Leading up to the Democratic National Convention, which started this week in Chicago, the Democratic Party once again put fertility and reproductive rights at the forefront of the presidential campaign. Democrats even have a new slogan aimed at attracting young voters. As a member of Generation Z, I think it’s pretty rich.
“Mind your own damn business.”
Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz first dropped this line at a campaign rally, with crowds erupting in the stands. The Democrats had finally done it, recasting willful ignorance as “freedom.”
In this election, “minding our business” is the central theme of the Left’s messaging on reproductive freedom, specifically access to in vitro fertilization. But Gen Z won’t be so quick to gloss over these issues simply because party leaders tell us it’s not our concern.
The subject of IVF gained national attention in February when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that human embryos are protected under Alabama’s wrongful death statute, which has traditionally been applied to unborn children in the womb.
The ruling does not ban IVF but sets a precedent that IVF clinics could be held accountable for the improper handling of embryos, with serious enforcement around the negligent death of embryos.
As a result of the ruling, many clinics voluntarily shut down IVF services rather than adopting stricter safety precautions, underscoring their unwillingness to take responsibility for embryonic safety.
This situation reveals why IVF, like any medical procedure, deserves careful scrutiny.
Gen Z is increasingly concerned about fertility amid conversations about vocations, gender roles, and the biological clock. “Fertility anxiety” plagues about half of youth ages 16 to 24, especially females. The conversation around IVF and other reproductive procedures extends beyond legal accountability. It’s also about the ethical implications surrounding how life is brought into the world and ensuring the baby is treated with equal dignity. Rigorous standards of care must be established to uphold safety and transparency to families.
But the Harris-Walz ticket doesn’t want my generation to think that hard. The Democratic Party encourages youth to be politically active, but once we start questioning procedures such as IVF, suddenly, we are told to mind our own business.
How would Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) respond if they were told to “mind their own business” regarding all matters of gun use? How about mask mandates?
The irony is that Walz’s actions utterly contradict his own golden rule. Wasn’t he the one who, during the pandemic, set up a snitch hotline on which people could rat out neighbors participating in activities that didn’t comply with COVID-19 regulations? Sure, Gen Z might not have the best attention span, but we can remember the toll invasive policies such as his had on our everyday lives.
The Democratic Party thinks it can win over my generation with five-second video clips and “vibes.” But we’re tired of sound bites, and more of us are thinking critically and considering opinions across the political spectrum. Over a third of people of Gen Z are not registered with either major party. This demographic is more likely than other generations to identify as independent, according to a survey from the Public Religion Research Institute.
Reproductive rights and family issues are at the forefront of this election, and rightly so. These topics have a lot of emotional bearing for constituents and demand clarity on fundamental questions such as “When does life begin?” and “What protections under law are owed to embryos?”
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That’s precisely why Gen Z must investigate beyond the narratives we’re fed to ensure human dignity is upheld. If we don’t, we are at risk of turning a blind eye to key policy issues on the basis of “freedom,” only to enslave ourselves to circumstances that undermine our well-being and that of our families.
The Democratic Party is right about one thing: It is time to mind our business, starting with the policies that will define our future.
Srisha Raj is a Young Voices contributor studying statistics and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. She is located in Northern Virginia.
