This past weekend, a graduating high school senior used her valedictorian speech to stand up for her beliefs and for pregnant people everywhere. Paxton Smith, the valedictorian of Lake Highlands High School’s Class of 2021—she has a 104.93 average—told D magazine that she had had a valedictorian speech on the consumption of media approved by her school. But on graduation day, she surprised students, teachers, and parents alike when she used the podium to condemn Texas's attack on reproductive rights.
"I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail, I am terrified if I am raped, that my hopes and dreams and aspirations and efforts for my future will no longer matter," Smith says. "I hope that you can feel how gut wrenching that is. I hope that you can feel how dehumanizing it is to have the autonomy over your own body taken away from you."
Smith is referring to the many restrictive laws her state has passed to limit a pregnant person's ability to get an abortion. Texas has historically been a hostile state toward abortion, and some in government are only ramping up their efforts. Just last week, the state passed a "trigger ban" that would make abortion illegal in the state should Roe v. Wade, get overturned. Additionally, starting in September, the state will also enforce a "heartbeat bill," which bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy—well before most people even know they are pregnant.
At the conclusion of her speech, many in the crowd applaud Smith's bravery while some (noticeably, a few of whom appear to be teachers seated on the stage behind her) don't clap. But Smith doesn't need their applause. She's taking a stand against oppressive, unconstitutional restrictions that threaten a person's right to choose.
"I can not give up this platform to promote complacency and peace when there is a war on my body and a war on my rights," she says. "We cannot stay silent."
Listen to Smith's entire, powerful speech here:
-
Sabrina Carpenter's Micro Shorts Are a Slice of Fashion HistoryShe was brave to trot it out at the height of winter.
-
Tom Parker Bowles Says Stepfather King Charles Could be "Fantastic" at Another Job if He Wasn't MonarchJust imagine.
-
Cartier Celebrates 100 Years of Trinity With a Miami Pop-UpA look inside the Art Basel event.
-
36 Ways Women Still Aren't Equal to MenIt's just one of the many ways women still aren't equal to men.
-
How New York's First Female Governor Plans to Fight for Women If ReelectedKathy Hochul twice came to power because men resigned amid sexual harassment scandals. Here, how she's leading differently.
-
Why the 2022 Midterm Elections Are So CriticalAs we blaze through a highly charged midterm election season, Swing Left Executive Director Yasmin Radjy highlights rising stars who are fighting for women’s rights.
-
Tammy Duckworth: 'I’m Mad as Hell' About the Lack of Federal Action on Gun SafetyThe Illinois Senator won't let the memory of the Highland Park shooting just fade away.
-
Roe Is Gone. We Have to Keep Fighting.Democracy always offers a path forward even when we feel thrust into the past.
-
The Supreme Court's Mississippi Abortion Rights Case: What to KnowThe case could threaten Roe v. Wade.
-
Sex Trafficking Victims Are Being Punished. A New Law Could Change That.Victims of sexual abuse are quietly criminalized. Sara's Law protects kids that fight back.
-
My Family and I Live in Navajo Nation. We Don't Have Access to Clean Running Water"They say that the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Why are citizens still living with no access to clean water?"
