As a deeper dive into my last post of a few minutes ago, I want to tie together some of the so-called culture wars. Start with three basic animal drives: for Sex, for Reproduction, and for Self. Consider the following TABOOS:
(1) Masturbation - a sexual activity which cannot lead to reproduction. Thus, taboo.
(2) Homosexual Sex - now we have two people doing sex, but the same gender, which cannot lead to reproduction. Thus, taboo.
(3) Contraception - usage in sex, and sometimes with people of opposite genders, wow! But usually blocks reproduction. Thus, taboo.
(4) Abortion - stops the reproductive process (vs. murders a "baby" that started its "life" when egg was fertilized.) Thus, taboo.
So the reproductive drive underlies these "wars". Humans have some real intelligence, however, and deviate from simply following basic instincts. The Western Enlightenment has gradually enhanced the role of Self. To be sure sex as a pleasure drives both reproduction and self (hence, contraception). Repro-obsessives still hope to ban contraception as well. But the role of Self, originally confined to white males gradually expanded in some parts of the US. People kidnapped from Africa to work the fields were cost-effective replacements for low-paid white labor. Ironically, as they were (legally) freed by the first Civil War and the Thirteenth Amendment, the other form of slavery was spreading state-by-state: Involuntary servitude in the uterine field and forced birth (vaginal rape). Fertilized eggs are persons, but girls and women from puberty to menopause were untermenschen, but needed for sex to lead to reproduction.
The 1960s-1970s saw attempts to apply that Western enlightenment values to ALL Americans. But substantial successes, civil rights, ROE, anti-poverty, etc. brought intense reactionary backlash which we are experiencing, HOBBS, pro-Fascist (Presidential Immunity case), eliminating anti-bias in Federal contracting, etc., etc.
There is a lot to digest on your comments, Ken. Whew! Every living entity on this planet has a mission to reproduce. Even a virus. The only thing that separates humans from other living organisms is the ability to choose whether or not to reproduce. A consciousness of behavior and the ability to control response.
Human beings are also geared to seek pleasure, rather than to simply act on basic instincts. We require love in order to thrive.
Government has no role in human sexual behavior. Governments are not medical professionals nor should they be. Just as they are not psychologists, dictating how we should live our personal lives or when we should marry and produce offspring.
And so, the current white supremacy/Christofascist model of the American Way is extremely flawed. The dictates of church and state are choking the joy out of our lives. When there is a void of happiness, deviations such as depression and anger fill that space. As more of our rights are stripped from us, our culture will react with the side effects of despair.
We women are born and die just as men do. And we are the only ones who can give life. Why are we handing over our power to decide when and how we give life? Why are we not in the streets, voting, taking back control of our bodies? Just really hit me hard tonight.
2) Can you form a 501C3 for your effort to preserve documents so we can donate to it separately and in a way that is tax deductible? Or does your arrangement with Substack prohibit that kind of extracurricular thing? With some funding you could hire staff for it. You’re busy enough already.
Jessica, speaking of coercion! When a girl or woman is forced to risk death with an unsafe abortion provider (via sepsis or hemorrhage) vs. submitting to involuntary servitude in the uterine field and forced birth (rape from the inside out), that's not coercion? But they believe that a fertilized egg is a one-cell "baby" so they do pro-slave things to girls and women in accordance with: (1) their Confederate master-slave, dominator-submissive culture of centuries and (2) the substantial Papal influence is congenial to the ancient (pre-Christian) Pythagorean cult ensoulment doctrine that there is a "Spirit of Life" in the product of conception (fertilized egg). This religious speculation is an intellectual expression of the reproductive drive, but without any respect for the lives, safety, or freedom of (female) humans. The universal drive to reproduce is in all animals, but humans are supposed to have moral boundaries around their animal drives. Not so much for slavers! Let's borrow a dramatic word from Trump, our plotting fascist wanna be, "FIGHT!" "FIGHT!" "FIGHT!"
I’m so so glad you got all the CDC documents! First good news I’ve seen today. Scary AF that they removed all of that, but so glad it’s going to be all in one place.
“extremist billionaire dollars.” Why the fuck do these people care about abortion? They can literally have everything they want and instead of just enjoying their ill gotten gains they need to make sure sluts can’t have sex without consequences? Because it’s definitely not the babies these assholes s care about. I understand the psychotic so called Christians more than uber wealthy anti abortion crowd. Their money could allow them to live in a bubble of their own making but no, they choose to come fuck with mine.
Hopefully Carpenter won’t do anything stupid like traveling to Louisiana to beard the hillbillies in their den. Much safer to fight this battle from her home ground where she’s safe.
You couldn’t pay me to live anywhere in the former Confederacy.
Is there any way we can help this mother? GoFundMe for a really great attorney to represent her? I am probably naive but I am so upset! Love what everyone is saying.
For now, no extradition, which is what I'd expect:
"New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a video posted on social media, ' will never, under any circumstances, turn this doctor over to the state of Louisiana under any extradition requests,' signaling a potential legal battle between the states."
