English Translation
Hi. My name is Jonie and today I’d like to talk about voting. I want to impress upon all of you the importance of voting.
One issue that is really of concern for me, because I’m lesbian, is equal rights in marriage. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this issue currently about whether marriage should be allowed or not, and if there should be votes on the issue.
I understand how politics and government work, but for me, what people want to vote on is very personal. It’s about me and my life, not some abstract thing. I want to share with you a little bit of my personal experience. I have a partner who is a woman, and together, we have adopted 4 children and I have given birth to one child. And my partner has had to adopt this child which just isn’t right. We have been together almost 11 years, and planned
and funded this pregnancy together. But now that the baby is born, only my name is on the birth certificate. My partner’s name is not able to be on there. This is her baby, too.
We’re now in the process of having my partner adopt this child, which – with court costs and all – comes to almost $400. So that’s an issue for me. If we were married, it would right away be recognized that this child was “our” baby, not just mine alone. So, that’s one thing.
A second huge issue for us is insurance. When I was pregnant, we were covered by Medical Assistance from the state because I was pregnant and not working. And I was willing to accept assistance from the state during that time. Once the baby was born, MA stopped because I wasn’t pregnant any more. My insurance costs me $300. My baby is now 7 months old and her insurance will soon stop, too. Which will be another $300 a month for a total of $600 per month. Since my partner hasn’t yet officially adopted her, her insurance can’t cover our child. It simply isn’t fair that all of what we have to pay might make us broke.
Voting might be able to change the law in this regard. If we were married, right away all of this would be covered for us instead of all these complications. Now, we have to go through the process of spending money on the adoption, then applying for insurance coverage. It still leaves me out of my partner’s insurance plan which costs me $300 a month. There are just so many examples of inequality in the system.
And voting is an important tool in making changes. For whatever goals you might have for your life or whatever changes you want to see in your own situation. If you just sit back and let others decide for you, you only have yourself to blame. So I encourage you to get out there and vote.