The Only Legal Abortion Should Be Pro-Life Abortions

A long, long time ago I read a piece called The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion which focused around women who identified themselves as Pro-Life. But when they found themselves in the situation of an unplanned pregnancy at an unideal time, abortion was the right answer for them. Logically turning them into pro-choice advocates, but of course that is something they would never admit to.

Rallying to make something illegal, but in a time of need taking advantage of the service makes one question whether or not these advocates really want abortion to be make illegal.

Enter Tea Party Congressman Scott DesJarlain of Tennessee, who is one of those extremist's in Republican's clothing is making a stir. Recently a news story about Scott and his extra marital affairs made headlines when his mistress, whom he impregnated told her story. A story which included the pro-life Congressman attempting to force his mistress to have an abortion in hopes of hiding their affair.

Let us recap this quickly. Pro-Life Congressman. One of four women he had an affair with. Forced abortion. Pro-life... forced abortion. Something doesn't add up!

Oh right! He wanted to murder his own child because it was with a mistress and not his actual life. So essentially with his line of thinking, abortion is only acceptable when he is trying to cover up a potential mess. He doesn't care about the unborn, he only cares about himself.

Which is how most of these pro-life advocates feel. It isn't about morals or the unborn. It is about forcing the world to live by their morals, and punishing women for their sexual behavior. Unless they are the one who would have to live with the repercussions of not having the said abortion.

Doesn't make much sense right?

When it comes down to it, you don't get to pick and choose which life you want to protect. It is either all or nothing. This includes the born children who so desperately need homes and loving families.

Maybe it is time these pro-lifers start re-evaluating their priorities?

Women Deserve Better

I Was Pro-Life Until a Story of Rape Changed My Mind

The girl on the left, with her bandana and hooded sweat shirt was me as a young teenager. I was outspoken on my stance for abortion. Whores should pay for spreading their legs, and I didn't give a damn about medical choice freedom.

If you look back two decades and ask those who were my close friends, you will know it wasn't a subject anyone could discuss with me because of the fire I would spit like a fucking dragon.

Then when I was seventeen years old my role model was date raped by a young man she had been seeing for a short time. The man, a twenty three year old college student had taken my sister out to dinner, and to your typical college party. Both being of legal age for alcohol they had a good time. Only a few dates into their relationship a sexual relationship was virtually nonexistent, until that night.

While the intimate details I will keep private, my sister was raped. A woman violated by a man she had placed trust into because he felt like she owed him something for being a gentleman and taking her out to dinner. (Yes, this is a factual statement from what happened!)

Like many women in America who are raped by people they know, she did not report it. In fact my sister didn't tell anyone about it for two full months. I could tell she was upset by something, and never seeing the gentleman caller around I figured it was just a break up.

I was a child when I walked into the bedroom I shared with her and discovered her crying. She then confided in me. The youngest child in the family.

This was also when she told me she had an appointment at the abortion clinic in the morning. Part of me was angry with her for even considering abortion. After all it was something I had been so against, and she knew that.

As I sat with her and listened to her. Heard the heartbreak and desperation in her voice. Her questions of what our mother would think or what people would think of her, something clicked inside me.

Looking back it was compassion turning on. She was a woman hurt. Violated and she deserved to have the right to have an abortion with all she had been through. Who was I to tell her no? It wasn't my pregnancy or my body. It wasn't my choice to make.

The foundation of everything I had believed so hard went out the window. The propaganda I had bought into, the brainwashing and the harassment of innocent women.

I felt like a sham of a feminist and I knew from that day forward I would not only work to undo all the wrong I had done in the past, but I would work to help women just like my sister. Whether it was rape or just birth control failing them. I would be there for them.

And I have been and continue to be.

Planned Parenthood: Numbers

http://www.guttmacher.org/

Planned Parenthood is a hot button issue in America. I never realized how many people truly hated the organization and what they do for underprivileged women until the recent years. It was in 2010 when the Republican's became the majority in Washington. Campaign promises up the ass focusing on jobs, job bills, creating work for all of those citizens who are out of work.

In the first months in office not one jobs bill came for a vote. On the flip side of things, women's health care was front and center. The focus of the GOP became controlling women or as most of us have dubbed it the "War on Women".

1100 anti-choice ("pro-life") provisions were introduced all over the country, on state and federal levels. American's were out of work, losing their homes, medical care and not able to feed their children, but climbing up into the uterus of every American woman was the #1 priority.

