I was relieved. You seem quite interesting and intelligent. I wrote an explanation after your previous comment. Feel free to be pissed with me. I have a hard head.
The comment isn't actually aimed at anyone or anything. It's a visual metaphor my rage at the world in general. My karmic dissolution with reality. I personally don't consider the visual fuck you any worse than the printed version. If you haven't noticed, there's a ton of swearing on this and many other substack articles and commentaries.
Jessica, thanks for covering our fight to protect abortion access in Arizona! Arizonians have a strong independent streak - they don’t like to be told whether or not they can sign a petition! ‘ ;)
I have to take issue with the PBS segment about the criminalization of abortion. Prof. Ziegler refers to the “choices” Brittany Watts made. So she spontaneously miscarried her non-viable fetus into the toilet - which is where you would go if your water is breaking, and blood and tissue is coming out of your body - and then what was she supposed to do? What would’ve been acceptable to the legislature? The professor goes on to say - without qualification - that she feels Brittany is being punished for not properly grieving the loss of her pregnancy. The interviewer should have pushed back on that because that’s not why she’s being punished (and they shouldn’t get to define how she did feel or how she should feel). She’s being punished because she’s black and because she (and presumably wouldn’t have the resources to fight back.)
The other thing the professor says is that doctors in Idaho fear being punished for making the wrong decisions. Wrong again! Doctors fear being punished for making the RIGHT decision. Another missed opportunity for the interviewer.
My congressional highlight. There is even a cameo by an evil 😈 😳 🧙♀️.
First, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, knowing the right wing is obsessed with Jeffrey Epstein, brought in an enormous photograph of Donald and Epstein together, and then, over Republicans objections, they refused to take it down . During a brief recess taken to get Marjorie Taylor Greene under control, Moskowitz waved the picture around to mock her. From Mary Trump’s collum.
We should remember that this is a country where Trump's border patrol kidnapped children and put them in cages, and where police can kill unarmed Black people willy nilly with impunity. It's just that being White and middle or upper middle class is supposed to provide protection from such things. It's called privilege. I certainly don't expect Americans to care about the lives and health of poor and marginalized women; why would they suddenly start now? But the mistake anti-abortion makes is that their reign of terror is meant to ensnare everyone. Taking away rights and privileges from people who had come to expect them plays differently from merely heaping more misery on those already at the bottom. It's when you change someone's status that you provoke outrage, rather than what you do to them in an absolute sense. And that's why whether we like it or not not every victim of abortion bans is going to be treated equally. People have to believe it could happen to them, not just to the people that America doesn't care about. And it can and it will.
I am seething about Carol Tobias’s comment. Does she think that since those situations happen to a minority of pregnancies that they don’t matter or shouldn’t be talked about?? I remember reading that one out of every hundred pregnancies ends with pre-viable PPROM. When it happens to you, those statistics don’t mean a fucking thing. And back when covid was regularly killing people at the height of the pandemic, I remember the death rate being 1%. Same odds and we were fucking locked down and terrified. Think of all the people who died!One out of every hundred pregnancies is an insane amount of pregnancies. Pregnancies go wrong all the damn time. These bans fuck over people when their pregnancies go wrong. Personally, I don’t think the country is talking or worried about this problem enough. There’s no blowing this out of proportion. It’s a fucking five alarm fire.
This morning, I heard my local NPR station talking about the Texas woman who died- they referenced the New Yorker story and included the four specialists opinion that concluded an abortion would have saved her life. I'm pretty certain it was the local programming, Texas Standard, not the national news programs. Still, I am pretty shocked too that it hasn't been picked up broadly.
The New Yorker article is heartbreaking. I read a book called "Reproductive Justice: An Introduction" which addresses all the issues this woman was facing and how the U.S. fails on so many levels. It's a travesty. Women are not safe in this country.
