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Brian Maienschein

Photos courtesy of Brian Maienschein and Kristie Bruce-Lane

The blazing sun beat down on me as I marched through the streets of downtown, sign raised high, shouting with close to 100 other individuals. It was a reproductive rights protest, and I was both angry at the decisions of our Supreme Court and invigorated with the adrenaline of practicing my right to be heard. Knowing that I have the right to make decisions about my own body was empowering, and that security can only be ensured by voting for legislative officials who will uphold human rights.

One place where this is especially important is in the California State Assembly, which . T is the lower house of the California State Legislature. It convenes, along with the upper State Senate, at the Capitol building in Sacramento to draft and vote on statewide legislation. Westview lies in District 76, and in this gubernatorial election, two candidates are running for the position of assemblymember for our district—Democratic Incumbent Brian Maienschein, and Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane. Maienschein is a better candidate for the position of state assemblymember due to his prioritization of women’s reproductive rights and support of gun control.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade has allowed states to criminalize abortions for the first time in more than four decades. As of now, most abortions are illegal in 13 states, and some, such as Texas, Oklahoma, and Idaho, allow people to sue anyone who aids in an abortion. In September, a bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate that proposed a nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which would apply to our state if passed.  Especially right now, it is crucial to protect the rights to access an abortion.

Maienschein has sponsored Assembly Bill 1666, which proposed an amendment to California’s Health and Safety Code that would ensure that pregnant women in other states could come to California to receive an abortion, and not be prosecuted  for it, regardless of the abortion laws in their home-state . The bill was signed and enacted on June 24 and allows many women to legally access abortions in California. Maienschein’s dedication to reproductive rights is an initiative that our district’s voters should support and prioritize.

 By contrast, Bruce-Lane, Maienschein’s opponent, does not mention reproductive rights in any of her campaign information. Our district should not support a candidate who will likely put reproductive rights in jeopardy, especially now that California is a sanctuary state for women in states who are seeking abortions.

This issue is especially relevant to teenagers. According to the ACLU, almost 350,000 U.S. teenagers under the age of 18 become pregnant each year, and approximately 82% of these pregnancies are unintended. Fortunately, unintended pregnancies for women aged 18-19 in the United States declined by 20% between 2008 and 2011. However, according to youth.gov, children born to teen mothers are more likely to have behavioral problems and chronic medical conditions, be incarcerated during adolescence, drop out of high school, and other adverse effects. This is a problem that affects our age group.

Another issue that students at our school may take special interest in is gun control. High school campuses are at risk of gun violence—in fact, guns are the leading cause of death for American children and teenagers, according to Everytown Research. This past term, Maienschein introduced Assembly Bill 2239, which makes it illegal for someone with “a misdemeanor conviction for child abuse or elder abuse” to possess a firearm. This will make it more difficult for dangerous individuals to own guns, and will lessen the likelihood of gun violence occurring in general. We need to support Maienschein for his initiatives to make us safer from the threat of gun violence.

On the other hand, opponent Bruce-Lane said in an interview on Gun Owners Radio that she “will always stand for the Second Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution and believes that “gun ownership is a part of those basic human rights.” Guns are the cause of 79% of homicides in the United States, and homicides are the second most common type of death by firearm, after suicides, according to the BBC. We should not support candidates who potentially don’t have the safety of our schools in mind.

Voters who care about reproductive rights and safety from gun violence can demonstrate their commitment to these opinions by voting Brian Maienschein for State Assembly member.