Kansas leaves me speechless and I can’t help but wonder who is living there. I know many wonderful Kansans and they don’t appear to be the sort of people who hate women. I’m assuming their neighbors are.
In Topeka Kansas a bill has been approved that would require women to get separate insurance to cover abortions. This way businesses that are pro life will no longer have to pay for coverage that includes family planning.
This should enrage everyone. Right now the only terrorist group I see in America is the religious right. These hideous, angry and ungodly people are on a campaign of terror that I absolutely equate with the stoning of women in the middle east. People like Republican Pete DeGraaf put our peers and our daughters at risk every time they pen a new law.
Outlawing abortion does not stop women from having abortions, it stops them from having safe abortions. I don’t care if you believe life begins at conception, it’s just a belief, it’s not science and your beliefs cannot legislate my country.
Somewhere, somehow the Christian Coalition got together and decided that this country belongs to them. It doesn’t, there’s room for them here, and our laws have been set up so that folks can worship any way they see fit. I will always defend your right to worship. Right now I’d say that Pete DeGraaf has more in common with an Al Qaeda terrorist than with a good American.
From The McPherson Sentinel:
Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Republican who supports abortion rights, questioned whether women would buy abortion-only policies long before they have crisis or unwanted pregnancies or are rape victims.
During the House’s debate, Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a Mulvane Republican who supports the bill, told her: “We do need to plan ahead, don’t we, in life?”
Bollier asked him, “And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with a pregnancy?”
DeGraaf drew groans of protest from some House members when he responded, “I have spare tire on my car.”
Had to share that one on Facebook.
Obviously DeGraaf goes way too far. This is ridiculous. But I do find it odd that we call a seedling (for example) alive, and we fight to protect it so it can become a much needed tree. However, we call “life” a “belief” in the case of a human fetus, when clearly a fetus is scientifically considered living tissue. I think when you say “life” here you are probably referencing the “soul” part or when the living tissue becomes what you would call a “baby”. The tissue of a fetus is very much alive organically/scientifically. Just thought the verbiage was important since you really wanted to make clear that dividing line between science and belief. In your article life seems to = soul if we’re basing this on science.
The hatred towards women is mind boggling. I know more than one pro life woman and man who all of a sudden was pro choice when they were faced with an unwanted pregnancy. What will happen to them will they be able to buy insurance after a positive pregnancy test? What about the families that are faced with the terrible decision to end a wanted pregnancy because of a medical issue? Will paper work and red tape end up taking too long and the pain and suffering of carrying that pregnancy to term be the only end result?
All of this makes me want to vomit.
Hi, I’m Heather. I’ve been reading your blog for a month or so and I finally have a subject that I feel strongly about. I live in Oklahoma and they have been passing crazy laws here as well. I have decided that the point is not to protect unborn children, as one law here could force a woman to unknowingly give birth to a severely handcapped child, thereby, at the very least not allowing her to prepare for the eventual birth, at most making her give birth to a poor child that will only suffer and die. Rather the point is to prevent women from having any choice at all in their reproductive lives, otherwise why would they try to redefine STATUATORY RAPE??? When they tried to defund Planned Parenthood, it was not about saving anyone, it was about preventing poor women from getting possibly live saving tests, treatments, etc, because they seem to want to punish women for choosing and for not choosing to have sex. In other words, if you are female you should be punished. If they cared about the children they would stop cutting funding for prenatal health care for poor women, education, child nutrition programs, etc. Calling them terrorists seems appropriate.
Growing up in Kansas and now living in California, I can tell you that the change in my home state has been gradual concerning abortion. Blocking my view of wheat fields, there now are billboards showing beautiful white blue eyed perfect babies begging for their mommies to let them live. Most pro-life supporters are not highly educated people in the sciences. Their last biology class was in high school. And, no , you can not define a fetus as living tissue. It is not that simple. Pro-lifers generally are Christians who firmly believe that once an egg has been fertilized, it is God’s plan for this woman to have a child. Even if she was raped. Even if she is an incest victim and is only fourteen. They are very black and white about this issue. Thus, the legislation makes sense, because most of these men and a handful of women can afford to take care of their daughters if they get pregnant. Or, can afford to pay for an abortion out of pocket. Once again, the poor get screwed. And, if the pendulum swings again to the conservative right, there will be women dying of botched abortions. Again. Bloody Kansas.
Woman, I don’t always agree with you, but I always respect you. And when I DO agree with you, I FUCKIN AGREE WITH YOU.
What filth this bill is.
Just one thing to say: AMEN!!! :)