Former first lady Michelle Obama used Instagram to urge Americans to exercise their right to vote in the midterm elections as a means of protesting the anti-progress after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked. Obama urged people to exercise their democratic right to vote for a Democrat who would seek to guarantee that women’s reproductive rights are maintained by state law in states where the potential overthrow of Roe v. Wade would result in abortion restrictions.
She used the contentious term “Womxn” in the post, which is inclusive of all women, including transgender people who were born with male bodily parts. The term “womxn,” according to some, diminishes the experiences of cisgender women whose birth certificates describe them as female.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks since we saw the leaked SCOTUS draft opinion on abortion. If it comes to pass, we may soon live in a country where millions of women — not to mention our children and grandchildren — lose the right to make decisions about their bodies and their health,” Obama added a caption to her contentious proclamation of inclusiveness.
Obama plans to use historically Black colleges and universities in her quest to increase the number of voters at the polls in November. Since the Supreme Court is considering removing women’s right to abortion; now, the former first lady has been working hard to influence American voters.
In aiming to “empower HBCU students to take a leading role in voter registration, education, and mobilization efforts on their campuses,” she assisted in the founding of the “#VoteLoud HBCU” movement.
People who don’t exercise their right to vote do not get to decide how American Democracy will function. Although, Obama understands that the average American voter has a lot of power, so long as they actually cast their vote in the upcoming election.
“If we knew the courts were heading toward this day, it doesn’t make the frustration, grief, and fear any less real. But we don’t have to stand idly by while others try to turn back the clock on progress. I’m so inspired by everyone out marching today. And I know that we’re going to see so many folks carrying this energy forward to the elections in November and in every election after that,” Obama wrote.
For using “womxn” and other terms for women, Michelle Obama is not the first public figure to face criticism. In September, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Progressive Democratic Party of New York faced backlash for using the word “menstruating persons.”
Ocasio-Cortez, said, “I don’t know if he is familiar with a menstruating person’s body. In fact, I do know that he’s not familiar with a woman – with a female or menstruating person’s body.”
Sources: AWM, WashingtonExaminer, FoxNews
