I care about my uterus and the uteruses (uteri?) of others. I also care about our rights to have a family (or not) when we so choose. This country is fucked in a lot of different ways. Why add to it by making safe, legal abortion no longer safe and no longer legal?
And yes, he would take away reproductive freedom. He’s written and co-sponsored bills to do just that - from defunding Planned Parenthood, to outright banning abortion. Of course, there’s other reasons why Ron Paul is ridiculous. Here’s a laundry list, complete with links. But reproductive rights? That’s something he should be entirely familiar with, considering his job as an OB/GYN. He should be familiar with the complications that can arise when reproductive rights are denied.
And it will never affect anyone directly? How about me? I want to avoid pregnancy, and yet still enjoy sex within my heterosexual, monogamous marriage. (You know, the kind the GOP supposedly likes, and encourges.) So Catholic roulette? That method (rhythm method) has a high rate of failure when a person’s menstrual cycle can’t be tracked well.
So let’s pretend I’ve become pregnant. Oopsies! Well, there goes the likelihood of law school. But whatever, it’s not like I should be educated anyhow, right? And then, in about the fifth month of pregnancy, I begin bleeding uncontrollably. And that doctor looks at me and says, “Sorry, I’m going to let you bleed because I don’t do abortions.” Typically, he’s supposed to call someone - but that doesn’t always happen. And under President Ron Paul, the conscience clause states he doesn’t have to save my life. Because his own reasons.
Don’t believe me? This already happened. Not to me, but to another woman who barely survived. A historical overview of abortion is here.
Your attitude of “nobody cares” leads to headlines like this:
- 13-year-old Self-Aborts Using Pencil
- Abortion Beating: Aaron Harrison Sentenced for Trying to Cause Miscarriage with Fists
- DA: Young mother botched abortion with ulcer medication
- The Back Alley Revisited: Sepsis after Attempted Self-Induced Abortion
- Self Abortion: Woman took Tylenol, Motrin
- After Fetus Is Found in Trash, a Rare Charge of Self-Abortion
- Mexican Immigrant May Face Two Years in Prison for Self-Induced Abortion Under South Carolina Law
- Trying To Make Becky Bell’s Death Count — Parents Fight Parental Consent Law
Read Mrs. Jones’ story here. Or Susannah Lattin’s story. Or look at the picture of Geraldine Santoro face-down and bloody after dying on the floor of a hotel after an illegal abortion. (Warning: The photo is graphic).
Or let’s go global. Did you know abortion is more common in countries where it is banned? From Time magazine:
About 47,000 women died from unsafe abortions in 2008, and another 8.5 million women had serious medical complications. Almost all unsafe abortions were in developing countries, where family planning and contraceptive programs have mostly levelled off.
But who cares? They’re just women. We’re all just a bunch of whiny bitches who don’t understand the genius of Ron Paul, right? These are not wedge issues. You want to talk about personal liberty? How about liberty to choose when to raise a family? How about the rights of people to keep government out from between our legs? Come out from behind your gray box and defend your heartlessness.
In summary, fuck your “nobody cares” sentiment and fuck Ron Paul.
