenly feel like I’m in a prequel to "The Handmaid's Tale."

As reported on New Jersey 101.5 by Eric Scott, 

“Gov. Phil Murphy said it was ‘a truly dark day in America’ after reports surfaced that the United States Supreme Court could be on the verge of overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.”

This should be alarming to women across the U.S. because it’s speculated that if the case were to be overturned, about half the of the states would ban abortion.

While Murphy has vowed that he wouldn’t allow New Jersey to be one of those states, that doesn’t mean that down the line we’ll always have a governor who feels the same way about women’s right to choose.

Murphy has been accused of trying to make New Jersey the California of the East. In this case, I think it would make sense.

Murphy needs to follow California Gov. Newsom by pushing for a state constitutional amendment to ensure that future administrations can’t easily take away our reproductive rights.

Before anyone just blindly calls me some sort of murderer, hear me out. We need to be specific in what they’re trying to ban. Overturning Roe v. Wade would only be banning safe abortions.

If a woman truly can’t safely give birth, or just doesn’t want the pregnancy to go through, she’ll find a way to make it happen and it likely wouldn’t be performed by the best person for the procedure.

These unsafe abortions aren’t done for the thrill of “killing a baby,” as those who oppose abortions would lead you to believe. These are done for the safety of the pregnant woman’s health.

Beyond the safety of the woman, there are plenty of other reasons why women should safely have the right to choose to give birth or not. Say the pregnancy was the result of rape, how can you demand that the victim raise this child that was put in her without her consent?

These are just some of the many reasons why women’s health needs to be protected in the United States. Gov. Murphy needs to stick to his gun when it comes to the laws he’s put in place to help. More importantly, future governors need to follow in his footsteps.

In the meantime allow me to beg lawmakers to keep their decisions far away from my private parts.