Today’s NYT has yet another column attacking contraception as harming women because it allows for “a culture of casual sex.” The mainstream media continues to privilege anti-choice voices with a largely uncritical platform. Much less often do I see pro-choice essays rebutting anti-choice talking points or coverage of the horror caused by the restrictions on women’s healthcare since Roe was overturned except in feminist media.
What we are actually facing, that mixes with today’s abortion bans so explosively, is a world that has changed massively since 1973.
Older ladies tell horror stories about life before Roe. When you think about how that kind of horror is MUKTIPLIED in a world where ubiquitous internet porn, drugs that became available in the 70s - now from cocaine to fentanyl (including one famously called “the date rape drug”), there is mad suffering to come for society.
And Hawkins of SFL has been on nearly every station this week with zero pushback on her extreme views and false stats. Instead interviewers have followed up with the continued “both-sides” segments.
I think she's not doing audio every day now because they've been super busy and she's working on new projects related to the newsletter? Idk I'm one who just reads the text because I process better that way.
Amazing newsletter, as always. I just finished reading through, now about to go back and click through all the links to outside sources that caught my attention. I’m absolutely gutted that I’m sitting here marking such an occasion as the first anniversary of overturning Roe v Wade, but thankful that we have Jessica to write this newsletter and keep us all informed about the real, raw abortion news that we won’t get anywhere else and for the community of like minded people here.
I’d like to know what data that Republican pollster is seeing that shows abortion waning as a top issue in elections- because I sure as heck am not seeing it.
His own camp because they have “won.” Immigration & “woke” are the new topics. He’s saying that because he doesn’t want R candidates talking about abortion issues, because it is hurting R candidates. They are looking for ways to keep the base angry & involved.
Yes. It was infuriating to see, screen after screen of sanctimonious pricks! And there were the handful of Dems that got on board with the stripping of our freedom, too. We should be able to get rid of ALL of them in 2024!
I would love to see Democrats make ads using the photo concept from The Guardian. It really does drive home the fact that this is a War on Women and the way to regain our autonomy is to elect A LOT more women.
I used to feel this way too about electing women, but it’s not that simple any more. Some women in the anti-choice movement are devious and have an attitude of the ends justify the means (aka NC D switching to R to provide a supermajority). And Hailey will try to find middle ground to capitalize on “being a woman candidate” although no doubt she would sign extreme anti-choice legislation if given the opportunity no matter what she says while campaigning. Female supposedly pro-choice U.S. R Senators voted in SCOTUS members knowing they were anti-choice.
It’s not all about electing women anymore. Legislators, like Peters in MI who has 1st hand experience of the negatives of anti-choice laws are more of what we need also. Men listen to men.
We need to research carefully the D candidates.
We need more pro-choice from the medical community who can speak for OBGYNs & ERs. We need more pro-choice from hospital environments.
I hear you. There are the Marsha Blackburns of the world who are the mascots of the He Man Woman Haters’ Club and the Susan Collins of the world who talk a big game about choice but fold when they are faced with yet another Federalist Society judge up for a promotion.
However, we do need more well-vetted, actually committed women. We can’t expect a man who has no idea what a yeast infection or a Pap smear or a late period is like, who have never been condescended to by a less qualified man in their workplace, who have not been cat called by strangers on the street, who did not learn to carry their keys as a weapon when walking to their cars.
Pretty much all women know and love someone who has been sexually assaulted or been in an abusive relationship or chosen termination. (Guys know them, too, but they don’t necessarily know they know them.)
We are fortunate to have plenty of caring, empathetic men who are pro-choice but they need to stand as allies to those with the lived experiences of pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
I totally agree about doctors and other caregivers being lawmakers. Scientists of any sort could be really impactful in fighting the embrace of ignorance which has become so fashionable.
One last thing: Bob Casey is running for Senate in PA as a Democrat again. I think he’s a good person and sincere but he’s anti-choice and he’s got to go.
