At the Brink: The Fight for Reproductive Freedom and Human Rights in the 2024 Election
By: The Zeitgeist Editorial Team
Here we stand, in 2024, barely clinging to the rights and freedoms that should be the bedrock of this country. We’re facing down the barrel of a machine aimed at our basic human rights—like the right to control our bodies and live lives defined by our own choices. Instead of working toward a future where these rights are unassailable, we’re back on the defensive, forced to re-fight battles that should have been settled long ago. In this so-called democracy, our rights are treated like poker chips, thrown around in a high-stakes game designed to strip us of autonomy.
This isn’t about policy. It’s about profit and power for the few at the expense of the many. Those pushing tighter abortion restrictions and control over marginalized groups don’t care about “life” or “morality.” They want dominance. They want people—especially women, LGBTQ+ folks, and anyone else they find inconvenient—to submit. They’re the same voices who would strip away rights with the flick of a pen, just to reinforce their version of America. This election is a referendum on whether we’re willing to let the powerful keep calling the shots—or if we’re ready to push back.
The Candidates and the Ugly Choices
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Kamala Harris isn’t some leftist savior here to upend the system. She’s far from perfect, and we know it. But she’s one of the few left standing between us and a government where women’s rights, bodily autonomy, and the futures of marginalized groups are one vote away from disappearing. Sure, she’s rubbing shoulders with powerhouses like Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, who want you to believe they’re fighting for the people. Let’s be real, though—Oprah’s been peddling charlatans like Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil, profiteering off of public trust while feeding the masses pseudo-experts who do little but profit off the anxieties of vulnerable Americans.
And then there’s Donald Trump—a walking time machine to a past where rights were “for men only” and where control over women’s bodies was practically enshrined. His “leave it to the states” line on abortion is an insidious disguise, crafted to create pockets of oppression across America. He’s given anti-abortion extremists a direct line to power, turning states like Texas and Missouri into dystopian playgrounds where women’s rights are throttled back to the Stone Age.
Voting for the Lesser Evil
There’s no pretense here. We’re not joyfully casting our ballots; we’re voting for Harris with gritted teeth. In this broken system—one that’s fine with funding war while strangling reproductive rights—she’s the only one standing between us and a nightmare. This isn’t an endorsement of the system but a reluctant acknowledgment that if we don’t vote, we’re handing these power-hungry elites exactly what they want: a nation where our rights are dictated by those who think our autonomy is negotiable.
Abortion on the Ballot: A State-by-State Cage Match
“Because bodily autonomy shouldn’t depend on your zip code, right? The Zeitgeist Editorial Team reminds us: in America, some freedoms come with geographic restrictions. Call it ‘freedom with fine print.’” Source: Guttmacher Institute, “Abortion Policy in the Absence of Roe,” 2024. Accessed at guttmacher.org.
This election’s terrifying reality is that abortion rights are no longer a federal guarantee. Each state is a battleground where voters decide if women will have autonomy or be reduced to mere vessels. Imagine living somewhere where your fundamental right to control your body is a public vote away from being stripped. Michigan, Kentucky, and Montana are just a few of the states where abortion rights hang by a thread—decided not by the people affected but by voters who will never face the consequences. These aren’t minor adjustments; they’re vicious power grabs that serve as a reminder of who’s really in charge.
Texas, Missouri, and the Brutal Hypocrisy of “Pro-Life”
“Nothing says equality like a pay gap that’s still comfortably in place. The Zeitgeist Editorial Team observes that in the ‘land of opportunity,’ it’s ‘equal work, lower pay’ for women—and even lower if you’re not white.” Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2023,” March 2024. Accessed at bls.gov.
