Senator Val Applewhite
One year ago today, our state passed Senate Bill 20, a dangerous bill that would restrict women's choices and limit their access to health care. A year ago, I was one of the many voices sounding the alarm about the dangerous consequences of this bill.
And a year later, it pains me to write that many of my fears have come true.
As a North Carolina state senator, I have seen firsthand that many of the people who write these laws have never experienced the heartbreaking decisions that too many women face. And this issue is personal to me.
the night that haunts me
When I was 18 years old and serving in the Air Force, I narrowly escaped death after being raped by a senior officer. All these years later, the memory of that night still haunts me. Sexual assault in the military is all too common. Most military women who are raped do not report it, and those who do usually face retaliation. You can't tell anyone, so you have to be very creative about how you deal with an unwanted pregnancy.
more:USA TODAY: North Carolina House approves bill to tighten abortion restrictions
If I hadn't escaped that day, and if I had gotten pregnant, I would have been faced with a decision I never wanted to make – a decision that many of my fellow soldiers faced. This is a very personal decision and I respect each woman's decision in this situation.
The facts are: SB20 took away decisions from my fellow service members. It took health care away from the very women in the military that many of my colleagues in the United Nations General Assembly claim to support.
Mark Robinson wants to put us in even more danger.
I first shared this story on the Senate floor a year ago, and a year later, I'm even more concerned than I was then. SB20 already puts military women in a precarious position, and Republican gubernatorial candidates are trying to put us in even more danger. He has made no secret of his desire to completely ban abortion, without exception. He says that a woman who has an abortion is “guilty of murder” and has “blood on her hands.” Victims of sexual violence are targeted and it's despicable.
more:Pitts: LGBTQ, 'filth', North Carolina lieutenant governor attacks, blames black people for slavery https://www.fayobserver.com/story/
He doesn't stop there. His proposed ban targets women who are faced with the choice of having an abortion or risking their health and ability to have future children. If Mark Robinson has his way, the tragic events we've seen in Texas and Florida could become North Carolina's story.
Josh Stein stood up for women's health care
You don't need to forgive him.
This year there is a chance to stop the state's regression. We can speak up about her experiences as women. And if you're a mother, a wife, a sister, a man with daughters, we need your voice too. We can use our voices to remind the General Assembly of the dangers of harmful laws. And in November, you'll be able to vote for those who protect reproductive freedom.
While Mark Robinson has focused on running health care in North Carolina, Josh Stein has championed women's health care and veterans health care at every opportunity. We need him as our next governor. We also need to elect more members of Congress to work with me in the General Assembly to bring health care back to women.
On this difficult anniversary, SB20 end Our attacks on women's rights and women's health care are not the beginning.
Val Applewhite serves in North Carolina State Senate District 19, Cumberland County. She is an Air Force veteran.
