Pro is defined by Merriam-Webster as: 1: an argument or evidence in affirmation 2: the affirmative side or one holding it
Life is defined by Merriam-Webster as: 1a : the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body b : a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings 2a : the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual b : one or more aspects of the process of living 5a : the period from birth to death
There are many people holding public office today that claim to be pro-life. Based on recent legislative actions I argue here today that those who claim to be pro-life do not actually affirm the process of living from birth to death.
The Farm Bill: H.R. 2 cleared the House Agriculture committee on April 18, 2018. This bill CUTS the FOOD STAMP budget by $20 billion over 10 years. On May 9, 2018 the president remarked that he will veto ANY farm bill that doesn’t include stricter requirements for the SNAP program.
FACT: There are 43.5 million human beings on SNAP. Most of them are old people, people with disabilities, veterans and children at risk of starvation. It is not pro-life to support the death of old people or children at risk of not having food. That is in fact an action that creates illness and death.
Iowa: On May 4, 2018, Iowa governor Kim Reynolds signed an abortion ban at 6 weeks of pregnancy. This means that there are 126 COUNTRIES where women face fewer obstacles to abortion than in Iowa. It is the most restrictive yet in the country, and of any country where abortion is legal.
FACT: Women don’t know they are pregnant at 6 weeks. Women do not know their fetus has grave fetal deformities until the 2nd trimester. Women who are raped do not know they are pregnant instantly. It is not pro-life to support the forced pregnancy of a woman. It is ANTI-CHOICE. It is PRO-BIRTH. It is PRO let’s take our tax dollars to the supreme court.
Children’s Health Insurance Program: On May 8, 2018 it was reported that the president’s administration is asking congress to cancel $7 billion from the Children’s Health Insurance Program leading Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) to state, “it is frivolous stuff that we can get rid of”.
FACT: My children’s health insurance plan is not frivolous. It is lifesaving. It is not pro-life to support the death of children at risk of not having health care. That is in fact an action that creates illness and death.
GINA HASPEL: On May 9, 2018 Spencer Ackerman reported that CIA pick Gina Haspel once ran a secret prison. Gina Haspel presided over the torture of a pregnant woman. GINA HASPEL was responsible for the near death of that woman’s fetus because she WAS BEATEN IN THE ABDOMEN.
FACT: THE “PRO-LIFE” PEOPLE ON THE SENATE COMMITTEE THAT IS DECIDING ON THAT CONFIRMATION ARE HYPOCRITICAL NAPOLEONS IF THEY THINK FOR ONE MINUTE SUPPORTING A WOMAN WHO SUPPORTS THE BEATING OF PREGNANT WOMEN IS EVEN REMOTELY PRO-LIFE. You can watch the video from her hearing here.
Domestic Gag Rule: The bottom line is Mike Pence doesn’t want women to have sex except for procreation. These articles illustrate for us how he thinks that should look.
FACT: Not giving funding to organizations that talk about abortion isn’t pro-life it is anti-choice.
Abstinence only sex ed: Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky rules over a state with the Nation’s FIFTH-HIGHEST TEEN BIRTH RATE. In order to fix that the state is mandatingabstinence only sex education.
FACT: Abstinence only sex education doesn’t stop people from having sex. It just stops people from understanding how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy. It isn’t pro-life to tell people to not have sex until marriage. It is anti-choice, anti-LGBT, anti-sex, anti-pleasure, and anti-realistic.
Forced pregnancy, dependency, and slavery effectively shackles a woman’s decision-making abilities, leaving her helpless against the machinery of state legislatures and other governing bodies.
Anti-choice positioning is an overt action by white heterosexual men to force womanhood to be synonymous with motherhood.
The dehumanization of women and women’s rights is a denial of their personhood. This denial is necessary in order for lawmakers to continue to violate women’s legal rights to access health care and to threaten violence against women who dare to be visible.
Despite the constant attacks on us, we can and must continue to take up space in America.
It’s Friday…scream your truth…I see you and I am here for it. Dr. Melissa Bird
P.S. Naked Aggression wrote this song. You should listen to it. Resist. Persist. Insist.