That’s going to be a tough one, the hospitals, because they have largely been bought by corporate investors and they don’t even care to listen to the doctors like they used to. They’ve even bought the clinics so many many doctors are no longer self-employed. Policies are made by biz execs more than ever. Be sure to check out who you’re dealing with when you approach hospitals. Find out what their interests are. Many have closed L&D and peds units due to costlier liability cases and thus less profit for the investors. Healthcare is a mess like never seen before.
Yes they have an endless supply of handmaid's tale candidates they can (and will) trot out because research shows voters perceive women candidates as more moderate or liberal than they actually are. Although sometimes that effect stops those candidates in their Republican primary.
This is the link for the petition for Floridians to fill out, print, sign and date, and mail. Send the link to anyone you know in FL who is in support of getting abortion on their ballot. I sent one to each in my family who is a resident of FL.
Last evening I made phone calls to Ohio with the Democratic Party. To remind ohioans of the election August 8 and voting on 1 thing. Proposition one which would change approval of a constitutional amendment from 50% plus one to 60%. Taking away the power of the people. And in our script. We also asked if they wanted to sign the petition to make reproductive health care a constitutional, right. Overall, our group made over 5000 calls for the evening and most of the people I talk to said they were going to vote NO which is how we want them to vote. I feel very positive about this election
Thanks for sharing again the quote “every abortion denied is a horror story”. That’s so much better that what I have said many times to indicate the same, “there are a million exceptions.” People who consider termination do so for a reason, actually a complex confluence of reasons because that’s what real life always is.
Simpletons who reduce the reasons someone would not deem herself suited to gestating at a particular time into only irresponsibility, victimhood, or medical emergency are excluding millions of responsible American women and girls who deserve the autonomy to answer for themselves “is this a pregnancy I should continue?”, in light of their own circumstances and without government interference.
There are ripples of pain and fear flowing out from what these Republicans are doing.
I hope everyone reading Jessica and Grace’s vital newsletter is going out to protest tomorrow!
Republicans are very good at getting the media to use their framing of issues. Democrats are bad at it. We can't just expect the media to do the right thing and tell the truth; we need to do things to make it happen.
There's no such thing as an independent voter. Because that's not an option on the ballot. You are the party you vote for. And pro-choice Republicans are the problem. They're the ones who need to change their behavior. Either don't vote, or vote Democrat. Or better yet, do something to change your Republican party. Otherwise I couldn't care less if they consider themselves pro-choice, because it doesn't matter in the slightest.
And those are the voters we need. So the message that appeals to them might be different from what would appeal to you or me. It's worth noting.
And if the American people are as pro-choice as we think they are, we ought to be able to hit 60% in referendums. It's not that that should be the standard; it's that we ought to be worried about anywhere where more than 40% of the voters support what's going on in this country.
I have started taking this approach with my R friends who are new “independent” voters. I’m grouping them in with Rs & they don’t like it. My response is quit voting down ticket for Rs then. If you can vote for Biden because you hate T, then you can vote down ticket for the party that aligns with your values. Otherwise, you are supporting Rs and ALL of their policies, including xyz (essentially all the culture stuff they think Rs have gone too far on.).
I find that people who vote Republican tend to believe that Democrats coddle people who behave irresponsibly, and that the 'rest of us' have to suffer for it. Often this belief is also connected to some bigotry and greed or selfishness. I don't know to what extent that describes your 'independents', but if they're becoming embarrassed or ashamed to be associated with Republicans that's the first step to change. They're seeing Republicans differently; now they need to learn to see Democrats differently too.
