Paxton Smith Started a Movement When She Called Out the Heartbeat Bill in Her Valedictorian Speech
It's been six months since Paxton Smith's impactful valedictorian speech that called out Texas' harmful anti-abortion legislation racked up more than 500,000 views. The 18-year-old Dallas native risked not getting her diploma when she criticized the "heartbeat bill," which bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected as early as six weeks into pregnancy. "I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail, I am terrified that if I am raped, then my hopes and aspirations and dreams and efforts for my future will no longer matter," she said during her speech. "I hope that you can feel how gut-wrenching that is, I hope that you can feel how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body taken from you." Now a college freshman, Paxton is still making her voice heard in the fight to protect reproductive rights by working with organizations like the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project and A is For, writing her own book on why people should be able to make decisions regarding their own bodies, and traveling across the world to speak at protests and rallies.
What have you been up to since your valedictorian speech went viral?
Well, I've continued my activism. I continue to travel the country, speaking out about reproductive and abortion rights and soon, I will be traveling the world to speak about the issue. I'm working on a book called "A War on my Body," which will be coming out on January 22, 2022. All of the proceeds from that will actually be going to The Afiya Center, a nonprofit in Dallas, Texas which works to address the racial disparity and access to reproductive healthcare.
I'm also on the board of directors at WRRAP, which is the largest national nonprofit that funds abortions and emergency contraceptives and I'm on the advisory board for A is For, which uses the arts to de-stigmatize abortion. On top of that, I'm a student and I make music in my free time. I'm currently writing and producing my first pop album, which hopefully will come out sooner rather than later.
Why is spreading awareness and fighting for reproductive rights important to you?
The reason why this is so important to me is that the only person who should be making life-changing decisions for a person is that person — that's it. Nobody else. Not a stranger — no one should be able to make those kinds of decisions for me without my input, without my consent. That is the bottom line for me and that is why I'm so devoted to the cause. I just think that it's a fundamental human right to decide how you live your life. I go out and speak at different events, go to rallies, and work with different media groups to highlight the stories surrounding abortion and bring attention to the issue. Soon, I'll be going to a human rights forum in Switzerland and I'll be speaking there. It's a variety of things.
Do you have any advice for young people who want to make a change and be more involved in activism?
Sometimes when you're getting into the field of activism, it can feel very daunting. You're kind of like "I don't even know where to start, I don't know what to say. How do I even make an impact?" The truth is that a lot of times, the first time that you stand up and say something, people are probably not going to be super receptive to it. It's more than likely that you may not make a huge impact the first time, but your words and actions will be seen and heard by somebody and they will stick with that person. So, even though you feel you may not have this massive change in the world, you are making a change.
In what ways can people stay informed and involved?
Generally, if you want to stay updated on the topic, I would advise just basic news sources. Steer clear of anything that is obviously going to be biased, because it's going to try to twist the truth in some kind of way to get you to think a certain way. Of course, I think one of the best things you can do is take the time to educate yourself on the issue. There are a number of books that you can read. One of my favorites is "Jane Against the World" by Karen Blumenthal and that just gives you a pretty unbiased history of abortion and reproductive healthcare within the United States.
What does being a Voices of the Year honoree mean to you?
This honor means that all of my work as an activist has been worth it, not because I'm getting honored, but because it means that my work has impacted people. The goal for me, as an activist, is to get people to listen, to reach the people who don't care, or to reach the people who don't agree. To receive this honor means that my actions have done just that, making it impossible to ignore the inhumane reality of a world where bodily autonomy does not exist.
Parts of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity.
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