Nisha's Reflection

 

Project Citizen has exposed me to my individual role in my community and the potential difference I could be making within the legislation the government passes. This project has enabled me to research various venues to solving a greater problem and has informed me about the workings of my local, state government rather than solely on the actions of the federal government.

Originally, before the research process, I believed that the issue of abortion was a two-sided argument: pro-life or pro-choice. During debates, I always viewed the issue in a hypothetical sense, never realizing the concrete effects it has over young women. Project citizen opened my eyes to the abortion spectrum and forced me to expand my beliefs. I started to think about the issue in terms of solving a problem rather than arguing a side. When compiling our solutions, I was amazed with the ease and accessiblitiy our own local government provided if we were to contact them. Before this project, I had turned a blind eye to the legislation in our senate and to the amount of work being done by NJ legislators. Now, with this abortion solution for NJ, I feel empowered to see the legislation through. With an issue like abortion, passing a state law seemed, at one point, impossible. But now, given the means to contact those who represent NJ citizens in the federal government, solving the problem about NJ's abortion laws seems more attainable. I think the most valuable part of Project Citizen was realizing that as a state citizen, we obtain more power than we think we do for state legislation. Working with a great group on a very important issue has been an amazing learning experience and has provided me with valuable insight to the powers of a regular citizen and their role in the government.