"Under light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what's currently affecting me and millions of other women in this state."
This high school valedictorian switched her commencement speech at the last moment. This is what she chose to speak about instead…
This high school valedictorian switched her commencement speech at the last moment. This is what she chose to speak about instead…
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00:00I hope that you can feel how gut-wrenching that is.
00:04I hope you can feel how dehumanizing it is to have the autonomy over your own body taken away from you.
00:20Today I was going to talk about TV and media and content because it's something that's very important to me.
00:26However, under light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what is currently affecting me and millions of other women in the state.
00:37Recently, the heartbeat bill was passed in Texas.
00:41Starting in September, there will be a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, regardless of whether the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest.
00:52Six weeks. That's all women get.
00:55And so before they realize, most of them don't realize that they're pregnant by six weeks.
01:00So before they have a chance to decide if they are emotionally, physically, and financially stable enough to carry out a full-term pregnancy,
01:10before they have the chance to decide if they can take on the responsibility of bringing another human being into the world,
01:17that decision is made for them by a stranger.
01:20A decision that will affect the rest of their lives is made by a stranger.
01:25I have dreams and hopes and ambitions.
01:29Every girl graduating today does.
01:32And we have spent our entire lives working towards our future.
01:37And without our input and without our consent, our control over that future has been stripped away from us.
01:45I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail, I am terrified that if I am raped,
01:53then my hopes and aspirations and dreams and efforts for my future will no longer matter.
01:59I hope that you can feel how gut-wrenching that is.
02:04I hope you can feel how dehumanizing it is to have the autonomy over your own body taken away from you.
02:13And I'm talking about this today, on a day as important as this.
02:17On a day honoring 12 years of hard academic work.
02:21On a day where we are all gathered together.
02:24On a day where you are most inclined to listen to a voice like mine, a woman's voice,
02:29to tell you that this is a problem.
02:32And it's a problem that cannot wait.
02:35And I cannot give up this platform to promote complacency and peace
02:41when there is a war on my body and a war on my rights.
02:45A war on the rights of your mothers.
02:48A war on the rights of your sisters.
02:51A war on the rights of your daughters.
02:54We cannot stay silent.