Letter to the editor: Support women’s rights

Editors Note: Letters to the Editor can be emailed to

[email protected] or brought into the office located at the Al Neuharth Media Center.

Hey Coyotes, my name is Brittany and I’m a new intern for NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota. It’s my job to bring reproductive health awareness to campus, and to advocate for women’s reproductive rights.

As such an advocate, I want to make sure that all the ladies at USD (faculty and students alike!) know how important it is to get out and vote on Nov. 6.

Over the past two years, we have witnessed more than 1,500 legislative attacks on women, in all 50 states and at every level of government. Efforts to restrict access to reproductive health services not only disrespect women, but have real-world impacts on our daily lives.

If you cannot control your reproductive destiny, you cannot control your economic fate. Birth control gives women the ability to plan their families, and in doing so complete their education, find a good job, save money and establish a solid family foundation. Attempts to legislate away women’s rights and impose a one-sided ideological view are a degradation of our democracy as well as our personal autonomy and self-determination.

Elections matter. Those we elect on Nov. 6 will have an unprecedented amount of control over women’s economic well-being, access to health care and freedom to make personal, private decisions without government intrusion. It is important that every American exercise his or her constitutional duty to vote. But for women in South Dakota, it is absolutely imperative.

Brittany Levine

Vice President, College Democrats