"Anti-abortion activists even floated redefining ‘abortion’ entirely as a way to render Issue 1 impotent." Thank you Jessica for the giggle. Can we just make all the males impotent and then this would be a non-issue? Seriously though, why are there so many women against women (themselves)? This makes no sense to me. I know it's the hyper religious catholic/evangelical blah, blah crap that they have been indoctrinated into, but seriously. These laws could affect YOU! Wake the F up! That's my message to those who will not see this and would not listen anyway.
I saw it at a screening followed by a panel discussion with Georgia D legislators. Rep. Michelle Au, a physician, gave a great explanation and critique of the Texas EMTALA case and the strict abortion bans in GA, TX etc: https://youtu.be/-6n6JS8uevA?si=MeVEDpYcjUXZMb7T&t=6m17s
Dr. Caitlin Gustafson is a hero, one of the last bastions in Idaho. It was she who instigated the state's Maternal Mortality Board in 2019 -- which the Idaho legislature defunded in last year's session. It's cost in the line-item budget? $15,000. So now you know what women's lives are worth in Idaho. But I love this state (certainly not for its politics), and like Dr. G, I'm here for the fight.
This is the most consequential election year. I know I am preaching to the choir here but please make sure the Republican party pays a heavy price. They could have shunned trump and put the country on a better path but no they actually became mini trumps on steroids themselves. Talk to people you know and it is time for us to shun the R party everywhere, local, state, and general, for the nightmares they have brought us.
I shouldn't have misinterpreted as I did at the time. I work around a lot of Trumpers so my perspective can get bit paranoid.
😊
My bad. I apologize. I was being overly sensitive and misinterpreted.
I was relieved. You seem quite interesting and intelligent. I wrote an explanation after your previous comment. Feel free to be pissed with me. I have a hard head.
The comment isn't actually aimed at anyone or anything. It's a visual metaphor my rage at the world in general. My karmic dissolution with reality. I personally don't consider the visual fuck you any worse than the printed version. If you haven't noticed, there's a ton of swearing on this and many other substack articles and commentaries.
Jessica, thanks for covering our fight to protect abortion access in Arizona! Arizonians have a strong independent streak - they don’t like to be told whether or not they can sign a petition! ‘ ;)
I have to take issue with the PBS segment about the criminalization of abortion. Prof. Ziegler refers to the “choices” Brittany Watts made. So she spontaneously miscarried her non-viable fetus into the toilet - which is where you would go if your water is breaking, and blood and tissue is coming out of your body - and then what was she supposed to do? What would’ve been acceptable to the legislature? The professor goes on to say - without qualification - that she feels Brittany is being punished for not properly grieving the loss of her pregnancy. The interviewer should have pushed back on that because that’s not why she’s being punished (and they shouldn’t get to define how she did feel or how she should feel). She’s being punished because she’s black and because she (and presumably wouldn’t have the resources to fight back.)
The other thing the professor says is that doctors in Idaho fear being punished for making the wrong decisions. Wrong again! Doctors fear being punished for making the RIGHT decision. Another missed opportunity for the interviewer.
My congressional highlight. There is even a cameo by an evil 😈 😳 🧙♀️.
First, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, knowing the right wing is obsessed with Jeffrey Epstein, brought in an enormous photograph of Donald and Epstein together, and then, over Republicans objections, they refused to take it down . During a brief recess taken to get Marjorie Taylor Greene under control, Moskowitz waved the picture around to mock her. From Mary Trump’s collum.
He and Raskin and Jasmine Crockett are heroes for calling out their BS.
We should remember that this is a country where Trump's border patrol kidnapped children and put them in cages, and where police can kill unarmed Black people willy nilly with impunity. It's just that being White and middle or upper middle class is supposed to provide protection from such things. It's called privilege. I certainly don't expect Americans to care about the lives and health of poor and marginalized women; why would they suddenly start now? But the mistake anti-abortion makes is that their reign of terror is meant to ensnare everyone. Taking away rights and privileges from people who had come to expect them plays differently from merely heaping more misery on those already at the bottom. It's when you change someone's status that you provoke outrage, rather than what you do to them in an absolute sense. And that's why whether we like it or not not every victim of abortion bans is going to be treated equally. People have to believe it could happen to them, not just to the people that America doesn't care about. And it can and it will.
