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Another poll shows a majority of people support abortion rights —including Republicans.

A poll released by NBC News on July 24 shows a resounding 71% of respondents saying abortion rights should be legally protected.

Those numbers are striking, but they are only the latest in a number of other polls showing a large majority of Americans agreeing that the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wadedecision should not be overturned.


Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

President Donald Trump and many other Republicans continue to frame abortion rights as a "50/50 issue" that evenly splits the country.

Even Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a moderate who has said she will not support a Supreme Court nominee who would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade,has recently described the abortion debate as being "something like a 51-49" division.

It’s not.

There’s no shortage of issues that genuinely divide Americans right now. But abortion isn’t one of them.

Politicians have been able to get away with governing "in an age of minority rule," where a party that receives less votes controls the White House and both houses of Congress and has a majority edge in the Supreme Court.

There are enough doubts about the future stability of Roe v. Wade that Massachusetts repealed a 173-year-old, largely forgotten abortion restriction in case reproductive rights end up falling back into the hands of the states.

"I think people are beginning to realize these are strange times we live in," Massachusetts Senate President Harriett Chandler said.

With the law long since settled by the nation’s highest court and public opinion having swayed in support, political leaders should respect that choice and stop portraying it as a wedge issue to further divide people for short-term political gain.

Abortion will always be a complex issue. But Americans are increasingly supportive of reproductive rights. Politicians and lawmakers should respect that.

Of course, it will ultimately be up to voters to demand their elected representatives start framing the discussion in a way that reflects reality. Americans have largely embraced reproductive choice, even if they have mixed feelings about abortion itself.

Most Americans think abortion rights should be off the table, and it’s time the government started listening.

As Thanksgiving approaches, the future remains uncertain for all Americans — especially new American citizens.

If you were born in America, your first Thanksgiving was probably spent as a bewildered baby, being spoon-fed mashed potatoes by giant people whom you would later come to recognize as your family members. As an adult, the only thing that's really different is who's holding the spoon.

Plus whatever this is. Photo by Hiroko Masuike/Getty Images.


For many immigrants who've recently become U.S. citizens, however, this Thanksgiving won't be like any other. It's supposed to be a holiday where you reflect on what you're thankful for, but after a divisive election filled with anti-immigrant rhetoric, finding things to be thankful for can be challenging.

I spoke to five new American citizens about what's on their minds this Thanksgiving and what they're thankful for. Their answers are inspiring, difficult, and incredibly important to hear. For the most part, though, they're doing what the rest of us will be doing on Thanksgiving — just with more anxiety.

Santiago Svidler, an Argentinian immigrant who became a citizen in 2014, is openly frustrated about the state of the country but is looking forward to being with his family on Thanksgiving.

A politically conscious journalism major at California State University, Northridge, Svidler knows that the election and all of its implications will surely be a topic of conversation around the dinner table.

"It’s been on everyone’s mind," Svidler says. "I’m a gay, Jewish, Latino man. My brother is a gay, Jewish, Latino man also. Even though we're American citizens, it still concerns us. ... Our rights as immigrants, our family's rights, LGBT rights ... this affects all of us."

With a family so diverse, you bet their Thanksgiving table reflects that. Aside from the typical turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, "we also accommodate all of our family members’ dietary needs. So there’s vegan for those who are vegan; there’s vegetarian options [too]," Svidler says.

Photo courtesy of Santiago Svidler.

As for where he finds hope and things to be grateful for in the wake of the election, Svidler admitted it's hard. "This is like a grieving stage," he says. But regardless of what the president-elect tries to do, "we're going to stand up and fight for our rights. Because this is an America that is for everyone, not just those at the top who are white, male, heterosexual."

He recently attended a protest in Los Angeles that reminded him of how much he appreciates the ability to speak his mind. "Everyone had different signs that they made affiliated with what their cause is," Svidler explains. "It went from abortion rights to immigration to student debt. It was a huge variety, and it was great to see this because it feels as if we’re being heard."

Luisana DeGolyer has lived in America for decades after moving here with her family from Venezuela in the '80s, but this will be her first Thanksgiving as a U.S. citizen.

