This commentary is by Donna Carpenter of Stowe, co-founder, owner and chair of Burton Snowboards.
Like most American women, the issue of abortion is personal to me. A year before I met Jake Burton in Londonderry, Vermont, and started on a journey to help pioneer the global sport of snowboarding, I had an abortion.
I think about how my life story would have been different had that not been a safe and legal option for me. I remember thinking at the time how unfair it was that my life’s dreams might have to be put on hold, while my boyfriend could simply go back to college as if nothing had happened.
What I realized then, on a personal level, was that the right to a safe and legal abortion is fundamental if women in our society are to reach their full potential.
I am sharing this story publicly for the first time, to bring home the urgency of Vermont passing the Reproductive Liberty Amendment, also known as Prop 5. Vermont’s Reproductive Liberty Amendment would enshrine every person’s right to make their own reproductive decisions in our strongest legal document, the Vermont Constitution.
If our House of Representatives passes the amendment in its upcoming vote, we as Vermont voters will have the opportunity to voice our support in a 2022 general election ballot measure.
There are so many reasons Jake founded Burton in Vermont and why we chose to stay here and build our company and our family. Vermont has always shared our ethos of individual entrepreneurialism combined with a dedication to community. That’s how we survive and thrive during a Vermont winter — through individual resilience and the support of our community. Most importantly, Vermont sets the standard for what’s right.
At a time when the fundamental right for people to choose their own destiny is now threatened in approximately half of the United States, Vermont is once again a beacon of light and hope.
Please join me in asking your local representatives to pass the Reproductive Liberty Amendment. Please join me in asking other Vermont businesses to join us in this advocacy.
Vermont has the chance to lead the nation toward a better future. Let’s not let this opportunity pass us by.
