A girl gave an emotional address at the legislature.
The Buffalo Middle School student pleaded with the lawmakers not to ban abortion in almost all cases.
“I play for varsity volleyball and I run track. My education is very important to me, and I plan on doing great things in life,” Addison said during a special session, per The Independent.
She continued: “If a man decides that I’m an object, and does unspeakable, tragic things to me, am I, a child, supposed to carry and birth another child?”
12 year-old Addison Gardner in West Virginia, where an abortion ban without rape or incest exceptions passed the House yesterday.
"Am I, a child, supposed to carry and birth another child? Some here say they are pro-life. What about my life? Does my life not matter to you?” pic.twitter.com/uCW0ZYnF4T
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) July 28, 2022
“Am I to put my body through the physical trauma of pregnancy? Am I to suffer the mental implications, a child who had no say in what was being done with my body?” she added. “Some here say they are pro-life. What about my life? Does my life not matter to you?”
House Bill 302 was passed by the Legislature and sent to the State Senate for consideration.
The bill would ban almost all abortions. In the case of medical emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, or if a fetus was deemed medically nonviable, the procedure would only be allowed.
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice called for the state’s abortion laws to be changed after the Supreme Court ruled against the procedure.
“From the moment the Supreme Court announced their decision in Dobbs, I said that I would not hesitate to call a Special Session once I heard from our Legislative leaders that they had done their due diligence and were ready to act,” Justice said in a statement on Monday.
“As I have said many times, I very proudly stand for life and I believe that every human life is a miracle worth protecting,” the Republican governor added.
West Virginia is one of many Republican-controlled states that have brought in increased abortion restrictions after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Wade decision.