"When my dad came here, he didn’t speak English. He didn’t have any money," DeGolyer explains over the phone. Her parents worked really hard to land on their feet in America. After moving from job to job, her father started his own business, which DeGolyer says is now worth millions of dollars and employs many family members, herself included.

Photo courtesy of Luisana DeGolyer.

"I live and breathe the family business, so I put a lot of things on the back burner," she says of her decision not to pursue her citizenship until recently. "You put things off because you feel safe. You think 'I was raised here, I’m not going to go anywhere.'" She says her sister is currently pursuing her own U.S. citizenship.

With the uncertainty of the election looming and not knowing who was going to be the next president, "I thought, 'I better do it,' and I’m glad I did," DeGolyer says.

Like DeGolyer, a lot of other immigrants decided 2016 was a good year to make their U.S. citizenships official.

There's been a surge in people applying for citizenship in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, according to the Los Angeles Times. Anti-immigrant rhetoric coming out of the election and deep uncertainty about their future has pushed hundreds of thousands of immigrants to go through the process of becoming citizens.

A naturalization ceremony in Washington, D.C. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images.

After living in America for 20 years, Nicola Ward, an immigrant from Scotland, is looking forward to celebrating her first "official" Thanksgiving.

The biggest factor that motivated her to pursue her U.S. citizenship was her daughter.

When you're not a citizen during an election year, Ward says, you look at what could potentially happen to you based on the candidates. Given Donald Trump's anti-immigrant platform, her decision to become a citizen was mostly about "peace of mind" for herself and her daughter.

Nicola Ward and her daughter. Photo courtesy of Nicola Ward.

"If something were to happen, I would potentially go back to Scotland and she would be here with her dad," Ward explains. "That’s always a huge fear that’s in the back of anybody's mind who’s not a U.S. citizen: What happens to my child?"

Ward's newfound peace of mind means she can spend a nice relaxing Thanksgiving with her (very excited) daughter. "She's all about the holidays," Ward says.

While she's thankful for her new citizenship status, Ward says she's most thankful for the opportunity it gave her to cast a vote in the election. "One of my biggest milestones was to say that I actually voted. And even though people say that their vote doesn't count, it did to me," Ward says.

For Alyona Koneva, who finally got her citizenship after moving to the U.S. from Russia 11 years ago, Thanksgiving dinner will be a quiet date with her husband, combining traditions from both of their cultures.

Koneva is in grad school getting her master's in clinical psychology and works as a therapist in a hospital where she talks to a lot of immigrants from low-income communities. Being away from her family has been tough, but at least she has her husband close by.

"He’s Hispanic," Koneva says. "They also have all kinds of different twists on Thanksgiving. So we’ll probably do tamales, we’ll do ham, and we'll do borscht."

Photo courtesy of Alyona Koneva.

"I’m happy that now being an American citizen, I have these rights that I didn’t have" in Russia, Koneva says.

The election is weighing heavily on Koneva's mind, especially when she thinks of her patients. "My heart hurts for my patients and also my fellow coworkers and peers because I feel like [the election is] really going to affect the mental health field." She says there's already a huge need for resources there.

"Just seeing how distraught my patients are and how scared they are, it's pretty heartbreaking," Kovena says, though she's trying to keep an open mind that everything will work out. "I love being able to help people, especially those in need."

Ronni Prakoth, whose mother immigrated from Suriname and whose father immigrated from India, is going all-out for Thanksgiving at her sister's house.

"I think [my sister] wants me to make green bean casserole, but nobody ever eats it!" Prakoth says.

Photo courtesy of Ronni Prakoth.

Despite cultural adjustments like growing up on pizza seasoned with Indian spices, Prakoth says she loves the United States and has a deep appreciation for the immigrant experience.

"I love living in America," Prakoth says. "I know in my heart that this is the only country that I could live in. This is the culture that I’ve become accustomed to. Even at times when we take it for granted, this is my home."

