WARNING: I am feeling especially RANTY today!
What do Kentucky, Iowa, Wyoming, and Mississippi all have in common? They are using the legislative floor as a political playground in order to criminalize women’s bodies to the fullest extent of the law.
Unless you are a girl child…and then we will harness your spirit and marry you off to a much older man.
13 years old in Kentucky but don’t want to marry an adult man? Too bad. Conservatives are more concerned about parents’ rights because it is less emotionally damaging to be raped by your husband than a stranger. Check out this article on the stalled legislation that could save girls from being forced into under age marriages.
Meanwhile in Iowa…
Last week the Iowa state senate passed an unconstitutional total abortion ban that would disallow abortions after the heartbeat can be heard. In some instances that is at the 6th week. There are NO EXCEPTIONS for RAPE or INCEST in this bill. Doesn’t Iowa have better things to do than mess with tax payer dollars in this way?
But we don’t welcome you if you are a woman who has miscarried
Have you ever had a miscarriage? If you live in Wyoming try not to have one. Ever. In Wyoming they want women to get death certificates in instances of miscarriage. I just love it when a male panel of legislators tells women who are testifying about their own traumatic experiences that they don’t care aboutwhat they went through. Patronizing much?
But we will take you out of your home and charge you with murder if you have a home birth and the baby dies.
Did you know that in Mississippi if you have a child die during a home birth you can be charged with 2nd degree murder? Because your baby that you wanted and that you loved and that you cared deeply about died during birth? Women should not be prosecuted for the outcomes of their pregnancies, yet, here we go again with the latest news story about a woman of color being criminalized for pregnancy loss.
AS IF ALL OF THIS WEREN’T ENOUGH THE NUMBER OF WOMEN GOOGLING SELF-INDUCED ABORTION IS SKYROCKETING!
We live in the land of the free and the home of the brave unless you are:
A woman
Black
Latina/o
Poor
LGBT
Unwed
Not cis-gendered
An immigrant
Less than
Other
I could go on, and on, and on, and on please add to this list.
We must speak our truth. We must speak out in righteous indignation.
We must not be silent as women’s bodies are being bandied about like that teensy plastic shuttle-cock in a badminton game.
It’s Monday, tell your elected officials what lights you on fire y’all! Dr. Melissa Bird
Want to see extra bonus content, special videos, and be a part of one of the greatest revolutions of all time? Come join my feminist army at Patreon for as little as $1 a month!