I don’t like labeling myself when it comes to politics. Especially now, it seems like we live in a country where one party will say one thing and the other one will say the opposite simply to challenge the other party. Politics have changed a lot in the last decade, especially with the media portraying different things in different lights to captivate their audiences to get them to watch more instead of acting as an informant.Â
It’s like my grandmother said to me once: “Twenty years ago, you couldn’t tell who someone was going to vote for based on the news channel they told you they preferred to watch.”  Despite this, I’ve still always tried to look at politics from an unbiased perspective. It’s been pretty easy for me, as my father tends to lean more conservative on his views while my mother leans more liberal. I believe voting is a beautiful thing, and I will always encourage the people close to me to use their voice, because it really does make a difference.Â
But I was sixteen years old when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Sixteen years old when I had to process the fact that my grandmother had had more rights at my age than I did at that very moment. Sixteen years old when I had to cope with the fact that there were people in power who wanted our country to move backwards, who viewed my bodily autonomy as less than other people simply because of the sex I was assigned at birth.Â
I’m lucky enough to live in a state where I have full autonomy over my body, but roughly 25 million women who live in states with full-blown abortion bans aren’t so lucky. These women have been forced to undergo births that their bodies couldn’t handle. These women have been denied IVF treatment because politicians believe it “goes against the lord’s will” (good thing for separation of church and state, right?). Children, who I’ve read about to be as young at eleven years old have been forced to give birth to the babies of the men who have sexually abused them, which fully objectifies their already traumatic experience and takes a massive toll on their bodies. The list goes on.Â
I don’t identify as a democrat or a republican, but I do identify as a woman, and I’m damn proud of it. And I want a candidate who not only appreciates my pride and my rights as a female, but also shares that same pride. Kamala Harris isn’t the perfect candidate, but she gives me hope. Not only has she vowed to protect my human right to do as I please with my body, but she has also spent her entire career fighting like hell against the men who don’t respect women and their bodies. If she wins the presidency, I know she will keep that attitude up. Unfortunately, her opponent, who appointed the justices who took away the right to bodily autonomy of every person of female sex in the United States, is unable to say the same.Â
I’m looking forward to voting in my first presidential election today, and I hope whoever is reading this feels the same. Regardless of which side you are on, your voice has power, and your vote is your vote. Don’t be afraid to use it.Â
Author’s Note: This article is my opinion, and my opinion only. This piece is not meant to sway the reader in any shape or form. No matter what side you side with, make sure to get out there and vote.