I've been itching to write about this. I've been reading a lot about it. I refuse to call them pro-lifers, as they don't advocate for better maternal healthcare, pre- and postpartum support, support for single moms, a living wage, day care, affordable contraceptives, and the like. They are anti-abortion. Women who are raped who should not be forced to have a baby. Nor should women, with painful ectopic pregnancies, similarly suffer.
Firstly, abortions are part of our universal healthcare system in Canada. Depending upon your province or territory, each system is unique, with various protocols. I believe the maritimes are the worst for access due to lack of hospitals, and transportation issues. There are no federal laws governing abortion in Canada.
I am so angry at this situation. Having been given up for adoption in 1957, and having met my birth mother, I've seen both sides. My therapeutic abortion was in 1975. I was sick as a dog, just entering university, and it was failed birth control.
I remember sitting in the bathtub, my mother talking to me, asking what was wrong, and if I was pregnant. She knew. Getting on the phone right away, she made the arrangements. We told my dad it was just a D & C, which it was. Not everyone is able, or financially or emotionally prepared to raise a child. Many abortions, in this 'modern' era, are done simply with the morning after pill.
The draft opinion was leaked from SCOTUS, and it is a shock to all. Some think they leaked it on purpose in order to soften the blow later. The thing is, both Kavanaugh and Barrett stated during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings that they should not open up Roe v. Wade, it is precedent. There is debate around whether their testimony under oath should be examined.
They have no right to tell me, not a Catholic, what I should do with my body. They have no right to tell people of other faiths, cultures, or traditions, that mothers have to die of ectopic pregnancies, rather than getting proper healthcare. Other faiths support it.
Some women are being arrested and jailed having had a miscarriage or stillbirth. "Women were prosecuted using what are known as "foetal assault laws", which exist in at least 38 states." IT IS UNBELIEVABLE.
Of Course the US Constitution Has Nothing to Say About Abortion:
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is surprised that there is so little written about abortion in a four-thousand-word document crafted by fifty-five men in 1787.
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| The history of abortion PubMed article on the history of abortion |
A profound moment of moral clarity from 13th century England pic.twitter.com/loZfY5sb40
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 8, 2022
18 comments:
...they are not pro-life, they are pro-birth! They don't care about you after you are born, you are on your own then!!!
That video with Alyssa was VERY informative. I did not know that American Women are not guaranteed rights ... so much for the leaders of the free world!
Hari OM
....APPLAUSE! APPPLAAAUUSE!!! Jenn this is a top post and says everything I would if I attempted such. It just confounds rational thinking that this is happening all over again. YAM xx
I was going to post that video but had the other one, and I thought that was enough at the time.
For me there's just the plain old Civil Rights issue, that someone can have a say over someone else's (female only!) body. So choice is the question, and to have old mainly-white men take that away from half our population is just so WRONG!
Thanks for the historical info. You're right, it's a control issue. I think the slave owner attitude is still prevalent with some men these days. My worse fear is politicians controlling the "morning after pill" and mailing of it, or banning contraception. Docs should be able to provide D&Cs or gyn procedures for a failed pregnancy. Letting women bleed, become septic with pieces of tissue remaining in the uterus, and a doc not being able to resolve it is horrid. Incomplete pregnancy is very common. Heaven help us all. Linda in Kansas
This will always be a hot issue, and if anyone has an opinion for either side, they need to have been there themselves, as you have, and understand the real feelings, hurt, consequences later on, and so much more. Jenn, you are so brave to write this today.And I am guessing the decisions are made by men.!!!
Brava, Jen!
I'm not sure you want me to get started on this. To say I am incensed is like calling the Queen Mary a rowboat.
Let's examine the facts. The facts are that yes, Kavanaugh and Barrett stated under oath that Row V Wade was law. But that is not the only issue we need to worry about.
It costs a LOT to have a baby. Who is going to pay for these poor, uneducated women to get prenatal care? Who is going to pay for the the hospital bill when the baby is born? Who is going to take care of the mother and child after a birth? Under this new law, pedophiles and rapists will have more rights than the female they impregnated. A father can rape his daughter and she will be forced to give birth to both her sister and daughter.
Now let's look at the other lesser considered parts of this bill. It implies that same sex marriage, something people have fought hard for, may now be prohibited. After all, two males can't give birth to a child and two females can't get pregnant, no matter how hard they try.
Even worse is this new law implies interracial marriage will be banned. Granted, I "believe" this was originally intended for blacks (African American) and whites (Caucasian Americans), but what if a Mexican American wants to marry a Pakistani American. Or a Korean American wants to marry a Polish American? That's definitely interracial, too.
The biggest problem I have is at the moment, I have a choice. I can choose what to do with my body. BUT, some want to take away my choice, even if I decide to protect the rights of an unborn child and carry it to term. I was given a choice. They want to take away my right to choose because it's their way or the highway. Sorry for the extended diatribe, but you brought it up. I didn't (grin).
You have provided much clarity here yourself! God bless you my friend
Michael Coren and his shift in perspective is an interesting one. He would have once been deemed a conservative evangelical. Until he realized that he was wrong in his world view. I like his occasional columns for the Star. It doesn't surprise me he's saying that now.
Too bad that too many white men can't read or think.
Well said. I can't add anymore. I support you.
It's madness. Here in Oklahoma they dipwads are outdoing each other in the stupidity of the situation.
I know a lot of people who have lived for this. It is just so sad. We are definitely headed backwards.
This is a very volatile and very sad situation. Thank you for this post Jenn, and I echo Cloudia's sentiments.
Thank you, Jenn, for stating this so clearly and logically -- and especially for your honesty about your own situation and the ability to be able to look at both sides of the issue with a personal focus that most of us do not have. I am appalled, as I believe many are, at this, but I have to say in this country -- after the gruesome legislation by Texas and other states -- that I am not surprised. It is a cruel ruling, and leaving it in the hands of the state governments all the more so. I can pretty much bet that there will be few, if any, additional social services to help unprepared mothers care for these children and that there will be a good deal of emotional trauma for many involved. And, it should be a CHOICE. I know women who have carried, those who have chosen not to for whatever reason. They made the right choices for them -- and no one should make it for them.
Your post is powerful, Jenn. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you Jen -- this is so well written and researched. And I support you. Thank you for that and especially for sharing your personal perspective from two sides of the issue. And once again, I am envious of Canada.
Elizabeth shared a link to your post in a comment on my blog post today, and Amen, I say. I live in Tennessee so Blackburn is my senator, and her comments continue to disgust me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue in these frightening days.
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