Each new year offers new beginnings, new steps to take and doors to open, and a new leaf to turn. Most importantly though, it presents the chance to remember our past and look towards our futures. This January marks another important anniversary of a ruling that has protected the decisions women make about our bodies. In January of 1970, the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade let it be known that women have every right to make their own personal decisions about their bodies. Roe v. Wade was a step in the right direction, the turning of a new leaf.

January 22, 2014 is the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the right to safe and legal abortion, and a reminder of how far we have come. Yet we still are fighting every day to protect these rights. Since 2010, more than 200 restrictions on abortion access have become law— and 70 of these new restrictions passed in 2013. However, most young people don’t agree with these measures. In fact, six in 10 young Americans believe abortion should be available in all or most cases. The facts are pretty clear: reproductive health care is under attack, but we’ve got something to say about it.

This fight isn’t about being “pro-choice” or “pro-life.” Those labels don’t define us or the reasons on which many of us base our health care decisions because deciding to have an abortion is a highly complex and personal issue, and no one has the right, other than a patient and her doctor, to make decisions about one’s health care. So, instead of focusing on our differences, why not focus on the patients: the women that Roe v. Wade declared to protect the lives of 41 years ago.

Many of us weren’t alive before Roe v. Wade, and I don’t intend to see the day that the clocks turn back that far. Therefore, I’m standing with my fellow comrades and friends in saying today is a day to remember the battles we’ve won and the lives we’ve saved. This isn’t just a fight for women; this is a fight for all of us. For us all to see justice, we must recognize the connections between reproductive freedom, anti-racism, gender equality, LGBT equality, and immigration reform. One issue must be all of our issues, because without solidarity and collective action, we will never see social justice for all.

Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment E-Board 2013-2014
Syracuse University