Texas, Women's Rights, and the Elephant in the Womb
It's
July in Austin, Texas. The calendar says it's the 21st century, but
S.B. 5, the legislation that has just come out of the Texas Capitol,
has set women's rights back decades, if not centuries.
First,
a disclaimer: I'm not a Texan. I'm a 51-year-old medical librarian
who moved to Texas from Boston when I was nine. I'm often told "Well,
surely you're a Texan *now*!" - and maybe I should be - but whenever something like this
abominable attack on human rights happens here in Texas - and it
happens far more frequently than news coverage would indicate - I'm
ashamed to admit to being a Texas resident.
When
I was a young woman, a college student with a marginal income, I
understood the importance of general health, sexual health, and
women's health, and I was able to make use of the excellent and
affordable services provided by Planned Parenthood. If I were a young
woman today, I would have to amend that to say "...and I hope
I'm lucky enough to be able to make use of..." those services.
And luck should never have to be part of anyone's well care.
The
recently approved bill professes to have the best interests of
women's health at heart, but reducing the number of clinics in which
women can access services - all services - will not improve anything.
In fact, this could very well have a devastating effect, returning us
to the days of backroom abortions - except, of course, for the female
companions of wealthy men who need to take care of their
indiscretions.
Now
I, personally, never had a need for abortion services. I've never had
any children, by my own choice. I feel very strongly that people who
want children should endeavour to have them, and those that do not
should not be forced either by societal pressures or circumstances to
do so. I do, however, know several women - smart, thoughtful,
responsible women - whose circumstances brought them to need abortion
services.
Proponents
of S.B. 5 would have us believe that anyone who gets an abortion,
nay, anyone who would even consider an abortion is a baby killer, a
godless welfare queen, a slut who uses abortion as birth control. I am astounded that anyone lives in a world that is unequivocally black and
white. Not a single woman I know who has been through this experience
treated it as anything less than one of the most difficult physical
and emotional decisions of her life.
That
doesn't mean there aren't women who treat having an abortion
dismissively. There are also men who treat it equally dismissively -
and this is not an attitude exclusive to "god-hating liberals."
There are thoughtless people everywhere.
Further, there are those who would otherwise eschew science claiming that “The baby can feel pain at 20 weeks!” First, very few
abortions occur at 20 weeks (fewer than 2%) and those that do are almost all done for
the safety of the mother.
And
now for a little science lesson: First, it's not a baby yet.
From
the time of conception until the 10th week of gestation,
it's an embryo. From then until birth, it's a fetus. Once it's born,
then it's a baby. Using less than clinical terms may be fine for
planning a nursery, but if you're going to talk about science, then
using terms designed to elicit an emotional reaction is less than
authoritative.
Also,
about that pain thing: In a meta-analysis published in the Journal
of the American Medical Association, researchers concluded that
fetuses are unlikely to feel pain until the third trimester. Research
that makes conclusive statements about fetal pain are extrapolating
from research on premature babies which, to my mind, makes as much
sense as studying fish which live in shallow waters and presuming
you've got a handle on deep water fish.
Oh,
and why all the screaming about Plan B birth control? I'm astounded
by the idiots (no, this is not an ad hominem, this is an accurate
assessment of those who embrace ignorance) who insist Plan B is a
form of abortion. It's not. Plan B (levonorgestrel) cannot prevent
implantation of a fertilized egg. It works by inhibiting ovulation
and is used in emergency situations. I've also heard the ranting that
anyone of any age can buy this product over the counter. Why yes,
that's true. But I would suggest you be more concerned about your
nine-year-old daughter buying a large bottle of gummy multivitamins
(which are also available over the counter to anyone of any age) and
eating them like they're candy than about the remote possibility that
she'll grab a Plan B box off the shelf. I can only presume this is
yet another effort to control women via a reproductive anchor.
When
I hear someone say they'll do whatever it takes to "save even
one baby", a great many questions come into my mind. How many
children has this person adopted or fostered? Do they support efforts
to help children after they're born, such as public education, school
lunches, pediatric health care, etc.? Hell, do they help provide
support in the form of prenatal care for mothers with less wherewithal while they're pregnant? Why does it seem like the fetus is more
valuable than the actual child? Why is the fetus more valuable than
the woman who is carrying it?
But,
strangely, so many of the people I know who believe the contents of
any woman's uterus is their business also scream at the prospect of
background checks for guns. They'll do whatever it takes to save even
one baby, but if those babies can function out of the womb and happen
to be slaughtered by someone exercising their god-given right to
firearms then it's all hunky-dory.
The
hypocrisy blows my mind.