It IS a War.

(This was written in response to a commenter on a friend's posting of a Planned Parenthood meme on their Facebook wall. During the back-and-forth, the commenter asserted that, "It's not anti-choice, it's pro-life. We believe women have plenty of choices but murdering their children should not be one of them. If you don't want kids, close your legs. That's the real choice." He then went on to state that, "If you know the consequences, such as getting pregnant means I have to carry a baby to term, you might think twice or at least take precautions. You would not be denied because of your act, you would be denied because the Right To Life of the child should be protected. It's not your body at that point." My friend then stated, "while we’re living on this planet, in this country, due to irreconcilable differences in morality, it is highly inconsiderate to restrict access to contraception and abortion based only on one group’s opinion with disregard to the dire circumstances many people find themselves in. If you begin restricting access, you risk people with serious need for emergency termination of pregnancy not being able to get it."

This was my response. I'm sharing it here because it covers many of the issues we're currently facing in what is undeniably an open war on an entire gender.)


D*****'s reference above to the restriction of access to contraception has prompted me to follow up on that - because far too often, I see claims that no one, anywhere EVER, is considering such actions. I present Exhibit 1... Colorado House Bill 14-1133, introduced yesterday: http://www.leg.state.co.us/.../EBF408A1297E838B87257C3000...

Let me hit the high points for you - the first line reads, "This bill prohibits abortion and makes a violation a Class 3 felony." It goes on to define pregnancy as, "THE HUMAN FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE CONDITION OF HAVING A LIVING UNBORN HUMAN BEING WITHIN HER BODY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EMBRYONIC AND FETAL AGES OF THE UNBORN CHILD FROM FERTILIZATION TO FULL GESTATION AND CHILDBIRTH." Fertilization is defined as, "THAT POINT IN TIME WHEN A MALE HUMAN SPERM PENETRATES THE ZONA PELLUCIDA OF A FEMALE HUMAN OVUM." The only exception to this prohibition is if "a licensed physician performs a a medical procedure designed or intended to prevent the death of a pregnant mother". No exceptions for rape. No exceptions for incest. No exceptions for fetal anomalies incompatible with life. No exceptions for health of the mother.

I need to point out here that this means that the mother's life must be in IMMEDIATE danger - you don't get to say, "If this woman's water breaks, her amniotic sac is so overfull due to the child's defect that it will certainly shred her uterus, cause massive internal bleeding and leave her at risk of death." You must wait until her water DOES break, shreds her uterus, and causes that massive internal bleeding before you may begin the procedure to save her.

To continue - this bill goes on to state the following: "NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO PROHIBIT THE SALE, USE, PRESCRIPTION, OR ADMINISTRATION OF A CONTRACEPTIVE MEASURE, DEVICE, DRUG, OR CHEMICAL IF IT IS ADMINISTERED PRIOR TO CONCEPTION AND IF THE CONTRACEPTIVE MEASURE , DEVICE, DRUG, OR CHEMICAL IS SOLD, USED, PRESCRIBED, OR ADMINISTERED IN ACCORDANCE WITH MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTIONS."

Sounds reasonable. right? No restrictions there, right? Except... wrong. By including the phrase, "if it is administered prior to conception", they have now outright banned all use of Plan B and its equivalents - as those are administered after a reasonable expectation of conception. They have also laid the groundwork for banning ALL hormonal birth control options and mechanical devices such as IUDs under the premise that, like Plan B, et al., they work in part by preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg.

Now, in all likelihood, this bill will never make it out of the Colorado House, much less the Senate, and even were it to jump THOSE hurdles, Governor Hickenlooper would never sign it. Even in the event he did, the first line makes it so unconstitutional as to be laughable - it would never stand up to a SCOTUS review. But these ARE the measures that so-called "pro-life" supporters want put in place. Similar bills have been presented in other states, as well as ballot measures proposed, voted on, and invariably defeated by wide margins, in multiple elections and states as well.

This isn't about "poor choices" or "morality" in any sense of the word, as victims of rape or incest MADE no poor choices and did nothing immoral. Nor did mothers gestating babies so damaged as to have no chance of survival. Nor did wives facing situations in which their health, or very life, is in grave danger - but not yet to the point where if nothing is done, they will certainly die.

