Thank You, Old White Men Of South Carolina...
Certainly, without you to tell me about my body, I would be clueless.
Let me begin by saying, I very nearly penned this as an open letter to Republican Senator Katrina Shealy, who has traded her V card to be a member of the Biffs. Thank you, Katrina Shealy, for speaking out and ensuring that the women of South Carolina are going back to 1954 when they get home tonight. All those ladies before us who died giving birth, having illegal abortions, so they didn’t have to have the children of rape, and those who were brutally assaulted and jailed to hand us our autonomy, I hope they come out and rattle their chains for you tonight. You are a fucking disgrace to women everywhere.
In case you’ve not been getting your Backwood Briefing, let me get you up to speed. In a state senate with 5, that’s correct, single digit, 5 females empaneled, South Carolina has decided that with everything else in the world today, taking women back 50 years is on the top of their list of fish to fry. Sensible, I know, but God love’em, Carolina has always been such a forward and progressive area, y’all see.
So, in a time when millions are facing evictions, foreclosures, homelessness, joblessness, and are already saddled with children that they can’t afford to feed, yet none of these Senators are writing a check for groceries this week, these complete Bozos think it’s a great idea to force women to have more children they can’t afford. Because why try to help a struggling public, when you can use your elected powers to ensure that your constituents are as miserable and down-trodden as a public can possibly be.
South Carolina, ever the progressives, are pushing the “heartbeat” bill through the state senate. This means, once a fetal heartbeat is detected, abortion is off the table. That’s generally around 6 weeks pregnant, long before the good majority of women even suspect pregnancy. Basically, this is ensuring that by the time a woman discovers she is pregnant, she is now forced to carry it to term.
The penalties, of course, are that doctors will be jailed, and face losing their medical license for performing an abortion during a pregnancy that isn’t going to outright kill the mother on the table while attempting birth, or where an official, on the record rape or incest claim isn’t made. So, now a terrorized young woman must tell her doctor that he can go ahead and call in some men with badges to judge her for the assault, and judge her for the abortion she’s seeking. Which, dollars to donuts, is going to scare away the remainder of the young ladies trying to ensure that an unwanted, and sometimes forced, pregnancy doesn’t flush the rest of their life right down the damned toilet.
Now, I get that these old stodgy men who clearly get their pedigreed rocks off pushing women around don’t want us to have autonomy. The more access to healthcare, education, and affordable housing we have, the less we have to give a fuck about what they think. But women fucking women over like this? Another woman trying to strip my right to my own body? Who in the fuck are these women, and who made you Jesus Christ, himself?
Let me tell you who you’re hurting, from your throne on High and Mighty Hill. You’re hurting your very own college aged daughters, who have one too many and aren’t careful, or aren’t careful enough about staying in a public place, and need access to an abortion so their entire life isn’t derailed for one mistake, or one forced episode that they shouldn’t have to retell in vivid detail in order to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. You’re hurting women already trapped in a cycle of abuse because of the 3 kids under 5 they already have, and who know that if there is one more mouth to feed, she stands no chance of ever getting out with her life. You’re hurting any victim of assault who finds out, sure, she can terminate the pregnancy. Just as soon as she tells Barney and his 6 deputies all of the gory details about the abuse, and then sits through her standard fire and brimstone lecture in order to obtain the medical care.
I truly can’t believe that in this day and age, there are still groups of men, who cannot and will not ever have any business deciding what a woman should do with her body, doing exactly that. This is beyond despicable. This is taking women back 50 or 60 years in the stroke of a pen, and I, for one, am absolutely disgusted that the state of South Carolina still has a thought process so backwood and backward, that this type of bullshit is actually at the top of their to-do list. South Carolina, y’all really leave a lot to be desired, and most of it could be cured with simple education. Ladies, if you live in Carolina, my suggestion is to immediately pack your shit and move.
Very well said!
Been fighting this shit since the 60s and I can't believe we're STILL fighting it. Ffffsssss what's it going to take to get these obdurate old bastards to listen for once?!