Barry Goldwater warned us! And he was a nutbar.
There is way, way too much shit going on. Guns, drugs, criminals, racists, the insane, insane criminals. And it's all increasing too!
I am seething about Carol Tobias’s comment. Does she think that since those situations happen to a minority of pregnancies that they don’t matter or shouldn’t be talked about?? I remember reading that one out of every hundred pregnancies ends with pre-viable PPROM. When it happens to you, those statistics don’t mean a fucking thing. And back when covid was regularly killing people at the height of the pandemic, I remember the death rate being 1%. Same odds and we were fucking locked down and terrified. Think of all the people who died!One out of every hundred pregnancies is an insane amount of pregnancies. Pregnancies go wrong all the damn time. These bans fuck over people when their pregnancies go wrong. Personally, I don’t think the country is talking or worried about this problem enough. There’s no blowing this out of proportion. It’s a fucking five alarm fire.
I think the word "minority" means she feels "they don't count."
This morning, I heard my local NPR station talking about the Texas woman who died- they referenced the New Yorker story and included the four specialists opinion that concluded an abortion would have saved her life. I'm pretty certain it was the local programming, Texas Standard, not the national news programs. Still, I am pretty shocked too that it hasn't been picked up broadly.
The book is by Loretta Ross and Rickie Solinger.
The New Yorker article is heartbreaking. I read a book called "Reproductive Justice: An Introduction" which addresses all the issues this woman was facing and how the U.S. fails on so many levels. It's a travesty. Women are not safe in this country.
Kind of freaky image you got going on there. Do you hate women?
I apologize. I was wrong.
Could you believe the blood pressure numbers or the number of times that she was at the brink!?!
Who are you?
That is a loaded question. Anything specific you were inquiring about?
I apologize. I was wrong.
"Anti-abortion activists even floated redefining ‘abortion’ entirely as a way to render Issue 1 impotent." Thank you Jessica for the giggle. Can we just make all the males impotent and then this would be a non-issue? Seriously though, why are there so many women against women (themselves)? This makes no sense to me. I know it's the hyper religious catholic/evangelical blah, blah crap that they have been indoctrinated into, but seriously. These laws could affect YOU! Wake the F up! That's my message to those who will not see this and would not listen anyway.
They never developed mentally beyond teenagerhood in thinking "Oh, it will never happen to me, just those other whores who need to be punished!"
I suppose the only way they can process their own lack of autonomy is to try to impose it on everyone else too.
There is that, and they lack empathy.
Moira Donegan is great, thanks for sharing that piece.
i wanted to share this amazing, powerful short film ‘L-8’ about abortion bans - just released! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOOcUwGTRJU
I saw it at a screening followed by a panel discussion with Georgia D legislators. Rep. Michelle Au, a physician, gave a great explanation and critique of the Texas EMTALA case and the strict abortion bans in GA, TX etc: https://youtu.be/-6n6JS8uevA?si=MeVEDpYcjUXZMb7T&t=6m17s
Cool video!
Boy, that "partly" in that last statement....these people, including the women, are barbaric.
Yes the women like Carol Tobias have a special place in hell
Yes. Madeline Albright said it correctly.
Dr. Caitlin Gustafson is a hero, one of the last bastions in Idaho. It was she who instigated the state's Maternal Mortality Board in 2019 -- which the Idaho legislature defunded in last year's session. It's cost in the line-item budget? $15,000. So now you know what women's lives are worth in Idaho. But I love this state (certainly not for its politics), and like Dr. G, I'm here for the fight.
This is the most consequential election year. I know I am preaching to the choir here but please make sure the Republican party pays a heavy price. They could have shunned trump and put the country on a better path but no they actually became mini trumps on steroids themselves. Talk to people you know and it is time for us to shun the R party everywhere, local, state, and general, for the nightmares they have brought us.