I am utterly appalled at the backwards slide the US is making on so
many political, social and moral fronts, but what galls me the most at the
moment are the attempts by conservatives to limit a woman’s right to
abortion. How can this atrocious trend
towards upending Roe v. Wade almost
50 years later be getting any traction? Reproductive freedom is a basic human FEMALE right! And that includes the right NOT to reproduce
-- regardless of the reason for this choice.
The legal maneuverings in red
states around the country, including my home Commonwealth of Kentucky, to set
outlandish conditions and regulations on abortion services have really got my
goat. Putting ANY restrictions on a
woman’s right to choose what to do with HER body is tantamount to Gilead-esque
tactics. We are no man’s handmaid! For now, the federal
constitutionally protected right to end a pregnancy up to 24 weeks supersedes these
shenanigans, but several states have gone
ahead and enacted “trigger laws” which would take effect in the event that Roe
is overturned. In addition, many states never
repealed pre-1973 statutes that criminalized abortion, and some of them could
again be in force if the right-wing contingent gets its way.
This is not the first time that the
landmark ruling has been challenged. In
1992, the Supremes reaffirmed the central holding of Roe, saying,
"Our law affords constitutional
protection to personal decisions relating to marriage, procreation,
contraception, family relationships, child rearing, and education. [...] These
matters, involving the most intimate and personal choices a person
may make in a lifetime, choices central to personal
dignity and autonomy, are central to the liberty protected by the
Fourteenth Amendment. At the heart of liberty is the
right to define one's own concept of
existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human
life.” (boldface and highlighting
mine)
I fear that the current uber-conservative
judges on the highest American court have a different point of view and could
well send the country back to the pre-women’s lib Neanderthal age. Who
are these shortsighted, predominantly Caucasian males to tell women they have
no choice in these matters?
Could it be a sort of insidious, despicable retaliation for ♯Me, Too?!?!?!
Or simply a straightforward form of
white supremacy and oppression?
I am the mother of three
myself, and carrying, bearing and raising them were the most precious
experiences of my life. These children
were utterly desired, planned for, eagerly anticipated, deliriously welcomed, and
all within a healthy, loving marriage – and even then there were countless
trying times when I felt overwhelmed, resentful, infuriated. Parenting is tough AF, folks, even under the
best of circumstances, so imagine how much more challenging for a mother to
give the requisite parts of herself to unwanted offspring.
It is particularly unfathomable
to me how a woman who has been through the trauma of rape or incest
should be expected to unconditionally love the result of such a heinous
crime. Isn’t this the even greater
offense? For children to arrive already burdened
with such a strike against them, such a stigma?
Sparing them this undeserving indignity is, imho, the best form of what
pro-lifers call when attacking abortion, “the protection of unborn children.” Such
undaunted maternal devotion is the
very least that each and every human brought into this world is entitled to.
How dare they attempt to legally compel
women – and oftentimes girls! -- to endure the burdens of pregnancy and
childbirth?!
How can they be so indifferent to the
plight of the mothers who, after suffering unspeakable offenses against their
physical bodies and emotional wellbeing, are forced to carry and bear and then left
to care for the resulting offspring?!
Why do they place more value on the unborn than on the women whose
lives would be radically disrupted by the issue of an act of violence?!
And what about an oopsy pregnancy that is simply unexpected
and/or unwanted? I’d like to know how
each of those lily-white, lily-livered legislators would feel if their wife /
sister / daughter found themselves in such a situation and no longer had the
power to legally, safely, willingly take control of their bodies and
lives.
So yeah, I angrily and wholeheartedly
echo this placard: STAY OUT OF OUR UTERUSES!