And this is not about abortion. This is about whether a woman has the right to ANY option, other than total abstinence, to prevent pregnancy PERIOD. Combine these measures with proposals by certain legislators *coughRichardBlack(R, VA)cough* to legalize marital rape, and what you're looking at is a picture of a segment of society that wishes to relegate women to sub-human status whose entire worth is located in their reproductive organs - to give the entire gender no right to refuse the sexual use of those organs or the incubation of any product of that use.

And THAT, sir, is an open declaration of war. Full stop.

The Personhood Lie

First, they confused me.
Then they made me so angry my hands shook.
And now - they simply scare me to death.

They make me feel like I'm no longer safe in my own country... that I'm no longer safe in my own home. They've made me consider leaving a place that has sheltered me all my life, which used to fill me with pride, a place whose beauty takes my breath away every single day. "Consider" to the point of actually researching the laws that would allow my family and me to live in another country.

"They" are the people behind the recent rash of anti-abortion, anti-contraceptive and anti-women bills to hit so many of our state legislatures. They are ALEC, they are AUL, and they are so many other groups: "religious" organizations, political figures - and those that vote for them, donate to them, swallow their lies and fear-mongering and hatred. And, the straw that finally broke this very upset woman's back - they are the people behind PersonhoodColorado. The same ones behind the attempted "personhood" bills in at least fifteen different states.

Let me say that again: fifteen different states. Alabama. California. Colorado. Florida. Georgia. Maryland. Michigan. Missouri. Mississippi. Montana. Nevada. North Dakota. Oklahoma. South Carolina. Virginia. All but one listed on personhood.net. And they won't stop there. Every victory will push them to add another state, or two, or three, or ten, to that list. To go right alongside the ongoing Federal Personhood Amendment that would trump all fifty of our states in one fell swoop.

At this point, you're thinking, "Oh, jeez, another one of those "pro-choice" nuts trying to explain why abortion is such a necessary evil, blah blah blah..."

No. Abortion is not what this is about. If only that's all this was.

Yes, I am pro-choice. I always have been, always will be. And yes, I believe it's important to protect that option for any woman who feels that it is the right choice for them in their personal situation. But understand, please... like most of the people who believe this way, I am not pro-abortion. And I'm willing to accept that some people believe it to be morally wrong under any circumstances - also a choice of their own. I will fight to keep it legal, yes, but I won't fault them for fighting against it.

But this isn't about abortion.

This is about what I found when I started clicking links, and found myself on the above-mentioned PersonhoodColorado website. And discovered that what they want to take away is not my right to decide to terminate a pregnancy that I feel should not produce a child - but the right to decide for myself whether or not I get pregnant in the first place.

Let me state their position in their own words - because they are far more damning than anything I could come up with on my own. First, the lie they lead off with:

Objection: "Personhood will ban common forms of birth control."

Amendment 62 will not ban any true contraceptives that only prevent fertilization.

Now, let's follow up with their explanation for this statement.

Recognizing personhood has no effect on true contraceptives that only prevent fertilization, including spermicide, natural family planning, and condoms. However, personhood would ban surgical abortion, more than 95% of which is for birth control, and it would prohibit any mechanical (IUD) or chemical (pills) abortifacient that kills the tiniest boys and girls.

And one more time, in case you missed it... "Personhood would... prohibit any mechanical (IUD) or chemical (pills) abortifacient..."

They aren't even trying to hide it any longer. This isn't about abortion. This is about the whole enchilada. This is about banning every form of truly effective birth control ever dreamed up by humankind. This is about making sure no woman, anywhere, any time, in any situation, has the option to decide that she wants to finish school before starting a family. That she wants to wait until her current child is potty-trained before having another. That she wants to make love to her husband, boyfriend, whatever he may be to her - without having to worry that enjoying one of the most wonderful acts to bring two people together will change her life, and his, irrevocably.

This is about putting all women in their place. And guess who is going to be in charge of determining just where "your place" is?

I'll give you a hint: it's not going to be you.

Unless you speak up. Unless you make sure that every woman, every husband, father, brother, every friend you have knows what this is really about. Unless you make sure that all their propaganda and all their lies are exposed for all to see - and then go out and exercise your right to vote every single person who backs these bills out of the offices we put them in.

This is about whether or not we take forty-seven years of progress off the books and take the entire country back to a time when half of the population had no say in the direction their lives would travel.

Please, don't let this happen.

I ask this for my daughter, who deserves to grow up in her home country - without being oppressed by people who feel that she's less of a human being because of her sex. I ask this for your daughters, your sisters, your mothers and the women you love.

Don't let these people win.