By Trevan McGee
With the recent abortion bans in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Utah, and Missouri — y’know, the cool states everyone loves to visit — reproductive rights have become a popular topic of discussion, spanning generations, genders, and ethnicities. Reproductive rights are trending harder than Keanu Reeves and for all the wrong reasons, but what do the kids think? Here’s a quick guide to help decipher what your kids are saying about reproductive rights:
LOL: Let’s Ovulate Less
GTFO: Get That Fetus Out!
JK: Just Kegelin’
OMG: Ovulating, My G
LMFAO: Let’s Make Fetal Abortion Okay
OMW: Outta My Womb!
NP: Not Pregnant
TTYL: Tough Talk Young Ladies
BRB: Bans R Bad
HAM: Health Advocacy Matters
DTF: Don’t Terminate Freedom
OTP: Oh, The Patriarchy!
SMH: Support My Hoes
ATM: Abortion Talk Matters
Pretty surprising, huh?
Real talk: It’s hard to find an accurate/unbiased poll on how younger generations regard abortion specifically because it’s such a passionate issue for so many. If you want to find polls that show younger generations are more supportive of it, you can. If you want to find polls that say the opposite, those exist, too. For every argument about personal freedom, there’s a counter about personhood and protecting the vulnerable and there’s a counter to that counter and so on and so on. But make no mistake — the same way Prohibition didn’t stop alcohol, or criminalizing drugs didn’t stop their manufacture or consumption, or banning guns didn’t stop people from owning them (JK, we’ll never ban guns) — banning abortions won’t make them go away. It’ll just make them more dangerous for everyone involved. If you really want to reduce them, regulate them, provide free or low cost birth control, and educate.
To learn more about reproductive rights, access to affordable female healthcare, and to seek help near you, visit Planned Parenthood.
Trevan McGee makes things sometimes in Kansas City. When he’s not doing that, he reviews, podcasts, and obsesses over mastering his favorite foods. His new book, Totally Normal and Cool is available nowhere because it doesn’t exist.
Justina Kellner is a Kansas City portrait and wedding photographer with a passion for creativity. You’ll find her hands in every possible medium of the arts including digital and film photography, painting, drawing, music, and even a touch of ballet. As a well grounded Capricorn, she also manages an online closet of upcycled trendy clothing, because everything should be recycled – change her mind.
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