Most are actually very giving & kind to those less fortunate in some way - volunteer or donate $, but most are married to Rs and grew up believing abortion is wrong, mostly from a religious perspective. They aren’t always anti-choice, but that’s not the issue or even sometimes an issue they considered when voting. But, they absolutely believe in birth control, and healthcare for miscarriages, etc. so now it is hitting their radar in a new way. And some have children or nieces/nephews who identify as part of the LGBTQ community and they support them. They are not happy with the far right taking over the R party or being “grouped in” with them. So to your main point… they need to look at D party differently. Not just candidates, but the whole party. Sometimes I feel like they play devils advocate with me so they have comments to make to their husbands haha.
They don't really sound like Republicans, do they? You have to wonder to what extent it's the husbands that are the problem. There really isn't any room for sanity or moderation or kindness or decency or responsibility in today's Republican party, and the presidency of Donald Trump should have made that clear to everyone. Whatever is keeping a voter away from the Democrats needs to be examined. I do think it's important for the Democratic party to continue to be a "big tent" coalition of moderates and liberals and progressives; you can dislike Bernie Sanders for example and still be a Democrat. Democrats would do well to figure out what their image problem is with people like your friends, and then work on it.
So many my age are liberal socially and conservative fiscally. (In the South & military circles). In the south there have often not been strong D candidates in recent past years, so that is one problem. The Rs & a lot of media used the progressives as “high jacking the D party” and “defund the police” as a campaign term was disastrous in many counties.
But… things have changed dramatically since Roe was overturned & T was often not liked by many older military by 2020 & especially after Jan 6th.
I have spent A LOT of time recently trying to figure out how to “convert” them. In regards to T, they didn’t like his behavior after he was elected. They will not vote for him. They don’t really like Biden either (age and mainly due to propaganda versus facts) and that is easier to argue for.
It’s the down ticket voting that must change & legislatures are making it much easier to provide reasons. Their children, especially the girls, are often Ds, which I love.
I often say: i’ll choose AOC over MTG any day of the week. If you vote R these days you are voting for the far right policies because that is where the party is. I’m now a veteran spouse and will argue that the R party has no problem sending military to war, but doesn’t want to take care of them later. I explain a 2nd class enlisted member should not qualify for WIC after 10 years of service, but they do. Honestly, the same arguments I had in my 20’s during the 80’s hold up right now. And my predictions of what would happen if Rs gained too much control have also happened. They are surprised & self searching & slowly changing. I’m cheering those changes.
So the tables have turned & Ds really need to pay attention to the young ones because they are the future. Even R young ones believe in climate change, fixing the housing shortage, livable wage, addressing childhood hunger.
Yeah, fiscally conservative sounds good, until you actually look at the numbers. Every American should look at the federal budget, line by line - and the revenue side too - and say what they would do differently. Veterans always make good candidates, and the Democratic party also shouldn't be afraid to champion its moderates. And yes generational shift is eventually going to change everything anyway. Generation Z has never known a time before 'school shooting'; think about that one. And the future of the planet is much more alarming to them too (rightfully so).
It’s old news but Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, the 2 most famous “pro-choice Republicans”, are the ones who voted for these corrupt, power drunk “justices”. Now that they see the impact of their party loyalty, have they left that party? Ummmmm.....no!
Either is theoretically gettable. Collins is up in 2026 and might finally be in trouble, especially if Jared Golden runs. Idk what would happen if she switched parties and made noise about repenting. Murkowski is from a red state but because of the top four system she now gets elected by a coalition of Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans, against a more conservative Republican challenger. So our side is already voting for her. The question is if she became an independent and caucused with Democrats would it hurt her standing in Alaska. And she's not up again until 2028. If Democrats win the white house and the house of representatives, and it's only those two standing in the way of the senate majority, we'd be crazy not to try anything to recruit them. It's doubtful either would go along with scrapping the filibuster though, although if you could convince them that it would be an exception ONLY used to restore reproductive rights, again you'd be crazy not to try. And things might look different if Democrats have just had a good election. What if we have 49 seats and only one of Brown and Tester has lost? And fwiw Murkowski did vote against Beer Pong, and both senators voted against cloture for Handmaid's Tale and then Collins voted against her on the floor too (but then her re-election bid was coming up in just weeks, so, yeah).
