The big Republican gains in the November elections strengthened and enlarged the anti-abortion forces in the House and the Senate. But it’s the GOP victories in the statehouses and governor’s mansions that are priming the ground for another round of legal restrictions on abortion.
Arkansas, for instance, already has strict anti-abortion laws. But with a Republican governor succeeding a Democrat who had vetoed two measures that would have banned most abortions beyond a certain stage of pregnancy, lawmakers plan to seek more restrictions — such as barring doctors from administering abortion drugs through telemedicine. Republican gains in the West Virginia Legislature will redouble pressure on Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to accept a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks, which he has previously deemed unconstitutional. And Tennessee voters approved a ballot initiative that removes a 15-year barrier to legislation limiting abortion legislation in that deeply conservative state.
Abortion rights advocates have had setbacks in the states for several years, with a surge of legislative activity since 2011. Women seeking abortions may face mandatory waiting periods or ultrasound requirements. Clinics may face stricter building codes or hospital admitting privilege rules they can’t satisfy. Dozens of clinics have shut down in multiple states. Texas, for instance, has fewer than 10 abortion clinics now. A year ago, it had 40.
Republicans now hold two-thirds of the state legislative bodies, after winning control of 11 more chambers. They completely control the legislature in more than half the states, adding Nevada, New Hampshire and West Virginia to that list earlier this month. And they gained two more governor’s seats, so they will hold 31 next year.
You know a couple of years ago I used to scoff at the idea that the Republicans could find some way to overturn Roe vs Wade. Well I am no longer scoffing.
In effect in many places around the country on the state level the conservatives have either made it impossible to get an abortion, or extremely difficult. And they are forcing women to travel longer distances and jump through more hoops than ever before.
And the sad thing is that in their furor to stop all abortion in this country, they are increasing the need for them by closing down clinics which helped women get birth control, sex education, and prenatal care.
Of course they care little about that. After all as we have discussed before they only use abortion as their rallying cry. What they really want is to control women's bodies and return them to their rightful place as breeding stock completely subservient to men.
The women it hurts the most, young women of child bearing age, have never known a time when abortion and birth control was illegal. Many of these young women are of the group that isn't much interested in midterms and voting in general. You often hear from them that they don't pay attention to politics, it isn't interesting to them, it doesn't affect them, etc.
ReplyDeleteOnce these things are lost, they will not easily be regained.
Even sadder, women with at least some sort of means have always been able to get better access to birth control and abortions; it is typically the poorest women, many of them minority, many with health and nutrition issues, who are being told that they should "be responsible" while the local Planned Parenthood clinic where they got their free or low-cost birth control pills has shut down, and they have no idea where to go or what to do next.
DeleteIt just seems common sense to me: Close down Planned Parenthood clinics, and the result will be ... more unplanned pregnancies.
How is that good for anyone?
Marvin M
Marvin -
DeleteIt keeps them poor and desperate and willing to take any low-wage job they can get.
Those who can't find work and need government assistance provide fodder for the holier-than-thou, racist right wingers who need a target for their anger.
"See, those lazy, good-for-nothing blah people are taking all of MY money!"
And all those good 'christian' folks have someone to label as sluts for not keeping their legs together.
Actually, this is all part of the GOP's payback to the Koch brothers for gifting them the midterms. The more impoverished children that are born, the more the Koch brothers will have young workers desperate to earn what little sustenance they can slaving in the Koch sweat shops.
DeleteThat is...after the Koch brothers succeed in dismantling child labor laws and returning us to life before the turn of the 20th century.
As others have said, the women become breeding machines necessary only to deliver the Koch brothers the working machines necessary for the "utopian" society they envision.
Everything some of us fought for decades over will be taken away. I am so glad that my daughter has moved to Canada permanently, where she will be able to make her own choices.
ReplyDeleteBut the problem isn't just the GOP, the problem is the millions of women that don't think these things will affect them until it does. Those women chose not to vote and now will either be denied birth control unless they are married AND their husbands okay it( oh yes ladies, that is how it used to be) they will no longer have a choice of living or not if they have a traumatic medical instance during a pregnancy( go back to dying with a non viable fetus) and will soon be held criminally liable if they have a miscarriage( it's already happening or close to happening in some states).
