United States: Texan high school student's speech in defense of abortion goes viral
Pro-abortion protest outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, March 4, 2020 (illustrative image).
SAUL LOEB / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
A Texan high school student used her promotion major speech to launch a passionate tirade against the laws severely limiting the possibility of abortion in this conservative American state, going viral and attracting the praise of several personalities like Hillary Clinton.
Publicity
Read more
"
I refuse to give up my platform (...) as a war against my body and a war against my rights unfolds
," said Paxton Smith on stage at the graduation ceremony at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, May 30.
Earlier that same month, the Republican governor of Texas signed a law prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, even in cases of rape and incest, as part of an offensive led by conservative U.S. states against the right to abortion.
“
I have dreams, hopes, ambitions.
Each of the girls graduating today has it.
We have spent our entire lives working for our future, and without our consent or our advice, control over our future has been taken away from us,
”said the high school student, dressed in the traditional dress of valedictorian.
"
I am terrified of the idea that if my contraception fails, that if I am raped, then my hopes and my efforts will no longer matter,
" she said visibly moved.
In Texas, Lake Highlands High School valedictorian, Paxton Smith, switched out her approved speech to talk about abortion rights.
pic.twitter.com/4xsoHARDSs
- Kolleen (@littlewhitty) June 2, 2021
► See also:
United States: attacks are increasing against the right to abortion
The speech, different from that approved by the administration of his school, has been seen several million times on the internet, and has been praised by Hillary Clinton.
“
It took courage.
Thank you for not being silent Paxton,
”applauded the former Democratic presidential candidate in a tweet.
This took guts.
Thank you for not staying silent, Paxton.
https://t.co/DlwEgmMRGN
- Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 2, 2021
Before Texas, a dozen other states including Louisiana and Georgia have also passed laws to ban abortions as soon as the fetus' heartbeat is noticeable, around the sixth week of pregnancy, while many women ignore even though they are pregnant.
These laws have all been overturned in court, because they violate the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States which recognized a right to abortion as long as the fetus is not viable, that is to say between 22 and 24 weeks of age. pregnancy.
But the highest American court, which Donald Trump has firmly anchored in conservatism, signaled in mid-May that it could review this criterion of "
viability
" when considering a Mississippi law, which prohibits abortion. beyond 15 weeks.
(With
AFP
)
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
United States
Society
Womens rights