I'm so happy right now. So happy.

Nothing can rain on my parade today. HB2 in Texas was ruled unconstitutional today in the Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt case.

THANK GOODNESS.

Just over three years ago, I spent countless hours at the capitol with many other people fighting against HB2. I was there when Wendy Davis led the filibuster. I've never felt more connected to a group of activists rallied behind a singular cause in my life. It was really, really special. And it was devastating to know that in a special session, Texas republicans would barrel through with those restrictive and dangerous laws anyway.

So the relief that I feel today is immense. Three years of building anxiety are lifted--and that's just from me, as a privileged person, who hasn't even been unduly burdened by this disgusting legislation.

Thank you, SCOTUS...(specifically Breyer, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Ginsburg) THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

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I have some questions

[Content note: detailed discussion or abortion. Includes mentions of rape and medical procedures.]

With the anniversary of Wendy Davis' filibuster last week, some really disheartening and outright upsetting Supreme Court decisions, and some recent personal interactions, the topic of abortion rights and reproductive choices has been on my mind.

It's no secret that I am unapologetically pro-choice. I think I have made that case here thoroughly. But right now my head is swirling with all the questions that I want to ask the people on the right, or those who identify as "pro-life" because these questions are what weigh on my mind when I consider this issue.

This isn't a comprehensive or even well articulated post on the subject of reproductive rights. If you need that, click elsewhere. But it is a list of questions I have for those folks...and stuff I need to get off my chest right now.

No Justice. None.

It's been a rough past few days. Friday night, I watched the anti abortion omnibus bill pass the Texas State Senate. Saturday night we learned that George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin.

My heart is so heavy. Earlier today, I was listening to the rebroadcast of Friday's Tell Me More and their weekly barbershop segment. Everyone was making their predictions about the verdict. The consensus was that Zimmerman would at the very least be found guilty of manslaughter. Knowing how things actually went down, it was almost too painful to listen to.

From the very beginning, I have felt that George Zimmerman acted on racist impulse and that this whole thing is mired in racism. As I wrote in March of 2012, Zimmerman knew nothing about Trayvon Martin other than what he SAW in that moment. We know that Martin was unarmed and doing literally nothing wrong. We know that Zimmerman shot him point blank in the heart. But even if you can't see the racism in these facts, you should at least be able to see them in this verdict. We apparently value the life of a black teenage boy so lowly, that the man who admits he killed him... will do no time.

Even teens who text and drive and kill someone in a resulting car accident have done SOME time.

Some people have postulated, how would this have gone if Zimmerman was black and Martin was white? It's a valid question and I just don't think you can make the case that the results would be the same. In fact, what stands in greatest contrast to the Zimmerman trial outcome is the case of a black Florida woman, Marissa Alexander, who got 20 years for firing warning shots into the air at her abusive ex.

Read that again. Warning shots at her abusive ex...20 years. I want to puke when I think about it. How can we pretend that we have a "justice" system when this is what's happening?

A quote from bell hooks' "All About Love" has been floating around in the wake of this decision. It is an important quote in general, but especially poignant right now:

White supremacy has taught him that all people of color are threats irrespective of their behavior. Capitalism has taught him that, at all costs, his property can and must be protected. Patriarchy has taught him that his masculinity has to be proved by the willingness to conquer fear through aggression; that it would be unmanly to ask questions before taking action. Mass media then brings us the news of this in a newspeak manner that sounds almost jocular and celebratory, as though no tragedy has happened, as though the sacrifice of a young life was necessary to uphold property values and white patriarchal honor. Viewers are encouraged to feel sympathy for the white male home owner who made a mistake. The fact that this mistake led to the violent death of an innocent young man does not register; the narrative is worded in a manner that encourages viewers to identify with the one who made the mistake by doing what we are led to feel we might all do to “protect our property at all costs from any sense of perceived threat." This is what the worship of death looks like.

Trudy at Gradient Lair has an amazing piece up called "The Verdict Of 'Not Valuable' Was Delivered On Black Life. Again." I agree completely that this is what the verdict is saying. And it's what both this case and the anti abortion omnibus bill have in common. (Again, that bill will close the clinics in rural areas that serve almost exclusively women of color and present an undue burden to obtaining abortions for those people specifically. If/when it goes into effect, people WILL die from back alley procedures.)

Everywhere we turn, the measure of a life that matters is whiteness.

I have nothing else to say.


Related reading:
Alex Fraser's Facebook message for Zimmerman
Racialicious' compilation on the subject
Melissa McEwan on the verdict
The Public Shaming blog has a piece up showing the depths of our racist society (content note: racist slurs)
100 Black activists respond to Zimmerman's acquittal 




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Intersectionalism Has a Long Way to Go, Even on the Left

I promise, someday, I will write about something other than my experience standing in opposition to the omnibus anti-abortion legislation here in Texas. Someday, but not today.

