Julie Barrett is a freelance writer and photographer based in Plano, TX.

Pandering to the Base

Fresh when it gets here from Julie Barrett
Thursday, January 23, 2020


So, Trump is going to attend a pro-life march. This, folks, explains it all. This is the base. The people who think every sperm is sacred. And in the name of keeping every sperm sacred, they tolerate the erosion of their other rights, a higher tax burden, and quite possibly loss of employment once all this comes tumbling down, which it will at some point.  

I don't believe that abortion should be taken lightly. However, I also believe the following:  

- We have sacrificed teaching our children personal responsibility in the name of keeping that sperm sacred. Schools are able to tell kids not to have sex, and that is all. What happens when you forbid teenagers from doing something without telling them *why* they shouldn't do it? Every sperm is sacred is an excuse. We can't even teach the consequences of unprotected sex because that implies someone should use protection, and we can't have that. Why can't teen parents come talk about the struggles they've faced, how their dreams of college and a good job were dashed? How their parents may have disowned them? (The lawmakers who do your bidding have no problem with "getting something done" for their wives and mistresses. Do you hold them accountable? No, because they vote "pro-life.")

- Birth control is not murder. But hey, every sperm is sacred, right?

- Science! Stop spreading lies in the name of science. Ectopic pregnancies can not be re-implanted. (I'm not saying they can't be one day.) Abortions have not been shown to increase the rate of breast - or any other - cancer. When a baby dies, that lump of tissue (for that's what it is at that point) can turn septic and kill the mother. Yes, we've had women die because of this. Women are not cattle, and not even a cow should be forced to carry a dead calf to term. But hey, every sperm is sacred! 

- Not all embryos implant. Estimates are between 1/4 and 2/3 don't implant. Should we cremate them? Have a funeral with a microscopic casket? How do we find the them in the first place? How does a woman know she's even conceived at that point, Heinlein's fiction notwithstanding? Does this make God the biggest abortionist of all? I thought every sperm was sacred.- Not all embryos implant. Estimates are between 1/4 and 2/3 don't implant. Should we cremate them? Have a funeral with a microscopic casket? How do we find the them in the first place? How does a woman know she's even conceived at that point, Heinlein's fiction notwithstanding? Does this make God the biggest abortionist of all? I thought every sperm was sacred.

- Rape is NOT a woman's fault, and children don't ask for their parents to commit incest. And yet, we heap a load of guilt on these women and girls for what "they have done." Hey, mom may have committed suicide our of shame, but that baby was born into this world. And no, rapists should not have visitation rights. That's just adding insult to injury. Oh, but I forgot. it's the woman's fault, even if she's ten years old. But those sperm, they're sacred.

- Abortion would truly be a last resort if we made birth control affordable and provided education on how to use it. Condoms are not effective if they're not used properly. No, those $10 pills don't work for every woman, and in many states, a physical exam is required. If she doesn't have insurance, she's screwed, in more ways that one. The number of clinics that will help both men and women on this front are shrinking. (Yep, Planned Parenthood will help a man get a vasectomy. They'll even provide fertility services. But let's not mention that because it gets in the way of the narrative about every sperm.)

- Abortion is a medical procedure and should be between the patient and the doctor. But what about the father, you say? Well, if the father can be found, if the father isn't a rapist or is otherwise abusive, then yes. But...you know.

- No, women don't decide to have an abortion at the last minute. And it's not legal, in spite of the memes that get spread around. Hey, I had a baby ripped from my womb at the very last minute! It was called a C-section, and I had a healthy baby as a result. Third trimester abortions are incredibly rare and usually because the baby has died or the health of the mother is at stake. This is a distraction from the real issue. That...you know.

- And if you're pro-life, what do you do when that woman without health insurance finds a lump in her breast? When that man working three jobs to keep a roof over his family's head gets sick? You scream that they should have been responsible! People don't ask for cancer. Is it okay to throw a life away, to leave a family without a spouse or parent, just because they couldn't pull themselves up by their bootstraps when they couldn't even afford boots? What costs more taxpayer dollars: Caring for someone with late-stage cancer or early detection and treatment so that person can get back to work to support themselves and their family (not to mention paying taxes)?

- And if you're pro-life, what happens when that child you so sanctimoniously saved is found to have a genetic condition, Type I diabetes, leukemia, or one of many childhood diseases? Do you wipe your hands and bemoan how tragic it is, or are you willing to step in and cover what the health insurance won't? Gofundme is not medical insurance.

Yeah, I'm upset. And I truly do believe that abortion shouldn't be used as a method of birth control. I also believe that it shouldn't be outlawed because women will find a way, even at the risk of their lives. I am even more upset about the hypocrisy that surrounds this issue. 

If you are truly pro-life, then wake up and work to do what it takes to prevent unintended pregnancies in the first place.

Filed under: Politics            

 

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