Meredith Hosts Abortions Rights Panel

On Oct. 26, The School of Arts and Humanities at Meredith College hosted their “Living in a Post Roe America” panel. The panel hosted two guest speakers including UNC Public Policy Associate Professor Rebecca Kreitzer and Chief Experience Officer of the North Carolina Medical Society Michelle Laws. The panel moderator was Kate Polaski, Class of 2023.

Topics discussed in this panel included voting, rights to birth control and health care. During the panel Kreitzer shared that “we need to be having the conversations about rights to abortion and health care access with everyone. Even the relatives we would rather not talk to.” In the panel, Kreitzer shared that she believes the perceived backlash is so high that we've been avoiding this conversation by self-silencing.

Laws believes that the Dobbs decision was a “political decision that was informed not so much by legal tenancy but by religious extremist ideology” and the communities most at risk are “Black women, poor women and those living in healthcare scarce areas.”

Justice Alito's comments on abortion and it’s legal precedence in the constitution were brought into the conversation. Kreitzer reminded the audience that “Benjamin Franklin wrote a DIY recipe in the math book on how to perform an at home abortion.”

The floor was then opened for students to ask questions. Students asked about LGBTQIA+

access to health care following the Dobbs decision, how to be actively involved in politics beyond voting and about the validity of natural family planning.

To check your voter registration status check tubovote.org. For more information on candi-

dates and results for state and local elections, check the North Carolina Board of Elections website.

By Rachel Van Horne, Associate Editor