I find Kos abortion diaries infuriating.
If someone isn’t talking about how abortion is a more minor concern in the current climate, they’re coming up with reasons why states will never outlaw abortion entirely, and, no no we are not thirty seconds from becoming the Republic of Gilead, stop crying hair on fire you whiners.
Let me tell you, for those of you who don’t know, I’ve worked to secure abortion rights for almost a decade. The first two assumptions are false. The third, well, we shall see.
First of all, one’s stance on abortion tends to predict many other policy or political stances, and using it as a single voting issue is a valid approach. These stances include:
- Fundamentalist Christianity has a valid and important role in lawmaking.
- Women are a special class that needs special regulation.
- Women are not fully free agents as it pertains to bodily autonomy.
- Certain classes of people get more rights than others.
- Science that implies that zygotes are not fully functioning humans is not relevant, or worse, is inaccurate and should be ignored.
- Science has no place in lawmaking.
- Interfering with doctor communication is appropriate if it contradicts the religion of the anti-choicer.
- Lying to a patient about her condition is a valid approach and is for her own good.
- Women cannot be trusted to make good medical decisions.
- Patient privacy is irrelevant if I do not agree with their choices regarding their health.
- Violence and harassment are acceptable solutions to this problem.
Second, as someone who has lived in several states with virulent anti-choicers, I have seen the harassment up close, and I can tell you that this is a wedge issue that is practically perfect.
It ‘Others’ people that disagree with the Fundamentalists. It also provides a lot of leeway for people in the middle to accept rights erosion due to the scientific illiteracy that pervades America currently, and the emotional media appeals.
So let’s set aside the Fundies for one minute, at take a look at the middle.
A D&C is a procedure that is necessary to save a woman’s life in not-infrequent cases. A medical procedure that is used gets rebranded into “Partial-Birth Abortion.” Scientific procedures get the NewSpeak treatment. Well, geez, who would want a fetus to suffer? Hey, I don’t think it’s a person but it shouldn’t feel pain! Seems reasonable, we don’t need that procedure if there are other [more dangerous and less effective] options!
The safest procedure to ensure maternal health? Bye bye!
Then: Well, having regulations in place to ensure a woman can get medical treatment if a procedure goes bad? Sure, having admitting privileges and surgical center designation make sense!
TRAP laws and admitting privileges denied by growing Catholic hospital systems? Sure!
Heartbeats mean the baby is alive! Surely women should abort before that.
Abortions > 6 weeks? That’s the end of that. Oops, you didn’t know you were pregnant? Sorry!
(Fun fact, by medical counts you are 4 weeks pregnant when you learn you are pregnant (dates to the beginning of the cycle).
And on, and on. And on.
The middle enables this to happen because they do not understand science, they are misled by labeling and media coverage, and have just enough religion to feel guilt. And they believe that Roe is settled law so they won’t have to worry about it.
No one wakes up one day to have all of abortion outlawed and women thrown in jail for seeking abortion…except one day they do. Many attempts continue to be made to prosecute women for drug use on fetal endangerment grounds. Recently there have been women scrutinized for criminal charges for miscarriages. Or ‘feticide’ for self-abortion.
If Ohio is considering outlawing abortion in all cases, even for rape and the life of the mother, why are we sitting around jumping through disingenuous mental hoops to reassure ourselves it could never get that bad? Ohio also attempted to outlaw leaving the state for an abortion several years ago. So, restriction of travel while pregnant, anyone?
It’s ALREADY bad. And getting worse.
Everyone talks about how Trump has enabled Nazis to show their faces without fear. Now we’re going to see the faces of the individuals who believe women are broodmares, must reproduce in service of the White Race and have no business in the workplace. Because a woman who can’t control her own reproduction cannot have a stable career and compete with men.
My hair is on fire. Why isn’t yours?