As I stated just last month, the shitstorm that would occur if Roe v Wade was overturned has begun.
The activists on the Supreme Court (and I don't think the court should be referred to as supreme ever again unless it is to say that it is supremely fucked up) were in such a frenzy to overturn a 50-year precedent that there was not one single thought about the absolute chaos that would commence in the aftermath. Here are a few things that the ruling is now leaving up to the states completely:
What happens if someone has an ectopic pregnancy in a state that does not allow termination of a pregnancy and has NO exceptions for the life of the mother? I'm sorry you will die, but maybe you should have not spread your legs. (an actual quote from a multitude of assholes on Twitter. Yes, mostly men, but not all.)
What happens when a woman has a miscarriage? How is she going to prove it was a spontaneous abortion performed by her own body? Will she be investigated? Will she be imprisoned until she can prove definitively that she didn't cause the miscarriage?
Let's go a little further on miscarriage. If a woman does something deemed 'risky' by the state (and who decides that?!)- let's say surfing, eating sushi, having a drink, or working out while pregnant and she suffers a miscarriage, is she guilty of murder? Manslaughter? What if she didn't know she was pregnant? Ignorance is no excuse?
Why do almost none of the states that have trigger bans have no exemptions for rape or incest? Yeah, I know you just suffered and you will be scarred for life, but look at the miracle you get to be forced to carry and care for the rest of your life because you didn't say no strongly enough to your dad/uncle/stranger. That will totally make up for the violent way you became pregnant and you will love being a mom and co-parent with your rapist. See how great it is to be an incubator?
What happens to women who leave their draconian states and travel to a place that believes women are actually equal citizens? Will they be arrested and charged with murder when they return home?
Each state can determine punishment, including up to the DEATH PENALTY, for a woman having an abortion, as well as the doctors/nurses/anesthesiologists/techs...hell, probably even the cleanup crew, working in the facility.
There is no culpability for the male. A woman cannot become pregnant without sperm. Where is the punishment for the man?
BTW, I got kicked off Facebook for the last 36 hours for this. Seriously? If you don't hear from me anymore, I guess this is why:
Will a woman be able to get child support for the fetus from the moment of conception? If a fetus is considered a person, shouldn't the repository (mom) receive benefits?
Here's are some actual stories from BEFORE Roe v Wade was overturned-
In January 2020, 19-year-old Brittany Poolaw suffered a miscarriage and went to Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma for medical assistance. The teen was later arrested and charged with first-degree manslaughter because she disclosed to hospital staff that she had used marijuana and methamphetamine while pregnant. Unable to afford her $20,000 bail, Poolaw remained in jail for a year and a half and, after a one-day trial, was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison, even though the hospital did not declare a reason for the miscarriage.
Marshae Jones was five months pregnant when she was shot five times in the stomach. Her fetus did not survive the shooting, which the authorities say happened during a dispute with another woman. Ms. Jones, 28, was charged with manslaughter and released from jail on Thursday after posting a $50,000 bond, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama. The police have said she was culpable because she started the fight that led to the shooting and failed to remove herself from harm’s way. The shooter WAS NOT CHARGED.
On Easter Sunday 2021, a 34-week pregnant woman in Illinois went to the emergency room with high blood pressure. After being admitted, her blood was drawn and she provided a urine sample. What she wasn’t told was that providers were conducting a nonconsensual drug test. To the patient’s surprise, the test came back positive. The woman suspected it was the result of what she ate as part of her and her husband’s traditional Polish Easter celebration—cake with poppy seed—and that’s what she told providers, who notified the state Department of Children and Family Services anyway. She gave birth two days later and the baby was taken from her. She was discharged, but couldn't take her baby, who was placed in the NICU. During a visit to her baby, the woman was questioned by a social worker about her suspected drug and alcohol use; the social worker instructed her to “undress her baby to check for marks and bruises, and took photographs of him,” according to documents. The mother was horrified. Days later, another social worker arrived at her home, and told the woman that she would be getting a “safety plan”—unless she found a third party to stay with her and her husband around the clock, her baby would not be discharged from the NICU. All because of poppy seeds. Watch out for those bagels and muffins, ladies!
These are just a sample of where we are headed. What will the consequences be now? How many women will be punished in innumerable ways if they do not want to carry to term? Or if they want to carry to term and do something (or nothing!) that someone else deems unsafe? If women cannot obtain legal abortions, they are going to find alternate means and some of those will be very dangerous for them. Watch the rates of sepsis in this country because they are going to spike. This means more death for women who feel they have no escape, and the majority will be poor and POC. Sigh.
This is some seriously despotic shit; women are going to suffer in ways we can't yet even imagine.
I'm aghast that there was no circumspection in this decision. Women don't matter. Period. We are no longer equal citizens under the law. This is also the first time in our nation's history that the Supreme Court has taken away a fundamental right. Their job is to expand rights, or it was until last Friday. It's astounding that four men and one handmaiden decided the fate of 52% of the population in a sweeping affront to a woman's right to bodily autonomy.
I am heartened by the response from many states and companies who are moving to help women in any way they can. This decision can't stand. We need to vote as if our lives depend on it; as if our very freedom depends on it. Because they do.
Gwen Stefani telling it like it is-
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