geog podcast

The podcast discusses the interdependence between women's abortion rights and North Carolina legislation. It explains the debate between pro-life and pro-choice arguments and the laws surrounding abortion in North Carolina. The host focuses on the Charlotte area and its connection to the global community through the airport. The podcast explores how the abortion laws can impact the economy, population, and diversity of Charlotte. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of allowing states to have their own stance on abortion rights. Hello, everybody, and welcome to my podcast. The topic for today is the interdependence between women's abortion rights and the North Carolina legislation. I chose North Carolina because it is the state with which I reside in. With this controversial topic affecting more and more people each day, you should tune in to learn more about this specific interdependency and its relation to my life and the geographies of globalization. My name is Riley Green, and I will be your host. To start out with the basics, the debate going on about abortion rights is split between two main sides, those who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice, three sides if you're counting those who are neutral. The arguments of those who are pro-life consist of religion, their morals, republic, political affiliation for the most part, and that they believe life begins at conception, and that the embryo or fetus has the right to live. The arguments of those who are pro-choice consist of bodily autonomy, not having the means to raise a child, being forced to have a child, especially at a time that isn't right, saving the mother, and more. Laws of North Carolina, also known as statutes, are made by the state legislator. They are made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 50 senators and 120 members of the House of Representatives. As of now, these are the people making our state laws on abortion. Currently, abortion is legal in the first 20 weeks in pregnancy in North Carolina. This shows the power the legislators hold and causes an uneven interdependency between residents in North Carolina and the lawmakers. I'm going to focus on the Charlotte area of North Carolina, and a small portion of the podcast will include a surrounding small town, Davidson, which is the town I live in. Charlotte is a large city, meaning it's diverse, has different mixes of people, and is less bound to tradition. Every time I've traveled to Charlotte, I've witnessed many cultures and people with different viewpoints. There are often different rallies or protests going on, displaying different beliefs. When you go to Davidson, it's much more bound to tradition due to the size of it. Davidson is made up of a majority of liberals. Most of the churches are Presbyterian and preach leftist views. Many people here are pro-choice, which is the tradition of Davidson. I find this interesting because I don't believe it's a coincidence that Davidson is mostly Democratic. Those who are Republican choose a different town or location to live in, most likely. For example, a study confirmed the importance of social networks and anti-abortion activism. Pro-life activists, and even just supporters of pro-life, are likely to belong to an activist social network that invites them to political pro-life events, or just to give them information about it. This is a reason for Republicans to relocate to other cities or towns in North Carolina, or even a different state, as Davidson has none of this in a close proximity. I will now branch out from Davidson to Charlotte. No matter where you are, you are always and already connected to people and places that are somewhere else. This city contains the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where we will put the emphasis on international. The airport allows a mix of international companies from Germany, the UK, China, etc. to come into the city, and therefore a mix of various cultures are coming into the city as well. The international companies are helping to grow domestic companies in the areas of distribution, technology, and other goods and services. However, if many of the company workers were very strictly pro-life believers, they may not want to work in a state and city that allows abortions if it conflicts with their morals, religion, or political beliefs. This could be a big deterrent. Without workers, or less workers, the companies would significantly decrease in Charlotte. The Charlotte Douglas Airport would make it very simple for them to leave the city. On the other side of things, Charlotte could become a great space for other international companies, people in general, or people across the country to migrate to those who share the belief of pro-choice and a location where abortion is allowed at least for the first 20 weeks. The abortion laws are also a factor in the economy. If nobody is traveling to Charlotte, the airport and the city will both lose money. I find it interesting that a law that is non-related to travel or the economy can impact a city's capital and financial resources and even population. The relative location may even decrease if people in different countries, cities, or states don't want to travel to Charlotte. However, if people are congregating in Charlotte, Charlotte's capital income will increase. Like most things, there's multiple points of views, especially in geographies. Those who are pro-choice may be attracted to Charlotte because of the current abortion mandate. As the city is already growing, I believe it will increase in size because of the legality of abortion for up to 20 weeks in pregnancy. Many women and people who have a uterus are looking for any sort of health care that can help them. Their cultures and shared beliefs will add to the diversity of Charlotte and may cause an increase in women from different states and even from different countries. I am sure that abortion laws will continue to change and morph the interdependence of legislation and women's rights. As a woman, I care deeply about this subject and allowing states to rule their stances as pro-choice. As more states make abortion illegal, it increases the amount of legal abortions, which can end in a negative way and also impact geographies. But that is a topic for another day. I hope you find yourself more well-versed in the ways that abortion rights affect people, migration, cultures, economy, morals, and more. Thanks so much for listening!