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Elizabeth crawford's avatar

Hi Jessica ,

I read your column daily . I recently spoke with Sandy Newman of Focus for Democracy . One of the projects they have supported is Couriernews.com which supports small newspapers in areas where readers mainly read about local news, but don't get much about what is at risk for them or others in elections . I mentioned that some of your real life stories might help wake up and move these potential voters. Would you be willing to be in email contact with Sandy and the young journalist who stated courier news?

I don't have an email for you.

Best

Elizabeth Crawford

Ebcrawfordpt@gmail.com

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Amber Seanez's avatar

I don't know how to express my feelings. I almost want her to get the abortion, and have Paxton try to prosecute some of the hospital staff. Maybe then a court will actually set a ruling saying ok, this is CRAZY, we're not putting hospital staff in prison for doing something legal. Then there would be precedence that could help others going forward The woman WANTS a healthy baby. Cruel seems too soft of a word to describe this....

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Zach's avatar

That's the test, but I wouldn't put anything past Texas. Idk how much longer things have to get worse before they can get better. We need the bravest to challenge the laws, but I can't fault anyone for getting care in secret instead. But yeah none of this is sustainable in the long term.

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Padma's avatar

There is something psychologically wrong with people like Paxton and so many other trump Republicans (and of course, with trump himself). These are not normal people. They are like ISIS, Taliban, Al Queda but in suit and tie.

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Amber Seanez's avatar

I agree. ISIS would probably let you get the abortion

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Ian Mark Sirota's avatar

In true Ken Paxton fashion, he has vowed to prosecute anyone involved in the abortion.

He is one sick, malicious, vindictive prick.

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ARS's avatar

Someone even commented somewhere (maybe NYTimes or WaPo) that he could target the judge for aiding and abetting the abortion! What a crazy thought. Can you imagine?

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Ian Mark Sirota's avatar

To call Texas a right-wing hellscape would be an understatement.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

May it bite him in the ass politically, and wake people who support that douchecanoe the hell up.

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Anon's avatar

It’s a race to the bottom for these assholes. Ugh.

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Amber Seanez's avatar

I hope some Republican women come to their senses and don't re elect these monsters

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Anon's avatar

Me too. Imo I think abortion positions correlate pretty well with bad decisionmaking in general.

Can you handle complex situations? Do you have empathy? How do you view public good and the rule of law? Who are your close collaborators and affiliations? Who is “the public”?

I hope people don’t see it as an isolated issue that doesn’t affect them or their family/friends but tied irrevocably to our economy, our security, our democracy and freedoms.

Anti abortion policies make us dumber, poorer, less safe, and less free.

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Metis Thefly's avatar

Yes, and sicker.

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Anon's avatar

💯 in my rage I missed the most obvious one. Lol. 🤦‍♂️ Yes, banning abortion and other forms of health care and scaring away medical workers and closing maternity wards and making it harder for people to become medical workers makes us sicker and less healthy. It makes me wonder who is left in abortion deserts like Texas or Idaho who can perform the care effectively in 2023? If this continues who will be left in a few years? Then what? We haven’t hit bottom yet even from the current policies.

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Amber Seanez's avatar

What happens when Republican women have complications and there are no doctors in sight?

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Zach's avatar

Unfortunately somehow it will be the "liberals" fault for chasing all the doctors away. 🤦 When in doubt, double down on lies.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

They need to realize if they aren't rich enough, it will happen to them. I always think of the lady who was so passionately trumpist...until he had her husband deported as an illegal alien.

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Sky 777's avatar

The NYT reports:

“After the ruling, the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, sent a letter to top hospital officials in Houston, where Cox’s doctor practices, saying that Cox and hospital staff could still face criminal and civil penalties, despite the judge’s order.

Paxton wrote that the restraining order “will not insulate you, or anyone else.” He added that it would expire “long before the statute of limitations for violating Texas’ abortion laws expires.”

Fuck you Paxton you creepy lying cheating fraudster criminal.

Paxton doesn’t need to take it to the TX Supreme Court. All he has to do is threaten the hospital, doctor, and other involved healthcare workers. He should take a really long walk off a very short pier.

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Heather S's avatar

Watch the state declare them unfit parents and take away their children if they go ahead with an abortion. Texas=hell.

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Jennifer's avatar

Are these anti-abortion groups now offering to PAY for necessary post-natal palliative care and the mother's mental health care?

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Yvonne Caruthers's avatar

My. God! That vile lawyer who said “her life isn’t sufficiently in danger”—-is he married? Does he go home at night and say “Hi honey, great day in court today!” Does his spouse welcome him home with open arms? (I tried to find info on him online, and frankly, I can’t tell if he’s married or not, but a lot of the other monsters involved most definitely are….)

I don’t know about the rest of you (women) but I”d be furious if a boyfriend or husband or brother argued in court that a woman’s life is so worthless.

