The following was written by District 101 Representative Joseph Fox of the Michigan House of Representatives in response to Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Grand Rapids regarding abortion access.

On Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in Grand Rapids to encourage supporters to keep fighting for abortion access and protections in Michigan. She cited the Dobbs decision from the Supreme Court – which turned over the authority to regulate abortion to the state governments – as proof that abortion is under siege. This makes sense if its legal status changes depending on the results of every election.

However, women have a right to an abortion that is guaranteed in Michigan’s Constitution – an addendum as of 2022. Federal laws and which party rules in Lansing do not matter: abortion access cannot be revoked. Abortion is in no legal danger in our state.

Why then does Harris portray abortion’s legal status as dire? The answer is clear: inciting voters to fight makes more political sense more than assuring them that they’ve won the fight already. Fearmongering produces more votes than facts.

Fighting for freedoms sounds so right to us Americans, and it should. It’s in our DNA. Our nation bears a rich history of men and women sacrificing to protect essential liberties and preserve them for future generations.

But the silent voices of unborn infants plead for the freedom to live, too, even if their chorus remains unheard, drowned out by the clamor of a culture in which those that shout the loudest will triumph. Odometers, not objective truth, outline who is right in the court of public opinion.

Thinking about life as a perpetual fight also begs another question: are we worth more as humans if we are willing to fight hard enough, or is our value fixed in something or someone outside ourselves? If we trust the words of Another, who lovingly made all of us, then we can finally rest in his decree. Apart from this our dignity will always be in jeopardy.