As a brother, as an uncle, and most importantly, as a father, every day I fear for my mom, my sisters, my nieces, my aunts, and most importantly, my daughter. I fear what the future holds in terms of their freedom to make choices for themselves, whether it be to work or not, to marry or not, to love a man or a woman or not, to get excellent healthcare or not, or to have an abortion or not.
I’ve been very honest that I would hope that all pregnancies are as planned as possible, and that abortions are rare. However, that is my personal belief and choice, of which I can have for myself. I should not be able to dictate or force that belief or choice onto another, most especially when the circumstances of life can change on a dime.
But, here we are. Conservative Christian and mainly white heterosexual men, whom are in the minority, want to impose their personal beliefs and religious dogma onto us all.
Their ire (and to me their fear) too often focuses on those they think of as less worthy of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness than themselves. The gays, lesbians, queer folk, transgender, people of color, different religious beliefs, and more. Because of their fear, acknowledged or not, they want to control and destroy this “other.”
They are creating lawful terrorism. I say lawful because terrorism is defined as unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. The Trumpist Republicans are creating an environment, nay a societal norm, of lawful terrorism against anyone not white, not heterosexual, not Christian, and in many ways, not rich.
Today’s main target is women and control of their bodies. We hear a story almost every day of the cruelty to pregnant women. Women who are pregnant by choice, by accident, by rape, by incest, or by molestation. Cruelty to both women who wanted to carry the fetus to term and those who do not. Cruelty to wealthier women and women living in poverty. Cruelty to white women and women of color. The lawful terrorism does not discriminate.
This quote by a woman in Louisiana hit me hard when I read it:
“I have to carry my baby to bury my baby.”
Nancy Davis
Her fetus’ head was missing the top of its skull. A condition in which it is 100% fatal for the delivered baby. The baby may die within minutes or within days, but it will die. This family wanted to have a baby. This family wanted this baby. This family also knew what the outcome of having this baby would be. Yet Louisiana abortion law was interpreted by the local hospital that to perform the abortion would open them to possible legal action, therefore refused to perform the medical procedure. How emotionally cruel to the family, and how physically and emotionally cruel to the fetus. Why should any family have to endure this pain?
Then there is Ohio. A woman was pregnant, wanted to have a child, wanted her mom to be a grandmother, but then the woman miscarried. Her body rejected the fetus for whatever reason God designed a woman’s body to do so. She has now been arrested for cruelty to a corpse because of her actions after the miscarriage. None of us can fully know the individual personal physical and emotional pain of a woman’s miscarriage, and her mental state after it happens. We will have to wait for the trial of a woman in pain to decide on the question of, “what is the definition of corpse and when does one become a corpse.”
Everyone has to have heard of the woman in Texas who won a court case to allow her to obtain an abortion. For the woman, her fetus had a fatal condition in which it would not live once born. To carry the fetus to term was endangering the life of the woman, which is why one level of courts was allowing the abortion to happen in a state with a very restrictive abortion law. This is another family that wanted to carry the fetus to term, to have a new addition to their family, and wanted to have more children. Not being allowed to have the abortion, because Texas appealed this decision that would save the woman, was cruelty due to all of the potential outcomes of carrying to term, including not being able to bear children in the future. This family, because time was of the essence, decided to go out-of-state for the procedure. At this time, the Texas Attorney General, impeached Ken Paxton, after already threatening legal action against the Texas hospital that was going to perform the court allowed abortion if the hospital did so, threatened legal action against the woman upon her return to Texas. Terrorism upon terrorism.
I’ll end with Idaho. This state has basically outlawed all abortions except when the death of the woman is imminent. Let that sink in, the woman must be so close to death for medical professionals before they may perform an abortion. Regardless of the pain to the family, regardless of the pain the fetus may be experiencing at that time, regardless of the pain of the woman, unless she basically dead, the woman must endure whatever is happening within her body. This is cruelty and lawful terrorism at its worst. A woman, who may be the mother of other children, may be the sole breadwinner for the family, may be the main caretaker of elderly parents, may want to have other children in the future, must be at death’s door, to have a medical procedure done which may or may not save her life.
And yet women continue to vote for Republicans, for Trumpists, for people who basically don’t give a rat’s ass about them, nor about their children once they are born. Women vote for people that literally care so little about them that if a woman dies or can’t have future child, oh well! Please explain this logic to me.
Now men, this doesn’t let you off the hook. You too are voting for Republicans, for Trumpists, for people who don’t give a rat’s ass about your mom, your sister, your aunt, your niece, and most importantly, your daughter. What kind of mature man does that? Men who vote in this manner, do you care so little for the emotional and physical pain the women in your life may be subjected to on top of all the discrimination they face on a daily basis? Do you want to raise your children alone should your wife or girlfriend die? Or do you feel women are a dime a dozen, so oh well?
Bottom line is, women, and men who truly support women, need to stand up to the lawful terrorism of Republicans and Trumpists. You need to vote for people whom happen to be Democrats in the current political climate. Vote for Democrats up and down the ballot from local to state to federal offices. It truly is the Democrats at this point in history who care about people and improving their lives—men, women, and children.
Now you know. Now vote accordingly, and hopefully that is a vote for the women in your lives to live a life of choice and freedom over lawful (and unlawful) terrorism.
The choice is yours…
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 