As I write this post, the United States is gearing up for another contentious political season. President Trump is in office and planning to run again. One lone Republican is not backing him, but is instead throwing his name into the ring as a hopeful GOP alternative. Democrats are flooding the headlines with their plans to run for President; I believe there are 23 people right now who have declared.
Yep, the electoral season is looming large, which means the manipulation of the masses is already in progress. While I fully expect to see gun control become a much discussed topic in the coming months leading up to the 2020 election, right now the most divisive and vote-worthy topic is that of abortion. Several states have decided to create laws that are ultimately meant to challenge and, if the GOP manipulation of the Supreme Court was not in vain, overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
I will stand by my assertion that the GOP has manipulated events to ensure that a conservative judge would sit on the Supreme Court. When Supreme Justice Antonin Scalia passed away during Obama's tenure, the Republicans refused to to honor his right to appoint a replacement. They held his nomination hostage for 293 days while they waited for Trump to take office. This was unprecedented and set a rather ignoble record.
However much I may hate it (and I do), the GOP achieved their goal. They were able to manipulate circumstances to their advantage and an ultra-conservative Supreme Court Justice was appointed at the beginning of Trump's tenure. This fact has emboldened states to begin enacting legislature that they intend to be challenged and brought before the Supreme Court where Roe v. Wade may get overturned. At least, that is the hope.
As much as I used to think such a thing would be impossible, I truly do believe the Roe v. Wade may be overturned in my lifetime.
And I'm outraged.
Here's my personal truth. Unless my husband's vasectomy suddenly becomes faulty after almost 19 years of being sound, I will personally never have to worry about making this decision for myself. Unless, of course, the unthinkable happens and I impregnated by a rapist. A thought too horrible to contemplate, but one I cannot rule out in a world where rape is common. Statistics show that one in five women will be raped in their lifetime. One in five. Who knows how trustworthy those statistics are when it's also acknowledged that rape is grossly under-reported. Perhaps one in five is a conservative estimation.
And, since we're on the topic of rape at the moment, I'm going to continue to follow my personal truth to to it's logical conclusion. As my husband has undergone a vasectomy, I don't use any form of birth control. If his procedure were to magically reverse itself, I would be horrified but follow the pregnancy through. However, if I were assaulted, I would report it and I would ask for the morning after pill, assuming that it hasn't been rendered illegal. If for any reason a fetus developed, I would want to abort it. I would not want to go through the long months of pregnancy when the baby would be an emotional and mental torment for everyone in my household. That's my truth and I quite frankly don't care what you think of me or my choices.
Judge elsewhere.
Mind your own body.
Because that's the beauty of choice. You get to make the decision for yourself. If your personal morals would demand you give birth regardless of the means of conception, that's all good. It's your body, your choice. I would even commend you and your loved ones on your combined fortitude. I would offer a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on, and whatever practical assistance I could. If I love you, I'd be there for you if you decided to keep the baby or if you felt adoption would be best. I would honor your choices. I would not think to reduce you to the function of your reproductive organs. Not ever. Not for one minute.
I know for many people religion plays a huge role in their view of abortion. The argument I've heard most is that if a baby were conceived, regardless of the means, then God meant for that baby to exist. And God is never wrong, which conversely means that abortion is always wrong.
If that is your personal truth, I respect it. Sincerely, I do. However, in my opinion, this fails to honor God's decision to give us free will.
It also doesn't explain why laws are being drafted that make miscarriages illegal or ectopic pregnancies a death sentence. When punishments are drafted into law that completely ignore biology and basic science, I think it's safe to say this no longer a debate about when life begins but becomes a question of why the lives of fully formed and functional females are not valued or respected. The fact that these proposed laws are so aggressive that they defy common sense is when it is easy to see how abortion is really one of the most effective political motivators out there.
Abortion is a tool used by politicians to exploit personal moral codes. It rallies the religious right to view those who have need of the procedure as loose, lazy, and immoral women. It does not differentiate between medically necessary procedures or decisions based on socio-economic needs. It does not want to consider the individual lives affected; the women who have abortions are walking wombs, not people at all.
It's a divide and conquer approach that works. People will cast their votes based on this one topic alone, just as there are others who will vote mostly to protect their 2nd Amendment rights. The politicians know how to pull those strings. They know how to craft their messages to get the hornet's nest of righteous indignation stirred into a mindless frenzy that ignores problematic areas in their other policies. They dispense misinformation and ignore history.
And it's just beginning.
I hate election seasons.
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