In a TikTok video, a US Army medic who was “enraged” by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade went on the internet to criticize politicians for treating women “like second-class citizens.”
In a now-viral outburst, Sgt. Rahasenfratz questioned how she was to “protect the Constitution and country” when policy demonstrates that it “doesn’t give a rat’s a** about me.”
The Army just recently renewed the contract of the medic, whose first name is unknown.
As female military members already have “very limited access to birth control” and “are more prone to experience unplanned pregnancies,” she claimed that eliminating federal safeguards for abortion will have the “unintended consequence” of lowering retention rates.
The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which protected a woman’s right to an abortion, was reversed by the high court last month in the case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
After receiving increasing pressure from his fellow Democrats, President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Friday to make it easier to access abortion services.
On Sunday, the president made it known that he had also instructed his team to determine if he was authorized to issue a public health emergency linked to abortion.
@rahasenfratz
With @rahasenfratz, stitch. raw and unprocessed I’m devastated. I am furious. I feel frightened. #roevwade #scotusupdate #keepyourlawsoffmybody #deployment #armywomen #army #miltok
Original audio track: Rahasenfratz
The now-viral video was uploaded by Rahasenfratz on June 24, only hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe by a vote of 6 to 3.
“I’m devastated. I am furious.” She wrote, “I am terrified,” as the caption for the video, which has now racked up almost 30,000 likes and more than 1,200 comments.
The deployed medic claims that when she awoke from her siesta, she learnt about the verdict and was immediately furious, wondering how she could be expected to fight for a nation that, in her opinion, oppresses women.
I just last week extended my contract to continue serving this nation.
How can I oath my allegiance to the Constitution and a nation that views women as second-class citizens if I treat them like such? she said.
How exactly do I go about doing that? How am I to carry that off with pride? How am I to carry that out in a loving and honourable manner?
How am I meant to put on a uniform that says “United States Army” every day when the US doesn’t give a rat’s a** about me?
It matters more that they are permitted to purchase the weapons that kill the children I am compelled to bear. Considering that.
Sarcastically, she continued, “Oh, that’s so funny.”
The medic stated that because military women already have less access to reproductive healthcare than civilian women, overturning Roe would have a significant negative impact on them.
According to Rahasenfratz, military women who are on active duty have “very limited access to birth contraception” and cannot “even have an ultrasound without traveling off base.”
She made the case that women in the military are “more likely to endure sexual assault” and “more likely to experience unintended pregnancies.”
Rahasenfratz believes it will be more difficult for the military to recruit and retain female personnel as a result of the latest SCOTUS decision.
She stated, “This effect on female service women is an unanticipated consequence, meaning that legislators and Supreme Court judges certainly weren’t thinking about this when they published their 213 or so page report on it, right?”
They most likely did not consider this outcome. But it is one, and it has an impact on the people who are subject to a higher standard because those lawmakers support the military.
“But do you really?” Do you honestly support the troops despite the fact that fewer women will remain in the military ranks as a result of this?
“I signed that contract, so I will serve my country,” she said in closing.
But since I won’t stop, you can bet your bottom dollar that you’ll hear my voice.
“Our is an attack on women in this country 100%, and I will not rest and I will not be silent.”
Women all over the country are demonstrating and speaking out against the decision to overturn Roe, which instantly outlawed abortion in 18 states due to carefully designed “trigger laws” and historic bans that were automatically reenacted after the judgement.
In most major US cities, protesters have taken to the streets to urge lawmakers to defend abortion rights in their states.
On Friday, Biden signed an executive order strengthening protections for abortion rights and criticized the Supreme Court for its ruling.
The justices, according to him, are “out of control” and collaborating with “extreme sections of the Republican Party.”
Everyone is impacted by this option, which has no bearing on other choices.
We cannot allow the out-of-control Supreme Court to rob us of our freedoms and our individuality while collaborating with far-right Republicans, he said.
“As a nation, we must choose between the mainstream and the extremists.”
Biden acknowledged his shock at the limits of his executive authority when he signed the order. He urged voters to turn out in record numbers in November, especially women, to elect more Democrats to Congress.
Please cast your vote if you want to improve the situation for women and especially young girls in this country, he said.
“Voting, using the authority at the ballot box, is the only way to fulfil and restore that right for women in our nation.”
“Your vote can make that a reality,” said Biden.
Biden has been under pressure to take executive action since the Supreme Court’s decision two weeks ago and has received criticism from some in his own party for not moving with greater urgency.
Additionally, the president and his administration keep pressing Congress to enshrine Roe into federal law.
Last week, Biden urged the Senate to stop using the filibuster to support the codification of abortion rights.
Giving women access to abortion on federal lands was previously rejected by the White House because it would have “dangerous repercussions.”
Following the Supreme Court decision, numerous states restricted access to emergency contraception and, in some circumstances, abortion services.
Biden will also order the attorney general and the White House counsel to gather private pro bono lawyers, bar associations, and public interest groups to assist with legal representation in a nod to the court cases that are anticipated to follow.
The White House said in a fact sheet on the order that “such representation could include preserving the freedom to travel out of state to seek medical treatment.”
The next midterm elections are expected to feature a significant debate on abortion, with swing states serving as the main theatre of conflict.
On July 1, Biden met with Democratic governors at the White House to discuss initiatives to defend reproductive rights.
Numerous of them have already acted.
To prevent abortion physicians and patients from being extradited to home states where the procedure is prohibited, the Democratic governors of North Carolina and Colorado have signed executive orders.
Executive orders from the governors of Maine and Rhode Island say that they will not assist other states’ investigations of those who seek abortions or the medical professionals who execute them.