Yesterday was another long day at the capitol. I worked from 9-2 and then assisted with whatever Planned Parenthood needed including managing lines and feeding volunteers from 2-midnight. If I may whine for a minute, my back has really taken a hit from being on my feet all day. It's started spasming, which is a new and scary thing.

Anyway, my experiences yesterday (and over the course of this process in general) have reminded me that feminism and progressive movements are still unfortunately far from inclusive. Here's a quick run down of several things I have noticed:



1) The main coalition of prochoice organizations has run off shirts that read, "Stand with Texas women." While this is better than the antis' condescending "Protect women," it is still cissexist and denies the reality that many people who do not identify as women need access to abortion. This exclusive phrasing of the entire campaign I'm sure has felt very disheartening to many who are not represented under the label "women." I think the organizations involved are wary of politicizing words like "choice" but "Texas stands for choice" would have been a better alternative, in my opinion. (Edited to add: It's also been pointed out to me that the "stand" verb is abelist, so I feel we must take that into consideration too.)

This concern is a big problem that I see with mainstream prochoice politics in general. For example, I saw a tweet going around the other day that said something to the effect of "This isn't just a reproductive issue, it's a women's issue." I believe the intent of this was to help people see how reproductive access is inherently tied into gender politics as a whole, but the reductionist language of "women" perpetrates trans* erasure.  As Jane Doe, MD tweeted earlier today,

Trans* inclusiveness to me is inherent to feminism, bc biological determinism & essentialism is the unthinkable alternative...Feminism needs to not just be trans* inclusive, but explicitly advocate for trans* people. Otherwise we let gender based oppression prosper.

2) So. Many. Ableist. Slurs. As someone who is handing out food, I occupy a space of special joy in many tired, frustrated prochoice activists' minds. As such, they come over to grab a bite and vent about what they're seeing and unfortunately, that frequently dissolves into calling antis every possible version of "crazy" they can think of. (One person even ranted to me about how "the other side is truly mental.") I try to mirror back non-stigmatizing language in regards to my own frustration with antis, but there's so little than I can do in these 20 second interactions to address the issue.

Too often words like "crazy" have become short hand for people who we disagree with or don't like. We see antis with signs that say incredibly offensive things, so the visceral reaction is to attack them back. But the result when the words we use have an ableish intent is that the non-neurotypical prochoicers who are all around us feel isolated from the movement.

And while we're talking about ableism, can we just stop for a minute and acknowledge that Wendy Davis wouldn't have even been able to filibuster last week if she was not physically able to stand for those 13 hours. Seriously. It's in the Texas law...a senator MUST stand to conduct a filibuster, regardless of their personal physical circumstances. Furthermore, I read that there were accessibility issues for the buildings and rooms involved, which presented real challenges to citizens participating in this process.

How messed up is that?

3) Tons of people feel the need to share their thoughts on the nature of the food donated, usually with the intent to fat shame and body and/or food police. So as a food passer-outer, I have a front row seat for all the weight/food related comments. Every 5th person makes some comment about how they "shouldn't take another cookie" or are "going to have to run an extra mile after this." Others bemoan that we need more "healthy" options or go with the whole, "well I guess I can be bad today" angle. As a happily fat person, who has learned to embrace who I am despite the chorus of "you're not good enoughs!" it is particularly frustrating to have so many people share their very personal food and health related values out loud over and over and over. The food that is provided by generous people from all over the country is to help sustain us as we engage with the political process. As such, it needs to be cost effective, easily available for delivery, and come in mass quantities.

That means that it's not going to work for everyone...and that's OK. What's not OK is sharing possibly triggering food/body thoughts with everyone else around the table.




As I've said before, I have been infinitely impressed with how diverse the people who have come together over this issue are. I've interacted with people of so many backgrounds, ages, and gender expressions, who hail from all over the state.

But if our movement is still marginalizing people, then we're doing it wrong.

I do not intend to needlessly criticize my fellow prochoicers who have been out there day after day...I admire our spirit and I'm proud to be a part of this. I just want us to be better, because the fact of the matter is that unless this movement addresses all of its own oppressive elements, it is inherently flawed and incomplete.



