Election Day is tomorrow, November 5 – marking another opportunity for Americans to cast a ballot and make our voices heard across the nation. Our Policy & Engagement Intern, Jacqueline Caulfield, penned this op-ed on the importance of weighing in:

“This upcoming Presidential Election will have an extreme impact on our nation. A new President will win the election, and we will transition to new leadership. While this is of the utmost importance, it is important to remember that there is more on the ballot than just the Presidential race. We have the chance to make our voices heard at the state, county, and local level, and to shape the direction our state will move in for the next few years. We also get to vote on important questions, including the right to reproductive freedom.  

In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and took away the right to an abortion nationally. The right to reproductive freedom is now in the hands of state governments, and this has impacted the health and safety of our communities nationwide. A recent study found that since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the national infant mortality rate has risen by 7%. In Texas, where abortion access was first restricted to 5 weeks and is now banned except to save the life of the mother, the maternal mortality rate has increased by 56%. Restricting access to abortion directly harms the health and safety of our women, children, and communities.  

This November, your ballot in Maryland will allow you to help make sure abortion access is available to everyone in Maryland. Question 1 on the ballot gives you the option to vote to establish a right to reproductive freedom in Maryland’s Constitution. This gives Marylanders the opportunity to cement these fundamental rights for Maryland citizens, ensuring that everyone who calls Maryland home will continue to hold these rights in the future. We must vote yes to this question because reproductive freedom is not important for just the right to choose- reproductive freedom helps ensure all people will have access to life saving healthcare and works to build healthier and safer communities overall.   

Maryland is not unique for giving our community the ability to choose to protect reproductive freedom. In 2022 residents in California voted overwhelmingly to protect the right to reproductive freedom and contraception within their state constitution. Ohio voters did the same in 2023 and voted to approve a constitutional amendment that protects reproductive freedom and reproductive healthcare. Maryland now has the opportunity to follow in these state’s footsteps and ensure the right to reproductive freedom for the future.  

For me, this issue is personal. As a young woman, my health and safety are paramount. I want to be able to build a career, and that means being able to make decisions surrounding my reproductive freedom that suit me, my career, my family, and my loved ones. I want the freedom to start a family when it’s right for me and to have all the tools, including IVF, available to me if I need them. I don’t want to fear that a serious complication during one pregnancy would prohibit me from being able to get pregnant again due to a lack of appropriate care.   

I want to be able to balance a career, a family life, and a social life, and all of this is possible through having control over my own body and my reproductive decisions. I need access to equitable healthcare to ensure my health and safety.  And above all, I want this for every woman. Women need the right to choose.   

A recent op-ed argues that voting no to Question 1 is socially conscious and moral, and that we must develop a stronger sense of responsibility. To this I question- is it moral to take away people’s freedom? Is it responsible to take actions that harm the health of women and our communities? Is it socially conscious to prohibit people from making their own decisions about their life, family, and safety? 

We as Marylanders have the opportunity to take away the fear of a loss of autonomy. We can choose to ensure the right to reproductive freedom in the Maryland Constitution. We can vote yes on Question 1. We can ensure that Maryland continues to be a safe, nurturing, and inclusive place for women and our communities to thrive.”

Jacqueline is a senior Political Science major at Columbia University.