It was around the same time that Planned Parenthood came under attack and the entire community of anti-abortion advocates got their panties in a bunch. They were over-joyed because the abortion monger known as Planned Parenthood would be defunded on a number of levels. What these advocates who pride themselves in caring about life didn't take into consideration was the grown women who would be thrown under the bus.

They also weren't smart enough to know that a Federal law, which has been in place for three plus decades has prohibited any type of federal funding for abortion services. Their replies, like always remained irrational. "They lie and use that money for abortions!"  Yes, I am sure such a large organization breaks the law so carelessly risking jail time and defunding when they can just use the private donor funds they get.

The real issue was the women who would lose their reproductive health care annually and the amount of deaths it could possibly cause. No, the women aren't going to die overnight. But they will forgo life saving preventive care such as biopsies and pap smears. Procedures all women should have annually, and will not be able to afford without these health centers.

In the year 2008-2009, abortion services accounted for 3% of the annual services Planned Parenthood provided. THREE PERCENT.
Let me stress that a third time. Three freaking percent. A tiny fraction of the mass amount of services they provide.

The biggest service they provide? Contraception, preventing pregnancy. Condoms, birth control pills, depo provera shots, the nuvaring, IUD's, the list goes on. PREVENTING PREGNANCY FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE. Which if we are having a logical discussion, is what women who do not wish to have children do. Unfortunately for men and women in our country, there is no form of birth control that is 100% safe, or effective today. We can hope in the upcoming years this kind of technology in medicine will become available.

The second largest services they provide is STD testing and treatment. A complex issue, but one that again is and can be life saving. I am sure I will touch on this as a whole another day.

Then comes one of the most important services - cancer screening and prevention (17%) and other women's health services (10%) which are some of the most important services they provide. Cervical cancer is a growing killer of women, young and old. It runs wild in the underprivileged because they cannot afford screening. Often putting these check ups off in order to feed children, or pay rent. Real life people!

Three percent.

Millions of woman's lives put on the line for three percent. But it wasn't about the three percent. It was about making a radical outdated statement. It was about trying to prove that women are not superior and don't deserve to make their own choices in their health care.

Three percent.

Irrational people side with three percent.
Logical people stand up for the other 97% which saves lives and prevents millions of unwanted pregnancies annually.

WW: All Those Baybeeees

Downfall of Personhood Laws

Personhood.
What does it mean?

The dictionary defines personhood as
"the quality or condition of being an individual person."

It really is a simple explanation. There are not multiple explanations. There are not confusing details that the layman would not be qualified to decipher. At least at this moment in time.

Unfortunately for American women, the "pro-life" movement is on a mission to make an embryo have equal rights, or more rights, than the woman carrying it. This is of course in a mission to eliminate abortion rights but in the mean time women all over America with very much wanted pregnancies are falling victim to these same laws.

Personhood USA is a anti-abortion group working on getting a constitutional amendment passed that would be virtually devastating for women. Not because our rights for abortion would be stripped, but because our rights to simply make choices in our own maternity care would also be heavily violated.

In fact, across America, in states with some type of personhood laws currently passed the battle is already beginning.

Want to use a midwife for your pre-natal care? Some states may say you are endangering your baby and involve child protective services! Want to have a vaginal birth after a previous c-section, they may just drag you into the hospital with a Sheriff to force you to have a repeat c-section against your will. Don't think this is actually happening?


These women, most staunchly pro-life advocates, were violated by the same laws their cause wants put in place to force all women into carrying pregnancies to term. Losing their own rights to informed decision making in their own medical care. Losing the right to control what happens to their own body. Losing the right to make their own pre-natal care decisions and losing the right to make their birth the special experience it should be.

No matter how you want to cut it, and what your cause is, there are two very distinct flaws with these personhood laws, and the proposed amendment.

1.) These are sexist. They will only impact women in our country. Men will be able to make their own medical choices whether it is for their Viagra or diabetes treatment. Which proposes the question of "Are these laws saying women aren't fit to make their own informed decisions?"

2.) Pregnancy is delicate. Especially in the first trimester. Will women be arrested if they miscarry? Will mother's be charged with murder for a stillbirth? Will the rights of a non-viable fetus trump the rights and decisions of a 30 year old woman? It is too slippery of a slope.

In the end, all we can do is fight back and hope rational prevails over extremist stupidity. Which is exactly what any form of personhood laws are. Irrational, dangerous, and stupid!

Wordless Wednesday:Baby Killer