Roe v. Wade
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The group that shouts and whines the most about freedom in the USA is also the group that believes that freedom applies to only them. They do not want you to be free. They want you to be submissive to their paradigms, beliefs, and ways of seeing the world. In the world of Republicans, you do not own your body, and you have no right to decide whether or not you are going to bring a new life into this world.
It is fundamental hypocrisy to demand that unprepared, unqualified women be forced to bring an unwanted child into the world. The Christian right manipulated the political levers of power to ensure they packed the Supreme Court with evangelicals and anti-choice bigots. Democratic leadership is too cowardly to say it out loud, but the Supreme Court is now illegitimate1 as a result. In a just world, every decision it has made since Republican leadership connived to get their radicals onto the bench should be reversed.
As of 24 June 2022, the US supreme court should officially be understood as an illegitimate institution – a tool of minority rule over the majority, and as part of a far-right ideological and authoritarian takeover that must be snuffed out if we want American democracy to survive.
Because the American electoral system is stupid, five of the nine justices were appointed by presidents who never had majority support. These justices were confirmed by senators who do not have the support of the majority of Americans. It bears repeating that the current Supreme Court is illegitimate.
I was born in 1971. Two years later, Roe v. Wade decided that the historical injustice of refusing women autonomy over their own bodies should be re-examined.2 Roe v Wade demanded evidence-based, medically-driven decision-making regarding terminating a pregnancy. It prohibited state bans on abortion. It represented progress for humans and a grudging departure from the demands of those who claimed to speak on behalf of their god and its holy scriptures against women having meaningful choices.
Right-wing zealots have been chipping away at abortion access since Roe was decided. These attacks have primarily affected people of color and people with low incomes (usually, these go together).
Here is an interactive map showing current restrictions on women's rights
Notice the pattern? There is a correlation between Christian evangelicals and restrictions on women's autonomy. It’s Biblical, don’t ya know. Their god does not want abortions, but it doesn’t mind unwanted children being brought into the world to endure a lifetime of suffering pointlessly. Christians love suffering. Their entire holy book is filled with it. It’s weird how much Christians insist on uterus control, and it makes me think they have not actually studied their religion’s instruction manual.
Straight from the Freedom from Religion Foundation3: (condensed)
Biblical episodes and prophecies provide an unequivocal expression of God's attitude toward human life, especially the ontological status of "unborn children" and their pregnant mothers-to-be. Brief summaries:
• God enumerated his punishments for disobedience, including "cursed shall be the fruit of your womb" and "you will eat the fruit of your womb," directly contradicting sanctity-of-life claims (Deuteronomy 28:18,53).
• For rebelling against God, Samaria's people will be killed, their babies will be dashed to death against the ground, and their pregnant women will be ripped open with a sword (Hosea 13:16).
• Jesus did not express any special concern for unborn children during the anticipated end times: "Woe to pregnant women and those who are nursing" (Matthew 24:19).
This is far from an exhaustive list of the Christian god’s disrespect for the sanctity of life.
The bottom line here is that Christian zealots want to control you while calling it freedom, and that’s how we got to a place where the Supreme Court is packed with ideologically extreme right-wing liars who undid five decades of human progress overnight.
If this bothers you as much as it bothers me, here are some ways to get involved:
Democratic Socialists of America
Freedom from Religion Foundation
Americans United for Separation of Church and State4
The world won’t improve unless we improve it together. It isn’t enough to vote.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/25/us-supreme-court-illegitimate-institution
https://reproductiverights.org/roe-v-wade/
https://ffrf.org/component/k2/item/25602-abortion-rights
Thank you Bill Alstrom!
Thank you Bill Alstrom!
Roe v. Wade
Very well said Penfist. But, of course women are inferior to men. After all I learned that very young in Catholic School. We were created from one of Adam’s ribs, and then were seduced by the serpent and ate the forbidden apple. We are the ones that created sin. What a bunch of BS. And I remember feeling guilty for Eve’s apple chomping. Sorry, feeling a little sarcastic. Anyway, you are correct. It is all about controlling women and our illegitimate Supreme Court are now in control. Thank you for the links. I will check them out.
Excellent assessment of a classic hypocritical cultest exclusionary arrogant and not really nice bunch of bigots. A nest of fascists.
Good links. I would add:
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. And of course, Planned Parenthood.