Whatever thoughts you have about Thanksgiving — that it's the best holiday ever or that it's an awkward, gluttonous ode to genocidal colonialism — we can all take some time to remember our blessings.

Despite the fear and uncertainty weighing on their minds, every single one of these new American citizens easily listed things they were thankful for.

For DeGolyer, it's her children, her health, and her husband's release from prison. For Ward, it's her family and the opportunity to vote in an American election for the first time. Koneva is thankful that whatever the political situation is here, it's not as bad as it is in her native Russia. And Svidler is thankful for his recently born niece.

Finding things to be thankful for when you're scared and facing four years of an unstable, unpredictable presidential administration is no small feat. But just because there are things to be thankful for in a tumultuous present doesn't mean that we should stop working to make our country a better, safer place for everyone to live in regardless of what they look like or what kind of paperwork they have.

So what does it feel like to be a new American citizen at Thanksgiving this year? There isn't one answer. It feels nerve-wracking, frustrating, and confusing. They're looking for answers, solutions, and peace of mind. They're grateful to be with their families and for the ability to exercise their rights. They're feeling cautiously optimistic and hopeful, and they're proud of their country.

On Thanksgiving, they'll do what we all do: They'll keep moving forward, and they'll keep eating turkey.

In 2016, the American melting pot is more diverse than ever before, and it's showing in who's heading to the ballot box on Nov. 8.

Despite warnings of low-voter turnout, a record-breaking 200 million people are registered to vote in the upcoming election. A large portion of that figure represents new U.S. citizens casting ballots for the very first time. If early indicators have told us anything, it's that these folks are putting their votes where their livelihoods are.

An early voting location in St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.


We spoke to four first-time voters from across the country who are also new U.S. citizens. Here's what they had to say about the 2016 presidential election.

(Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.)

Julissa Arce: A 33-year-old author from Los Angeles, California, who became a citizen in 2014.

"I had sacrificed so much to be able to be in this country. And to finally be recognized by my country as one of its citizens was a really beautiful moment."

Julissa speaking at The Berkeley Forum. Image via Julissa Arce, used with permission.

Why Julissa feels so strongly about voting: "If you don't vote, then you're letting someone else make decisions about how you're going to live your life. This election in particular, I can't fathom not going out and voting. It's the most critical election in our lifetime."

Who she's planning on voting for: "I'm voting for Hillary. And by the way, I'm not voting for Hillary because she's not Donald Trump. I'm voting for Hillary because I truly believe she's the best person, the most qualified candidate, to lead our country."

A critical issue she thinks needs more attention: "The media coverage around climate change hasn't been there. It's like a couple sentences here and there. And the reality is if we don't have a planet, none of these other things matter."

Her thoughts on Donald Trump: "The silver lining is that we have a clearer picture of the work that has to get done. The reason Donald Trump is where he is is because there are literally millions of other people who think like he does, who believe in the things he believes in. While that's a scary thought, it also shines a light on the fact that these issues have never gone away: racism, sexism, bigotry, xenophobia. It's not that they didn't exist in our country; they were buried."

Robin Wood-Mason: A 31-year-old director of development at a nonprofit preschool, who lives in Denver, Colorado, and became a citizen in 2014.

"The folks that think they'll just sit the election out — as a new citizen, it absolutely infuriates me that people take that process for granted and don't give it the respect that it deserves."

Image via Robin Wood-Mason, used with permission.

On misconceptions about immigrants: "It was interesting being a white male and being an immigrant [from the U.K.] and seeing how people perceive you differently. When you say, 'immigrant,' people assume Latino and other people of color, and it's been bizarre seeing how different people have responded to learning that about me."

The most important issue this election cycle: "The biggest thing for me has been the Supreme Court and wanting to make sure that whoever gets to appoint the next two to three justices shares a lot of my values. Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party far better align with what I think America's real values are or should be. We might actually be able to have a Supreme Court that values diversity and progressive issues and makes sure that people get to live with a sense of equality."

On his passionate support for Hillary Clinton: "My husband will tell you that I'm addicted to hitting the donate button in almost every one of the emails [sent from her campaign]."

