I'm planning on revamping my blogging efforts in an attempt to not only get my thoughts splayed across the internet, but to also involve more people in public dialogue on critical issues. I figure this is a good time and place to do it, so here goes.
Kansans, the attack on women and family planning has come to the fore. Media outlets have noted the federal affronts to Planned Parenthood and other family planning agencies, but as Michael B. Keegan reports, the real fight is happening in the states. An onslaught of state and local legislative bills have erupted recently in an attempt to shut down any comprehensive plan for safe, responsible health and family planning. In March, South Dakota changed state law to require the longest waiting period in the nation before getting an abortion, which is on top of the fact that getting a safe and legal abortion in the state is near impossible. On other end, a slew of states are looking to restrict the period in which an abortion is legal, moving the date up to 20 weeks gestation. Last Tuesday, Indiana cut funding to Planned Parenthood in the state. And so, hot on the heels of Indiana and the surrounding mess, comes Kansas.
If federal laws and policy change- with HR 3 or any other bill restricting sexual and reproductive health services- then there is an issue to consider. But while much of the focus is on the national stage, these services are having their legs cut out from under them with state laws and funding cuts. With attacks happening on all levels, it is important to know which fights to fight and when. Kansas, your fight is here and now.
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Right on Brian! It's time to mobilize and fight back against this GOP war on women! Women have fought too long and too hard to slowly have their rights chipped away by this backwards, sexist agenda pushing! Thanks for speaking out on this subject.
ReplyDeleteThis "fight" that's going on, has to do with one right; not a bunch and it's not ever going to start a cascading wave on other women's rights, other rights that they have fought just as hard for; just getting that out there. Myself, being totally Pro-life, I can see that to lessen the number of abortions every day, solely making the act illegal is not what I want to happen because it's people's understanding of abortion that has to change first. I'm not going to say every reason why I think abortion numbers should go down right here. I will probably make my Facebook notes on this subject viewable to the public ( I cannot remember if they are already) and then tell whoever visits this site to go check out my notes, if they want to hear some of the reasons. I don't know too much about planned parenthood. Basically, I know that they generally fund abortions with tax payer's dollars and I know that they actively and verbally attack Pro-lifers, calling them sexist, hateful people. That's nice. Well, guess what? Most pro-lifers, who actually care about this topic at all, LOVE women. Abortion is a mother's right but it's also a person's life and somehow when we decided that murder is wrong we become haters of the people that birth them. I know what Pro-choice people want. They want the right for easily accessible abortions. That doesn't mean that Pro-lifers pull out the "baby-hater" card on them all the time like it's some hurtful, working tool.
ReplyDeleteSo, calling Pro-lifers "women-haters" really does a lot of good.
I support Brian in mostly everything; he's a great guy and he's got a great mind, but I do not support easily accessible abortion, that's just one thing I do not support.
I may have to redo the commenting options if the "anonymous" posts get too confusing.
ReplyDeleteAnon #2: "I don't know too much about planned parenthood."
Then find out. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/PP_Services.pdf
"Basically, I know that they generally fund abortions with tax payer's dollars..."
Demonstrably false. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/vitter-amendment-19382.htm Note especially the section, "Under current policy, the Hyde Amendment forbids federal funding for abortion in almost all cases."
"I know what Pro-choice people want. They want the right for easily accessible abortions." If by easily accessible you mean available without danger- indeed, the right to safe and legal abortion services- then yes. Putting women in desperate situations where they are forced to either give birth or endure unsafe abortion procedures because safe ways are restricted is irresponsible, unethical and unproductive.
"This 'fight' that's going on, has to do with one right; not a bunch and it's not ever going to start a cascading wave on other women's rights"
Except that the same legislators pushing the aforementioned measures are concurrently making cuts to social services for low-income families like child care, health care and education. Planned Parenthood (which provides health care to the low-income population) aside, private insurance companies are being targeted by these measures in an attempt to bar them from covering abortion. This one right is already being tied to others by the contingencies legislators are placing on it.
"I'm not going to say every reason why I think abortion numbers should go down right here."
That wasn't a point of contention. Supporting women's right to body autonomy doesn't mean one is in favor of increasing abortion numbers. But why make your goal decreasing abortions and not unwanted pregnancies? Undoubtedly if more unwanted pregnancies were avoided, less abortions would occur. Why isn't the pro-life movement promoting comprehensive sex education in schools and the dissemination of information on safe sex practices such as the use of contraception?
My guess as to why most of the pro-life movement does not promote comprehensive sex education in schools and so on is that a lot of pro-life advocates are Catholic and the church is against contraception. I myself, personally think that keeping fertilization from ever occurring is less of a horror than killing a human alive, so I myself, would be for contraception. I actually think that education on contraception and abortion should be provided before anything else.
ReplyDeleteLook, I realize that you are very involved politically. That's great. I'm not as smart as you in that area because I have hardly pursued it. Obviously you are mostly worried about whether women can get "safe and legal abortion services", well, that's what you said. I think I said that I do not believe that abortions should just be made illegal and why in the world would I not want them to be "safe" (for the mother anyway). I don't want to pounce some new laws on women so that they are all surprised and become "desperate", I want the gradual education that is necessary for the world to become aware that abortions aren't a quick fix because they leave emotional damage and that they are murder of an innocent.
Okay, I was trying to reference Anon#1 about them saying that a bunch of women's rights are being chipped away; I was trying the say that their right to abort was just one; sorry, I did not know how to word it and it came out confusing. I see why you wouldn't like the legislators who are pushing for cuts on social services, the same who want cuts on abortion. I don't want cuts on social services but I may want some cuts on abortion. To bad one of us are not legislators, but there's always controversy in government, sadly, things are not starting to suddenly be perfect now.
I will find out more about planned parenthood before I comment on here again so that I can comment more pertaining towards what you are actually trying to address.
addressed, Anon#2
Now the Catholic move was just a cheap shot. Easy enough made, but you can make it towards any christian really. You want to know a little secret about Catholics? (There is this preconceived notion that they don't use contraception, they don't get fixed, etc etc., but guess what? This is just like literal interpretation of the bible, it's all bull shit.) That is far from the point, I feel, of this topic.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the topic of abortion, I'm not sure if I'm pro-life, or pro-choice. A pretty big topic to be unsure about, but from an ethical standpoint, there was a guy named Marquis I believer who argued that abortion denies the fetus a future like ours or something to that extent. It is a very vague argument, and I think that is the reason I personally like the argument. We can only speculate on what that future would hold, what could happen, or what could be the right, appropriate, or best choice.
When people start having abortions because they get pregnant on accident and they have a cruise in 6 months, that is where I draw the line and cut the head off of the proverbial snake.
Women do deserve the right though to make the choice as far as safe, healthy, no threatening, decisions towards THEIR healthcare, no matter what my, your, or anyone's agendas, beliefs, or pursuits may be. It is not our body, soul, or essence of being that is being affected. We have come to far to go backwards on at least being able to offer a safe alternative to back alley abortions, and unsanitary practices.
Have you ever asked what should happen to a woman that has an abortion should it be made illegal? These guys did and I found it to be rather interesting when I though about it this way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk6t_tdOkwo
@Jesse: The Catholic move was made by a Catholic. Easy or not, it is the truth that the Church actively opposes the use of contraception.
ReplyDeleteAnd when people start presupposing a woman's motivation for having an abortion and using this as an excuse to control women's bodies, that is where I draw the line.