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In 2019, National Youth Poet Laureate and activist Amanda Gorman filmed a powerful video taking a stand against abortion bans. Now, the 3-minute clip has resurfaced after a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court proposing to overturn Roe V. Wade sent shockwaves across the United States last week. The 24-year-old activist’s words hold a ton of weight even today as women across the nation worry if their reproductive healthcare rights will be restricted by the government.
In the short video, Gorman offers eight reasons why Americans should be worried about the potential dismantling of the historic landmark decision.
“When the penalty for rape is less than the penalty for abortion after the rape, you know this isn’t about caring for women and girls. It’s about controlling the,” she says in one scene. Staring at the camera with conviction and vigor, the young poet says in another:
“Through forcing them into motherhood before they’re ready, these bans steadily sustain the patriarchy, but also chain families in poverty and maintain economic inequality.”
Many social media users showered Gorman with praise for her profound words.
“This is all about control over women over our bodies, that will keep many in danger of being impoverished or dying in order to obtain unsafe abortion alternatives,” wrote one user on Twitter.
While another person chimed in:
“Yes! And if men are still so concerned about persons who have a uterus getting abortions – get a vasectomy! Prevention is always better than cure.”
Gorman shined during Biden’s 2021 Presidential Inauguration as she read her empowering piece, “The Hill We Climb” – a poem filled with calls for unity and justice while building toward a brighter future. At 22-years-old, Gorman became the youngest poet to present an inaugural reading, following in the powerful footsteps of past presenters including Maya Angelou and Elizabeth Alexander.
You can read the rest of Gorman’s moving speech below.
“Pregnancy is a private and personal decision and should not require the permission of any politician.”
“For all time, regardless of whether it’s a crime, women have and will always seek their own reproductive destinies. All these penalties do is subdue women’s freedom to get healthy, safe services when they most need them.”
“Fight to keep Roe v. Wade alive. By the term ‘overturn Roe v. Wade‘, the main concern is that the Supreme Court will let states thwart a woman’s path to abortion with undue burdens.”
“One thing is true and certain: These predictions aren’t a distortion, hypothetical, or theoretical. Women already face their disproportion of undue burdens when seeking abortions. If the sexes and all people are to be equal, abortion has to be actually accessible and not just technically legal.”
“Despite what you might hear, this right here isn’t only about women and girls. This fight is about fundamental civil rights.”
“Women are a big part of it, but at the heart of it are freedom over how fast our families grow goes farther and larger than any one of us. It’s about every single one of us.”
“Fight for Roe V Wade in the United States because this change can’t wait. We’ve got the energy, the moment, the movement, and the thundering numbers.”
“The alt-right’s biggest blunder is that most Americans aren’t under their impression that a woman’s body is up to them to decide. So when you’re outraged, these lawmakers are terrified. They want our tide to lose hope, to back up, pack up, and go home, so don’t. We won’t. We are never alone when we fight fire with feminism.
“So go, be unafraid. We will not be delayed, we will not be masquerade to the tale of a handmaid. We will not let Roe v. Wade slowly fade because when we show up today, we’re already standing up with the tomorrow we made.”
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