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More Dispatches from the Front Lines of Choice

[Content note: rape]

So since I've last written, things are getting worse! As of right now, the House passed SB5, the 24 hour waiting period has been suspended for the senate, and it's hitting their floor. I wish I could get out there now, but I will have to wait until this evening. I'm trying to keep my chin up, but things aren't looking good. The idea was to delay this to the end of the special session Tuesday...just run the clock out, but Lieutenant Gov. Dewhurst has said Gov. Perry may just call another special session anyway. The fact of the matter is that the Republicans have the votes they need.

SIGH.

Anyway, all day yesterday I was at the capitol with over 1,000 other people in orange making our pro-choice presence known. I was passing out t-shirts with Planned Parenthood and helping to keep our overflow room (that I've dubbed the Prochoice Lair) clean and stocked with refreshments.

[Image text: from inside the Texas Capitol Rotunda looking up at the three levels of pro-choice protesters. What you can't see is the 200-ish people on the ground floor with me.]

I was there when Representative Laubenberg made her now infamous comments. She said, "In the emergency room they have what's called rape kits where a woman can get cleaned out." in an attempt to refute an amendment that would be added to the law with an exemption for rape victims. Clearly her claim is incredibly damaging and erroneous, but beyond that, it carries the extra horrible implications that "good girls" go and get a rape kit done when they are "really" raped.

I want to scream.




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Planned Parenthood, Reproductive Rights, and Fighting the Same Battles Over Again

This Thursday is Planned Parenthood's lobby day here in Texas. If you are familiar with Texas politics at all, then I don't have to tell you that you know Planned Parenthood is constantly under attack.

No seriously--there are distinct actions that the state Republicans in general and Rick Perry in specific have brought forward to attack Planned Parenthood. And beyond Planned Parenthood, they have also launched an all out assault on women's health programs and family planning. Take the last legislative session (2011)--not only was family planning funding cut by 60%, but they also introduce the sonogram law. And last year, Texas opted out of millions of federal dollars for the Women's Health Program, just because they wanted to exclude Planned Parenthood from the program. It goes far beyond an opposition to abortion and into ridiculous encroachments on who women can use as their healthcare provider.

Planned Parenthood, a tireless advocate for reproductive rights, is no rookie in this fight. So they're holding their 2013 lobby day on Thursday. I decided that I'd finally take advantage of the community service day my employer allows, and signed up to participate.

I went to the training for lobby day yesterday and in addition to being highly motivated by the stats, laws, and financial impacts the trainers shared, I was also motivated by the frustration shared by my fellow volunteers. Especially the older men and women who were so angry that they were having to do this again. It's a common sentiment; people who were active during the second wave fought really hard for these issues to be settled, but here we are, having to actively fight for it all again.

Each time I've rallied in support of reproductive rights here in Texas, I've interacted with older people sharing this sentiment. I can't blame them--how frustrating it must be to be back at something you thought was tackled 40 years ago?

I want them to know that the younger people in the room like me heard them. We're there with them and we don't take for granted what they did.

And I want everyone to know that active participation as a citizen doesn't stop at voting--it's so important to take other actions in support of the policy you believe in. That's why I'm putting my beliefs into action and will be there on Thursday lobbying my representatives. If you are a Texan and you can make it out to the capital on Thursday, please sign up for lobby day. If you can't make it for the whole day, there will also be a rally at 10:45am. And if you are unable to make it at all, write a letter or email or place a call to your representative. Show your support! This stuff matters, y'all.

Related reading:
Everything is Bigger in Texas, Including my Disappointments
WTF, Texas?
Being Viewed as Pre Pregnant
Texas is Reminding Me I'm Just a Baby Vessel Again

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Life Update and What I'm Reading

I wish I had more time to write. I really do. I don't think I've mentioned much about my current work situation, but I received a promotion about a month ago. Right now I'm extremely busy...but good busy. I'm learning and getting out in the community and I feel really excited and happy about it all. (Not busy like before my event when I wanted to rip my hair out.)

However, the result is that I haven't been able to keep up as much as I might like on reading/writing. During my free time, I just want to veg and do everything possible to turn my brain off. And when I do write lately, it hasn't had as much substance to it as I would like.

I'm not sure if this is the pitfalls of my current position in general or if it's more temporary and just the  learning period that happens with a new job. Either way, I'm trying to bear through it.

In the meantime, here are a few things which HAVE caught my eye as of late, even if I don't have the energy to put my own spin on them.

1) As reported on Shakesville, and numerous other feminist spaces, Matt Lauer is the worst. Relatedly, Anne Hathaway is great. She apparently had a mishap recently where her crotch was photographed when she was getting out of a car.

Today, Hathaway went on the Today show to promote Les Mis, and Matt Lauer, who is a fucking dirtbag, not only treated this like it's FUCKING NEWS, but MADE A JOKE ABOUT IT, talked to GROWN-ASS WOMAN ANN HATHAWAY like a condescending patriarch, and acted like she owed a goddamn apology for it.