I hope "under any circumstances" includes Hochul refusing to abide by any ruling by the Supreme Court of the Federalist Society in favor of Louisiana. Let's see how the American public feels about the Trump militia pulling a doctor out of her home and sending her to Gilead on the Gulf.
The “parental rights” crowd sure seems to have changed their tune here, whether it was “coerced” or not. We don’t know that it was. If they can invoke “parental rights” to force a teenager to carry to term, why does it not seem to apply if a mother wants to help her teenage daughter have an abortion?
And also, why shouldn't a parent be able to force a teen, a minor, to get an abortion? It ought to be illegal for a minor to bring a pregnancy to term and against the law for any adult to assist them in this.
The State Court Report has a piece by Mary Ziegler, "In States with Abortion Bans, When Does a Medical Emergency Trigger an Exception?" (Jan. 28, 2025, https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/states-abortion[...]. It covers Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Ziegler reports that the supreme courts of Texas, Idaho, and Iowa have held that their bans are NOT unlawful on the basis of inadequate medical exceptions. (The cases are State v. Zurawski, from Texas, Planned Parenthood Northwest v. State (Idaho) and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland v. Reynolds (Iowa). Chief Justice Susan Christensen dissented in the Iowa case, pointing out "Nothing promotes life like a forced hysterectomy preventing a woman from ever becoming pregnant again because she could not terminate a doomed pregnancy under the medical emergency exception."
However, Ziegler cited state court decisions "modestly broadening" exceptions. Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice v. Drummond (Okla) finds an inherent right to abortion to rpeserve the pregnant person's life, as determined by a doctor to a reasonable degree of medical certainty or probability. Pregnant people should not be required to wait until "actual and present danger" occurs to terminate a dangerous pregnancy. Other Oklahoma supreme court cases disapproved restrictions about ultrasound, board certification, and hospital privileges that limit this right.
North Dakota's Wrigley v. Romanick also recognizes a fundamental right to terminate pregnancy to preserve life or health.
Indiana's Medical Licensing Board v. Planned Parenthood says that the state constitution does not guarantee a broad right of abortion access--but does provide a right to abortion to protect the patient against death or serious health risk.
Ziegler also discusses some important lower court cases--but, because they are lower court cases, they might be overturned by higher courts.
Super weird that they are not indicting the rapist.
As a deeper dive into my last post of a few minutes ago, I want to tie together some of the so-called culture wars. Start with three basic animal drives: for Sex, for Reproduction, and for Self. Consider the following TABOOS:
(1) Masturbation - a sexual activity which cannot lead to reproduction. Thus, taboo.
(2) Homosexual Sex - now we have two people doing sex, but the same gender, which cannot lead to reproduction. Thus, taboo.
(3) Contraception - usage in sex, and sometimes with people of opposite genders, wow! But usually blocks reproduction. Thus, taboo.
(4) Abortion - stops the reproductive process (vs. murders a "baby" that started its "life" when egg was fertilized.) Thus, taboo.
So the reproductive drive underlies these "wars". Humans have some real intelligence, however, and deviate from simply following basic instincts. The Western Enlightenment has gradually enhanced the role of Self. To be sure sex as a pleasure drives both reproduction and self (hence, contraception). Repro-obsessives still hope to ban contraception as well. But the role of Self, originally confined to white males gradually expanded in some parts of the US. People kidnapped from Africa to work the fields were cost-effective replacements for low-paid white labor. Ironically, as they were (legally) freed by the first Civil War and the Thirteenth Amendment, the other form of slavery was spreading state-by-state: Involuntary servitude in the uterine field and forced birth (vaginal rape). Fertilized eggs are persons, but girls and women from puberty to menopause were untermenschen, but needed for sex to lead to reproduction.
The 1960s-1970s saw attempts to apply that Western enlightenment values to ALL Americans. But substantial successes, civil rights, ROE, anti-poverty, etc. brought intense reactionary backlash which we are experiencing, HOBBS, pro-Fascist (Presidential Immunity case), eliminating anti-bias in Federal contracting, etc., etc.
There is a lot to digest on your comments, Ken. Whew! Every living entity on this planet has a mission to reproduce. Even a virus. The only thing that separates humans from other living organisms is the ability to choose whether or not to reproduce. A consciousness of behavior and the ability to control response.
Human beings are also geared to seek pleasure, rather than to simply act on basic instincts. We require love in order to thrive.
Government has no role in human sexual behavior. Governments are not medical professionals nor should they be. Just as they are not psychologists, dictating how we should live our personal lives or when we should marry and produce offspring.
And so, the current white supremacy/Christofascist model of the American Way is extremely flawed. The dictates of church and state are choking the joy out of our lives. When there is a void of happiness, deviations such as depression and anger fill that space. As more of our rights are stripped from us, our culture will react with the side effects of despair.
We women are born and die just as men do. And we are the only ones who can give life. Why are we handing over our power to decide when and how we give life? Why are we not in the streets, voting, taking back control of our bodies? Just really hit me hard tonight.
1) I thought New York had a shield law, no?