What do we do with our rage?

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Faryl's avatar

It just gets crueler, more misogynistic and, frankly, like state sanctioned femicide. I keep saying "Oh my god, oh my god." Yeah...and it ain't over 'til it's over." Remember consciousness raising groups? I need a group to help me stay sane during a very dark time in our history as "The Land of the Free." People of color aren't free. Women aren't free. LGBTQ+ people aren't free...who am I missing here? Thanks for reading my cry of despair...

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Talk About Choice's avatar

It is cruel to force a woman to carry a pregnancy knowing the baby will likely not survive. Imagine having to go 4-5 months knowing the baby is just getting bigger and you will have to see it die, if it survives the birth. An abortion is safer than childbirth. Imagine having to work or take care of other children that whole time. How is that the compassionate approach? The compassionate approach is letting the woman decide what is best for her and her family and not having others judge her because they don't have all the facts and don't know what it is like to live her life. Ahhhhh!!!!! I hope they are doing the abortion right now.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

Republicans are emotionally castrated, and only care if it happens to them. They can't even fake empathy!

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BF's avatar

This case helps make the point to all 3 branches of our government that there is no one on the planet better equipped or more appropriate to provide medical advice to a woman than her physician.

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Jeremy Howard's avatar

https://x.com/AliceOllstein/status/1732857131081097419?s=20

“NEW: A Texas court ruled today that a woman undergoing a medical emergency *could* legally obtain an abortion reproductiverights.org/temporary-rest…

The state's AG is threatening to prosecute her doctors anyway.”

Vile

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QOTM31's avatar

“Every child is uniquely precious and should continue to be protected in law no matter how long or short the baby’s life may be."

So they are lobbying for unlimited government funding for in home nursing care, caregiver support, full coverage for all lifetime medical care, specialized transportation, etc. for every disabled child in the US?

No, no they aren't

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Suzanne Mullins's avatar

I have often thought that the disabled, especially those born with extra chromosomes, are kept alive because their numbers are relatively low. We dont need to imagine the worldwide outcry if those numbers grew -- we had it with Zika.

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Metis Thefly's avatar

The life of the "child" will be protected unless it becomes so long that she grows up to be a woman, in which case it isn't worth shit.

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Sue Connaughton's avatar

So, we can be reasonably certain that the state of Texas will appeal. Does Ms. cox have to wait to see if an appeal is filed? What would an appeal mean in terms of Ms. Cox’s ability to have the abortion now- today? The ruling today is great but if the doctor and hospital are fearful of an appeal, might they still refuse to carry out the abortion?

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TerriRBG's avatar

According to the NYTimes: “After the ruling, Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to top hospital officials in Houston, where Ms. Cox’s doctor practices, saying she and hospital staff could still face criminal and civil penalties, despite the judge’s order.”

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Sue Connaughton's avatar

Shocking, yet truly believable because…cruelty is the point.

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D.M.K.'s avatar

I would like to know the answers that you are asking too! Means while, I would have gone to another state before or now before this trial.

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JaneFleesTexas's avatar

I’m in Texas and overwhelmed by anger at the GOP here most times. I look forward to the day they realize they cannot control every single woman’s body and our abortion rights are restored here. I’ve wanted to move but my family is here, my friends and a job I love. They’re the ones that need to change.

I also wanted to bring this to your attention, forgive me for not knowing another way of contacting you. It’s a FOX opinion piece likening medication abortion to “chemical coat hanger”, calls abortion “major abdominal surgery” and that women are going to have to dispose of their “babies” at home. I have heard these same talking points from Students for Life and wanted to point out the hypocrisy of these groups claiming they care about women’s feelings regarding abortion while stigmatizing it, and literally not giving some women any choice but to use medication abortion. I hope you can cover this misinformation as well, forgive me if you have. I listen to most of your posts and appreciate everything you do.

https://apple.news/Ag53Ap2wMSEeAUIqUgcUjkw

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Gail Polevoi's avatar

Leave it to Fox News to keep spreading more lies. Thank you for the link to that outrageous story. And good for you for keeping up the fight in Texas. Sending you moral support from California! We will not have our rights until we ALL have our rights.

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JaneFleesTexas's avatar

Thank you for your support! I don’t normally read FOX “news”, just follow alerts for abortion rights/anti-abortion movement. Unfortunately, I have seen the same talking points in Newsweek opinion pieces, from the (sorry) slimy Lila Rose. Apparently medical misinformation is given a platform when under the “opinion” sections.

I have been sickened and angry that women now have to debate/vote on the right to control our own bodies/healthcare, but relived at the overwhelming support. The only good thing to come from this I hope will be even more access to birth control (OTC), medication abortion and abortion access being codified into national law. Roe/Casey were compromises. I’m no longer willing to compromise with these ghouls. These bans are clearly harming women not only with unwanted but wanted pregnancies, a fact which unfortunately I now know.

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