An issue he thinks should be making more headlines this election: "I would like to see more conversation around renewing our support for AIDS research. Things like [HIV prevention drug] PrEP — making that widely available through Medicaid and Medicare — and coming up with other sources of funding for us to make sure we're really putting an end to the HIV epidemic, particularly as it's shifted away from being 'the gay guys' disease' that it was in the late '80s and '90s. Now that it's hitting people that are using injection drugs, and it's shifted into being more about poverty than anything else — how can we address that?"

Barbara Cenalmor: A 43-year-old engineer from Chandler, Arizona, who became a citizen in 2013.

"As a legal resident, you pretty much can do anything that a citizen can do except vote. And for me, I wanted to be able to vote — not only for president, but also on local level politics. It really affects my kids, my kids' schools, the city where I live."

Image via Barbara Cenalmor, used with permission.

Her take on a two-party system: "To me, it seems like the two-party system has not worked well. I think this year it's become clear that voting for the party does not work; it does not work for a lot of people. I've been here for other elections — and I've been in Spain, where elections are pretty brutal too — but how it's turning into some kind of reality TV show where everybody just rips everybody apart. It's stressing me out."

On disliking Trump...: "I definitely don't want Trump to be the president."

...but disliking Clinton only slightly less: "I'm a little bit disappointed with myself [for planning to vote for Clinton]. But I think that, if I didn't vote and then Trump won, I would be mad at myself — especially if he wins by a small margin."

On voting for things other than the presidency: "The two big propositions in Arizona, which [are] recreational marijuana and the minimum wage, I think they're huge. I'm still reading through them. I'm one of those people that, unfortunately, I cannot make decisions until I've done an incredible amount of research, which I know is exhausting. [laughs] It's just my personality."

On the outside world's view of Donald Trump: "I actually traveled to different European countries this summer, and everywhere I went, the question was, 'That's a joke right? He's not a real candidate?' It's embarrassing."  

A critical issue she thinks needs more attention: "One of the most important issues lately is race and police. I don't think it's being very well addressed by either candidate. I don't think it's been a big focus, and it's a huge thing that's happening in the country — race relations in general. We need to sit down and figure out what's going on and how do we fix this."

Juan Carlos D. Ruiz Durán: A 29-year-old student from Olympia, Washington, who became a citizen in 2013.

"As a first time voter, I feel like I'm actually participating in the overall conversation more because I have these privileges now. Permanent residency almost makes you a second-class citizen — you get some benefits but not all. You can get a job here, live here, own a house, but you can't vote."  

Image via Juan Carlos D. Ruiz Durån, used with permission.

On why he stays focused on the issues — not the politics: "I would say, as far as the overall political system, I'm not totally engaged, but I am engaged in the activist side of it which advocates for diversity and equity within college, school, access to resources, and people's rights."

Why he's voting with higher education in mind: "I think, as far as our society goes, that's really where a lot of innovation and creativity comes from — college. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs [who both didn't graduate from college] are not typical examples of innovators."

On voting for Hillary Clinton after supporting Bernie Sanders: "Hillary has a lot more experience; she also has a problematic past. And it's not like I'm forgetting about that, but comparing that to the Republican base, which, to me, is just fanatical, like espousing the most ignorant stuff I've heard — and a few of my family are also Republican, who say the same stuff, the same problematic language — I've just transitioned [to supporting Clinton]. The lesser of two evils in a sense. But I'm optimistic policy will be more progressive."

On social justice around race playing a role this election: "There are extremes, but in the middle, there is a concise, very direct message: Stop killing black people and indigenous women and men and immigrant folks. That's really what's made this election cycle more colorful in that sense — you can see a lot more of people's colors and their opinions than before."

The coolest thing about our democracy is that it doesn't matter where you live or where you come from — you can have a seat at the table.

You just have to vote.

Not sure if you're registered?Find out now.

Wondering what day your state's registration deadline is? There's a website for that.

And don't forget — you might live in a state with same-day registration.

Don't watch from the sidelines Nov. 8. Make your voice heard.