2) Can you form a 501C3 for your effort to preserve documents so we can donate to it separately and in a way that is tax deductible? Or does your arrangement with Substack prohibit that kind of extracurricular thing? With some funding you could hire staff for it. You’re busy enough already.
Perhaps a group of us could set up the 501c3 if Jessica may not.
Jessica, speaking of coercion! When a girl or woman is forced to risk death with an unsafe abortion provider (via sepsis or hemorrhage) vs. submitting to involuntary servitude in the uterine field and forced birth (rape from the inside out), that's not coercion? But they believe that a fertilized egg is a one-cell "baby" so they do pro-slave things to girls and women in accordance with: (1) their Confederate master-slave, dominator-submissive culture of centuries and (2) the substantial Papal influence is congenial to the ancient (pre-Christian) Pythagorean cult ensoulment doctrine that there is a "Spirit of Life" in the product of conception (fertilized egg). This religious speculation is an intellectual expression of the reproductive drive, but without any respect for the lives, safety, or freedom of (female) humans. The universal drive to reproduce is in all animals, but humans are supposed to have moral boundaries around their animal drives. Not so much for slavers! Let's borrow a dramatic word from Trump, our plotting fascist wanna be, "FIGHT!" "FIGHT!" "FIGHT!"
I’m so so glad you got all the CDC documents! First good news I’ve seen today. Scary AF that they removed all of that, but so glad it’s going to be all in one place.
Thank you for this work, Jessica. Thank you! xo
“extremist billionaire dollars.” Why the fuck do these people care about abortion? They can literally have everything they want and instead of just enjoying their ill gotten gains they need to make sure sluts can’t have sex without consequences? Because it’s definitely not the babies these assholes s care about. I understand the psychotic so called Christians more than uber wealthy anti abortion crowd. Their money could allow them to live in a bubble of their own making but no, they choose to come fuck with mine.
We all knew this day would come.
Hopefully Carpenter won’t do anything stupid like traveling to Louisiana to beard the hillbillies in their den. Much safer to fight this battle from her home ground where she’s safe.
You couldn’t pay me to live anywhere in the former Confederacy.
Louisiana is on my personal "do not fly" list.
I hear you. We used to go to New Orleans every other year but no more.
Somedays it’s hard to read your posts, but I do. I’ve upgraded my subscription becsuse I really appreciatr yhe work you do. Thank you.
Is there any way we can help this mother? GoFundMe for a really great attorney to represent her? I am probably naive but I am so upset! Love what everyone is saying.
For now, no extradition, which is what I'd expect:
"New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a video posted on social media, ' will never, under any circumstances, turn this doctor over to the state of Louisiana under any extradition requests,' signaling a potential legal battle between the states."
I hope "under any circumstances" includes Hochul refusing to abide by any ruling by the Supreme Court of the Federalist Society in favor of Louisiana. Let's see how the American public feels about the Trump militia pulling a doctor out of her home and sending her to Gilead on the Gulf.
The “parental rights” crowd sure seems to have changed their tune here, whether it was “coerced” or not. We don’t know that it was. If they can invoke “parental rights” to force a teenager to carry to term, why does it not seem to apply if a mother wants to help her teenage daughter have an abortion?
And also, why shouldn't a parent be able to force a teen, a minor, to get an abortion? It ought to be illegal for a minor to bring a pregnancy to term and against the law for any adult to assist them in this.
That’s a really great question but unfortunately these people aren’t logical.
The State Court Report has a piece by Mary Ziegler, "In States with Abortion Bans, When Does a Medical Emergency Trigger an Exception?" (Jan. 28, 2025, https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/states-abortion[...]. It covers Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Ziegler reports that the supreme courts of Texas, Idaho, and Iowa have held that their bans are NOT unlawful on the basis of inadequate medical exceptions. (The cases are State v. Zurawski, from Texas, Planned Parenthood Northwest v. State (Idaho) and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland v. Reynolds (Iowa). Chief Justice Susan Christensen dissented in the Iowa case, pointing out "Nothing promotes life like a forced hysterectomy preventing a woman from ever becoming pregnant again because she could not terminate a doomed pregnancy under the medical emergency exception."
However, Ziegler cited state court decisions "modestly broadening" exceptions. Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice v. Drummond (Okla) finds an inherent right to abortion to rpeserve the pregnant person's life, as determined by a doctor to a reasonable degree of medical certainty or probability. Pregnant people should not be required to wait until "actual and present danger" occurs to terminate a dangerous pregnancy. Other Oklahoma supreme court cases disapproved restrictions about ultrasound, board certification, and hospital privileges that limit this right.
North Dakota's Wrigley v. Romanick also recognizes a fundamental right to terminate pregnancy to preserve life or health.
Indiana's Medical Licensing Board v. Planned Parenthood says that the state constitution does not guarantee a broad right of abortion access--but does provide a right to abortion to protect the patient against death or serious health risk.
Ziegler also discusses some important lower court cases--but, because they are lower court cases, they might be overturned by higher courts.
Is this the right org? it only had 466 followers? https://www.theactgroup.org/