I wish we all had the top 4 system actually. Party primaries and the idea that a Republican can always run in the general is actually “rigging the system” (to borrow a phrase from an incompetent criminal).
Yeah the idea is you would expect to elect a moderate member of the dominant party. And there are also so many other ways to run elections besides first-past-the-post in single member districts.
I don't think anything demonstrates more how little anti-abortion gives a damn about babies by forcing women without medical care to give birth to drug addicted babies (who are usually premature). Then put them in prison and traffick their babies through the state. Barbaric.
Yes, forcing babies with medical conditions to be born is cruel. When they go on their quest for a 15 week national ban, the only abortions they will actually be stopping are the ones that people get after seeing something scary at their 20 week checks. They are stripping prospective parents of the ability to be merciful. Several states have laws that specifically prohibit termination due to genetic abnormalities such as Down Syndrome. It’s truly cruel and morally bankrupt.
BINGO! This will also be devastating for people, especially children, who did not know they were pregnant and/or could not access care earlier for whatever reason (abusive partner, cost, child care, etc)
Yes, this should be an easy argument for us to make and win, and the 'medical' horror stories demonstrate it. Americans are already with us on the 'everyday' tragedy of forced pregnancy because large majorities already support elective abortion in the first trimester or prior to that 15-week line Republicans are trying to draw.
So it’s not an actual petition. Registered voters there have to show up in person to sign it, it would appear. My family is in it though and is registered to vote early on Aug 8. But I can send the Florida one I found for family.
Today’s NYT has yet another column attacking contraception as harming women because it allows for “a culture of casual sex.” The mainstream media continues to privilege anti-choice voices with a largely uncritical platform. Much less often do I see pro-choice essays rebutting anti-choice talking points or coverage of the horror caused by the restrictions on women’s healthcare since Roe was overturned except in feminist media.
What we are actually facing, that mixes with today’s abortion bans so explosively, is a world that has changed massively since 1973.
Older ladies tell horror stories about life before Roe. When you think about how that kind of horror is MUKTIPLIED in a world where ubiquitous internet porn, drugs that became available in the 70s - now from cocaine to fentanyl (including one famously called “the date rape drug”), there is mad suffering to come for society.
And Hawkins of SFL has been on nearly every station this week with zero pushback on her extreme views and false stats. Instead interviewers have followed up with the continued “both-sides” segments.
Are any other subscribers missing the audio link? Did I miss something in the last week?
I think she's not doing audio every day now because they've been super busy and she's working on new projects related to the newsletter? Idk I'm one who just reads the text because I process better that way.
Amazing newsletter, as always. I just finished reading through, now about to go back and click through all the links to outside sources that caught my attention. I’m absolutely gutted that I’m sitting here marking such an occasion as the first anniversary of overturning Roe v Wade, but thankful that we have Jessica to write this newsletter and keep us all informed about the real, raw abortion news that we won’t get anywhere else and for the community of like minded people here.
I’d like to know what data that Republican pollster is seeing that shows abortion waning as a top issue in elections- because I sure as heck am not seeing it.
His own camp because they have “won.” Immigration & “woke” are the new topics. He’s saying that because he doesn’t want R candidates talking about abortion issues, because it is hurting R candidates. They are looking for ways to keep the base angry & involved.
Yes, The Guardian article with all the pictures was rage-inducing. Men, men, men making decisions for women..."under his eye."
Yes. It was infuriating to see, screen after screen of sanctimonious pricks! And there were the handful of Dems that got on board with the stripping of our freedom, too. We should be able to get rid of ALL of them in 2024!
I would love to see Democrats make ads using the photo concept from The Guardian. It really does drive home the fact that this is a War on Women and the way to regain our autonomy is to elect A LOT more women.
There are SO many ads that need to be made this cycle.
