Jenn Bishop

Because there’s nothing Republicans won’t stop at when it comes to controlling women’s bodies

Three short miles. That’s how far I live from JD Vance. But despite that short distance, it feels like we’re from two different universes, especially when it comes to policies for women’s health care. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Republicans in recent years, it’s that there’s nothing they won’t stop at when it comes to controlling women’s bodies. As a woman of reproductive age—and one of those “childless cat ladies” JD Vance openly disdains—I find that prospect terrifying.

Concern about health care—mine and all of ours—is one of the many reasons I support Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States. Vice President Harris has been a consistent proponent of a woman’s right to choose. As senator, she introduced a bill to provide more funding and education on uterine fibroids, a condition that far too many of us are told to accept, despite the discomfort and complications that can arise. And as vice president, she’s been at the forefront of the fight for reproductive freedom and better maternal health outcomes across all races.

For too long, research on women’s health issues has lagged far behind that of men’s health, and it continues to be underfunded on a grand scale. Let’s not kid ourselves, Republican candidates who reduce women to their appearance and ability to bear children are not looking out for us. Access to birth control, IVF, IUI, and more should not be left up to state legislatures or, worse, banned nationally.

We need to move forward, not further back, and I believe Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the right pair to get us there.

Governor Walz’s impassioned advocacy for access to fertility treatments, which gave him and his wife their two beautiful children, is a reminder that you don’t need to be a woman to care about these issues.

Health care is a human right.

Jenn Bishop has published five novels for young readers, including Things You Can’t Say.