In Texas and Missouri, the so-called “pro-life” agenda reveals itself as a façade for control. Texas’s six-week abortion ban effectively criminalizes women for seeking healthcare, punishing them for simply existing. Six weeks is a flash; it’s before most even know they’re pregnant. And where’s the support for affordable childcare, healthcare, or education? Nowhere. Because it’s not about life—it’s about control. Missouri is even worse, banning abortion outright with no exceptions for rape or incest. It’s not just cruel; it’s a declaration of contempt for women, a middle finger to every victim of sexual violence.
And let’s talk about the economic reality these so-called “pro-life” states ignore. In a nation supposedly built on “equal opportunity,” women are still fighting for a seat at the table—and the Gender Wage Gap data tells us why. In Missouri and Texas, as in most of the U.S., the gap between men’s and women’s wages remains a stark reminder that, even in the 21st century, “equal pay for equal work” is more aspirational than real. Nothing says “supporting life” like a pay gap that’s still comfortably in place.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women, on average, earn just 82 cents for every dollar men make. This number drops to 63 cents for women of color. It’s more than just a statistic; it’s a systemic statement that reflects how little these states—and this country—actually value women.
Americans, Get Off Your Asses and Vote
We’re not asking for a revolution because, let’s face it, Americans have shown time and again that local upheaval is too much to ask from a population numbed by reality TV, consumer culture, and drive-thru convenience. So here’s the deal: get off your asses and vote. You don’t need to love the candidates or believe they’re the answer to all our problems. But not voting means you’re handing your rights over to the worst among us, the people who think freedom is for men, autonomy is a privilege, and your existence is a political football.
Voting isn’t some grand solution; it’s a necessity. For voters like Stephanie Gomez, who had an abortion as a teenager in Texas, the fight isn’t theoretical. It’s a matter of life and death. Her struggle to scrape together money and navigate restrictive systems was her reality—a reality worsened by lawmakers who see her autonomy as disposable. Gomez isn’t voting out of excitement; she’s voting because she has no choice but to protect what’s left of her rights.
A New Generation of Voters: Angry, Engaged, and Disillusioned
If there’s one silver lining, it’s that this nightmare has ignited a flame among younger voters who are fed up with a world they never asked for, dictated by rules they never consented to. This new generation is pissed, and rightfully so. Voting isn’t an endorsement; it’s a battle cry, a demand for personhood. They’re here not because they’re thrilled by the options but because they refuse to be pawns in some authoritarian chess game.
“In a land where half the population can’t be bothered to vote, guess what? The stakes are now high enough to drag even the most disillusioned to the ballot box. The Zeitgeist Editorial Team asks: is it hope or pure desperation?” Source: U.S. Census Bureau, “Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2020,” April 2021. Accessed at census.gov.
The Ghoulish Agenda: Power Over Progress
The movement to strip away reproductive rights is a thinly veiled power grab. The people pushing this don’t give a damn about “life.” If they did, they’d support the things that actually sustain it—universal healthcare, affordable housing, social safety nets. But no, they’re hell-bent on imposing control, forcing women and marginalized groups to stay in line. These folks think obedience is a virtue and dissent is a crime. They have no problem spewing rhetoric about the “sanctity of life” while supporting violence and oppression around the globe. It’s hypocrisy at its ugliest, and it’s time to call it what it is: an assault on freedom, dignity, and humanity.
The 2024 Election: A Bitter Battle for the Right to Be
Every ballot cast in this election is an act of defiance, a refusal to let power-drunk lawmakers and political charlatans like Elon Musk or Donald Trump to define our futures. We’re voting not because we believe in some political fairytale but because the alternative is unbearable. We’re in this position because the system forced us here, not because we think it’s right. But here we are, and we have to fight back.
This isn’t just a vote. It’s a rallying cry. It’s a demand that we get to live our lives on our terms, not on the terms of lawmakers who want us to fall in line. We’re done begging for rights that should never have been up for debate. This election isn’t about one issue; it’s about survival. So, America, wake up. Let the ballot box echo with our rage, our resilience, and our demand for a world that values freedom over control.
—The Zeitgeist.
Bibliography
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