I used to feel this way too about electing women, but it’s not that simple any more. Some women in the anti-choice movement are devious and have an attitude of the ends justify the means (aka NC D switching to R to provide a supermajority). And Hailey will try to find middle ground to capitalize on “being a woman candidate” although no doubt she would sign extreme anti-choice legislation if given the opportunity no matter what she says while campaigning. Female supposedly pro-choice U.S. R Senators voted in SCOTUS members knowing they were anti-choice.
It’s not all about electing women anymore. Legislators, like Peters in MI who has 1st hand experience of the negatives of anti-choice laws are more of what we need also. Men listen to men.
We need to research carefully the D candidates.
We need more pro-choice from the medical community who can speak for OBGYNs & ERs. We need more pro-choice from hospital environments.
I hear you. There are the Marsha Blackburns of the world who are the mascots of the He Man Woman Haters’ Club and the Susan Collins of the world who talk a big game about choice but fold when they are faced with yet another Federalist Society judge up for a promotion.
However, we do need more well-vetted, actually committed women. We can’t expect a man who has no idea what a yeast infection or a Pap smear or a late period is like, who have never been condescended to by a less qualified man in their workplace, who have not been cat called by strangers on the street, who did not learn to carry their keys as a weapon when walking to their cars.
Pretty much all women know and love someone who has been sexually assaulted or been in an abusive relationship or chosen termination. (Guys know them, too, but they don’t necessarily know they know them.)
We are fortunate to have plenty of caring, empathetic men who are pro-choice but they need to stand as allies to those with the lived experiences of pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
I totally agree about doctors and other caregivers being lawmakers. Scientists of any sort could be really impactful in fighting the embrace of ignorance which has become so fashionable.
One last thing: Bob Casey is running for Senate in PA as a Democrat again. I think he’s a good person and sincere but he’s anti-choice and he’s got to go.
That’s going to be a tough one, the hospitals, because they have largely been bought by corporate investors and they don’t even care to listen to the doctors like they used to. They’ve even bought the clinics so many many doctors are no longer self-employed. Policies are made by biz execs more than ever. Be sure to check out who you’re dealing with when you approach hospitals. Find out what their interests are. Many have closed L&D and peds units due to costlier liability cases and thus less profit for the investors. Healthcare is a mess like never seen before.
Yes they have an endless supply of handmaid's tale candidates they can (and will) trot out because research shows voters perceive women candidates as more moderate or liberal than they actually are. Although sometimes that effect stops those candidates in their Republican primary.
This is the link for the petition for Floridians to fill out, print, sign and date, and mail. Send the link to anyone you know in FL who is in support of getting abortion on their ballot. I sent one to each in my family who is a resident of FL.
https://floridawomensfreedomcoalition.com/sign-petition-get-abortion-on-the-fl-ballot-2024/
Last evening I made phone calls to Ohio with the Democratic Party. To remind ohioans of the election August 8 and voting on 1 thing. Proposition one which would change approval of a constitutional amendment from 50% plus one to 60%. Taking away the power of the people. And in our script. We also asked if they wanted to sign the petition to make reproductive health care a constitutional, right. Overall, our group made over 5000 calls for the evening and most of the people I talk to said they were going to vote NO which is how we want them to vote. I feel very positive about this election
Why would anyone vote to make it more difficult to have their voice heard?
Because their “pastor” told them to!
It seems to be going very well there. My bro-in-law is an ObGyn in OH. Thanks, Tracey, for giving your time and for letting us know!!
Yes, it's a test run for November.
Thanks for sharing again the quote “every abortion denied is a horror story”. That’s so much better that what I have said many times to indicate the same, “there are a million exceptions.” People who consider termination do so for a reason, actually a complex confluence of reasons because that’s what real life always is.
Simpletons who reduce the reasons someone would not deem herself suited to gestating at a particular time into only irresponsibility, victimhood, or medical emergency are excluding millions of responsible American women and girls who deserve the autonomy to answer for themselves “is this a pregnancy I should continue?”, in light of their own circumstances and without government interference.
