My father was a refugee of the Vietnam War. In the ’70s, he fled to America — to Philadelphia — chasing freedom.
Around the time he moved, Roe v. Wade was decided, a case exemplifying our nation’s commitment to freedom. In this case, a woman’s freedom to determine what is best for her body and future.
Two years ago, that freedom was stolen from us when Donald Trump’s Supreme Court overturned Roe, reversing nearly 50 years of precedent and putting millions of women’s lives at risk.
Because of Trump’s cruelty, girls have been forced to give birth to the children of their rapists. Mothers have risked their lives delivering stillborn babies. Doctors have faced prosecution for providing emergency health care.
Trump brags about overturning Roe — it’s a notch in his belt. To me, this is incomprehensible.
Killing Roe was just the beginning for Trump. When asked by Time magazine if he believes states should have the right to monitor women’s pregnancies — and prosecute and punish those who have an abortion — he replied, “I think they might do that … the states are going to make those decisions.”
In November, millions of Pennsylvania women will send a clear message to Donald Trump: There’s no way you’ll be back in the White House.
My kids deserve to grow up with the freedoms my father escaped to America for.
Isabel Lam
Oakland