All so many of us fought for, fought for and won is gone or going. It wasn't valued by those that are the age using those rights and are disappearing because of apathy.
Meanwhile more babies will be born without access to proper nutrition because their parents can't afford them. They will grow up hungry and malnourished and will never recognize their full potential. Good job GOP.
ReplyDeleteThat man should be neutered.
ReplyDeleteSome have never lived in a world without Title 9, legal abortion and legal contraception.How easily we forget.
ReplyDeletesorry to be random, but dayum, I can't even handle how cute it is that Tripp is IDENTICAL to Track at that age. Eyes, hair, everything. with bristol's nose
ReplyDeleteIn a discussion about abortion and the right of a woman to make choices and you bring up children? Really?
DeleteI'd say more but you can't fit into your pants as it is.
Now why would you bring up the fact that Tripp looks like Track? There is enough speculation about who his daddy is without you throwing Track into the mix. Then again, he and Bristol are only half siblings, and Track did call Bristol a "slut" so perhaps you are onto something...
DeleteThe only thing identical,e is the violent, bratty behavior exhibited by both.
DeleteSo now girls who have been raped who find themselves with a child are forced to carry their attackers child. And young girls who have been molested for years by the men in their life will be forced to carry any child conceived.
ReplyDeleteLovely.
According to the Rabid Right abortion is genocide (no clue how they got there but it's a rallying cry I've heard more than once) so no, girls get to carry that child of rape or molestation even as they spend all nine months wishing the child growing inside was not there.
I don't like abortion but like many tools it is necessary. Lets make sure those that need this tool can have access.
I always like to include solutions - not just whining here. It will take money - I say lets address the "clinics" that don't offer abortion or womens health services but instead browbeat women with scripture. Again it takes money but lets out lobby the Religious Right. Their rallying cry is Genocide and Abortion is against the Bible (it isn't but that's another post). The side for rational debate will have to think of their own slogan as everything I have in mind is not appropriate (too many creepy authority figures in my past).
Connie
Someone with incest experience - abortion is the only out when made pregnant. Abortions are needed and required folks! Screw the Republicans!!!!
ReplyDeleteNot just incest. Someone who has been raped, someone whose life is at risk, someone who cannot afford a (or another) child, someone who doesn't want to be pregnant or have a (or another) child. These are all legitimate reasons for abortion. Women need to be able to control our own reproduction, period.
DeleteThe right wing realized years ago that Roe v. Wade was not going to be overturned. In truth, they don't really WANT it to be overturned because it keeps their base motivated to vote and donate to their campaign coffers.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they can pass all sorts of state and local laws that make it impossible for women to get abortions and other reproductive services. That way, they get the best of all worlds. They keep the federal law in place to give them a perpetual enemy. Their fanatical base supports them for 'saving those babies' and they get to take our country one more step back to the 18th century, where women had no power and (rich white) men controlled everything.
As a woman who was born in 1960, I never imagined we'd be back to fighting the same battles our mothers and aunts and grandmothers won decades ago.
Democrats are naive and wishy-washy. This is why we Democrats are always losing power. NO WAY would I ever vote for a Republican, no way!
ReplyDeleteNow here is a Republican who won office by getting Democrats to vote for her, this is just so disgusting and disturbing to me.
Oops! The post just before this one, I posted, is for another thread, about Lisa Murkowski.
ReplyDeleteWe need to keep Abortions safe, legal and rare. The rabid ones against it are against it because it's a form of controlling women's bodies and lives. Give them fewer and fewer choices till they have none. The whole movement stinks of Koch and other donor's big money.
ReplyDeleteThe "Adoption" option doesn't guarantee the child's best interests will be met. In my husband's case, the opposite is true. These brainwashed fools know it, yet who's going to adopt these kids, especially the older kids? Kids of color? Not that guy in the photo with the sign in his hand,
When the poor terminate a pregnancy, it's abortion and evil, when the rich terminate a pregnancy, it's a D and C or spontaneous on paper so they don't have to use the term "Abortion".