There are ripples of pain and fear flowing out from what these Republicans are doing.
I hope everyone reading Jessica and Grace’s vital newsletter is going out to protest tomorrow!
And/Or donating to organizations bringing lawsuits, which currently are the best thing going while we organize ballot opportunities!
Republicans are very good at getting the media to use their framing of issues. Democrats are bad at it. We can't just expect the media to do the right thing and tell the truth; we need to do things to make it happen.
100% this
There's no such thing as an independent voter. Because that's not an option on the ballot. You are the party you vote for. And pro-choice Republicans are the problem. They're the ones who need to change their behavior. Either don't vote, or vote Democrat. Or better yet, do something to change your Republican party. Otherwise I couldn't care less if they consider themselves pro-choice, because it doesn't matter in the slightest.
And those are the voters we need. So the message that appeals to them might be different from what would appeal to you or me. It's worth noting.
And if the American people are as pro-choice as we think they are, we ought to be able to hit 60% in referendums. It's not that that should be the standard; it's that we ought to be worried about anywhere where more than 40% of the voters support what's going on in this country.
I have started taking this approach with my R friends who are new “independent” voters. I’m grouping them in with Rs & they don’t like it. My response is quit voting down ticket for Rs then. If you can vote for Biden because you hate T, then you can vote down ticket for the party that aligns with your values. Otherwise, you are supporting Rs and ALL of their policies, including xyz (essentially all the culture stuff they think Rs have gone too far on.).
I find that people who vote Republican tend to believe that Democrats coddle people who behave irresponsibly, and that the 'rest of us' have to suffer for it. Often this belief is also connected to some bigotry and greed or selfishness. I don't know to what extent that describes your 'independents', but if they're becoming embarrassed or ashamed to be associated with Republicans that's the first step to change. They're seeing Republicans differently; now they need to learn to see Democrats differently too.
Most are actually very giving & kind to those less fortunate in some way - volunteer or donate $, but most are married to Rs and grew up believing abortion is wrong, mostly from a religious perspective. They aren’t always anti-choice, but that’s not the issue or even sometimes an issue they considered when voting. But, they absolutely believe in birth control, and healthcare for miscarriages, etc. so now it is hitting their radar in a new way. And some have children or nieces/nephews who identify as part of the LGBTQ community and they support them. They are not happy with the far right taking over the R party or being “grouped in” with them. So to your main point… they need to look at D party differently. Not just candidates, but the whole party. Sometimes I feel like they play devils advocate with me so they have comments to make to their husbands haha.
They don't really sound like Republicans, do they? You have to wonder to what extent it's the husbands that are the problem. There really isn't any room for sanity or moderation or kindness or decency or responsibility in today's Republican party, and the presidency of Donald Trump should have made that clear to everyone. Whatever is keeping a voter away from the Democrats needs to be examined. I do think it's important for the Democratic party to continue to be a "big tent" coalition of moderates and liberals and progressives; you can dislike Bernie Sanders for example and still be a Democrat. Democrats would do well to figure out what their image problem is with people like your friends, and then work on it.
So many my age are liberal socially and conservative fiscally. (In the South & military circles). In the south there have often not been strong D candidates in recent past years, so that is one problem. The Rs & a lot of media used the progressives as “high jacking the D party” and “defund the police” as a campaign term was disastrous in many counties.
But… things have changed dramatically since Roe was overturned & T was often not liked by many older military by 2020 & especially after Jan 6th.
I have spent A LOT of time recently trying to figure out how to “convert” them. In regards to T, they didn’t like his behavior after he was elected. They will not vote for him. They don’t really like Biden either (age and mainly due to propaganda versus facts) and that is easier to argue for.
It’s the down ticket voting that must change & legislatures are making it much easier to provide reasons. Their children, especially the girls, are often Ds, which I love.
I often say: i’ll choose AOC over MTG any day of the week. If you vote R these days you are voting for the far right policies because that is where the party is. I’m now a veteran spouse and will argue that the R party has no problem sending military to war, but doesn’t want to take care of them later. I explain a 2nd class enlisted member should not qualify for WIC after 10 years of service, but they do. Honestly, the same arguments I had in my 20’s during the 80’s hold up right now. And my predictions of what would happen if Rs gained too much control have also happened. They are surprised & self searching & slowly changing. I’m cheering those changes.
So the tables have turned & Ds really need to pay attention to the young ones because they are the future. Even R young ones believe in climate change, fixing the housing shortage, livable wage, addressing childhood hunger.
Yeah, fiscally conservative sounds good, until you actually look at the numbers. Every American should look at the federal budget, line by line - and the revenue side too - and say what they would do differently. Veterans always make good candidates, and the Democratic party also shouldn't be afraid to champion its moderates. And yes generational shift is eventually going to change everything anyway. Generation Z has never known a time before 'school shooting'; think about that one. And the future of the planet is much more alarming to them too (rightfully so).
It’s old news but Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, the 2 most famous “pro-choice Republicans”, are the ones who voted for these corrupt, power drunk “justices”. Now that they see the impact of their party loyalty, have they left that party? Ummmmm.....no!
Either is theoretically gettable. Collins is up in 2026 and might finally be in trouble, especially if Jared Golden runs. Idk what would happen if she switched parties and made noise about repenting. Murkowski is from a red state but because of the top four system she now gets elected by a coalition of Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans, against a more conservative Republican challenger. So our side is already voting for her. The question is if she became an independent and caucused with Democrats would it hurt her standing in Alaska. And she's not up again until 2028. If Democrats win the white house and the house of representatives, and it's only those two standing in the way of the senate majority, we'd be crazy not to try anything to recruit them. It's doubtful either would go along with scrapping the filibuster though, although if you could convince them that it would be an exception ONLY used to restore reproductive rights, again you'd be crazy not to try. And things might look different if Democrats have just had a good election. What if we have 49 seats and only one of Brown and Tester has lost? And fwiw Murkowski did vote against Beer Pong, and both senators voted against cloture for Handmaid's Tale and then Collins voted against her on the floor too (but then her re-election bid was coming up in just weeks, so, yeah).
I wish we all had the top 4 system actually. Party primaries and the idea that a Republican can always run in the general is actually “rigging the system” (to borrow a phrase from an incompetent criminal).
Yeah the idea is you would expect to elect a moderate member of the dominant party. And there are also so many other ways to run elections besides first-past-the-post in single member districts.
I don't think anything demonstrates more how little anti-abortion gives a damn about babies by forcing women without medical care to give birth to drug addicted babies (who are usually premature). Then put them in prison and traffick their babies through the state. Barbaric.
Yes, forcing babies with medical conditions to be born is cruel. When they go on their quest for a 15 week national ban, the only abortions they will actually be stopping are the ones that people get after seeing something scary at their 20 week checks. They are stripping prospective parents of the ability to be merciful. Several states have laws that specifically prohibit termination due to genetic abnormalities such as Down Syndrome. It’s truly cruel and morally bankrupt.
BINGO! This will also be devastating for people, especially children, who did not know they were pregnant and/or could not access care earlier for whatever reason (abusive partner, cost, child care, etc)
Yes, this should be an easy argument for us to make and win, and the 'medical' horror stories demonstrate it. Americans are already with us on the 'everyday' tragedy of forced pregnancy because large majorities already support elective abortion in the first trimester or prior to that 15-week line Republicans are trying to draw.
Ok I think I found it at OPRR’s website.
It can’t hurt to share it!
So it’s not an actual petition. Registered voters there have to show up in person to sign it, it would appear. My family is in it though and is registered to vote early on Aug 8. But I can send the Florida one I found for family.