...Later, Lauer OF COURSE presses Hathaway about her weight loss for the role, despite the fact she has repeatedly tried to avoid talking about it. Hathaway retorted: "I didn't do it to get hot, I did it to look like I was dying."

2) Persephone has a wonderful list of body positive gift ideas up for the holidays. I am almost done with Hot & Heavy and I fucking love it.

3) "My" governor, Rick Perry, is up to his usual douchiness regarding abortion. As reported at Think Progress, Perry said on Tuesday, "To be clear, my goal, and the goal of many of those joining me here today, is to make abortion, at any stage, a thing of the past."

Why are there no term limits in Texas again?

Texas is Reminding Me I'm Just a Baby Vessel Again

So I saw a commercial three times this afternoon for Texas' latest health initiative. It's called "Someday Starts Now" and it's all about how I should be taking care of myself because I plan on being pregnant someday.

Not that I should take care of myself for me. Nope. It's about the future baby.

I wish I could find the commercial online, because it is deeply annoying to me, but all I have is the website. Here's the text from the women's page:

Healthy choices now mean a healthy life later.
Maybe you’re planning for a baby someday. Or maybe you don’t see children in your future. Either way, as a woman, it’s important to focus on your health now. The information and advice here can help you be as healthy and well prepared as possible — for whatever is down the road.

Did you catch that? The site is pretending to be about health for women generally, but it really boils down to the fact that you might someday be a fetus cooker, so get that baby vessel in shape, you silly womern!

At first glace I thought, hey, maybe the site isn't so bad because it at least offers a page for men too. Except when I clicked through, I realized the page for men is actually for real expecting fathers...check it:

Be a great dad before your baby is even born.
Your partner is pregnant. But this isn’t just happening to her. The truth is that everything you do over the next 40 weeks matters a lot to your baby. Stay informed and stay involved throughout her pregnancy, and you’ll be giving your child a great chance at a strong and healthy start in life.

Oh hey, heterosexism! And not only that, but the idea of the overall purpose of the site is that ALL women are pre-pregnant, but men use this resource when there is an actual pregnancy involved. It's annoying and insulting and takes a reductionist view of women.

Ok, this isn't the worst thing Texas has done to women, I get that. But, you know...I might not be so sensitive and annoyed by this initiative if this wasn't such a deeply anti-choice state all around.

I might think that this was a helpful resource for people who want babies, if it felt like the state was supporting us in our ability to actually CHOOSE when to reproduce. But instead, I live in a state where things like the women's health program are in constant jeopardy, family planning services are almost always under attack, every conceivable obstacle to abortion has been put in place, and daily life reminds me that I'm just a baby vessel.

To put it simply: It's all annoying the shit out of me. So forgive me if I don't get warm fuzzies at this new program.

Oh, Male Opinions...

I'm not a man hater. (This is the part where trolls will foam at the mouth because YER A FEMINIST, YES YOU DO HATE MENZ.) But seriously...anyone who actually reads what I write or knows me "IRL" can tell you that I am definitely not a man hater.

That aside, I'm not ashamed to say, I sure am getting tired of hearing white male opinions this week. And by week, I mean IN LIFE, but you know, this week particularly.

Let me just run through a few gems.

The Consequences of a Sex Negative and Anti-Choice World

Content note: This post is about a really sad, disturbing news story regarding a Florida teen who killed her baby shortly after giving birth at home in secret. 

I'm incredibly sad right now.

I just read this story on a friend's Facebook.

A 14-year-old girl who authorities say secretly gave birth to a son and then strangled him, will be prosecuted as an adult. Cassidy Goodson is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She was arrested Sept. 28 after deputies say she gave birth to a 9.5-pound boy in the bathroom of her house. Detectives say she used a pair of scissors to "pry the baby out," and delivered the child alive and into the toilet. She then strangled him with the umbilical cord still attached and put him in a shoebox, according to detectives. The girl's mother found the baby in the box, hidden in some laundry. Detectives say the girl hid her pregnancy from her family. According to officials with the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the high school freshman killed her baby because she "didn't know what to do with it" and "didn't want the relationship with her parents to change."

I'm so, so sad. But not just because a baby was murdered...I'm sad about every detail of this story. I can't help but think of the girl in the story too. What level of desperation must she have achieved? Clearly she was afraid of telling her parents that she was pregnant....and what, exactly, what going on with them? What type of communication was occurring, or more likely NOT occurring, in that family? What level of denial was present? What messages were sent to this 14 year old about sex?

I'm not trying to absolve this child from what she did. What went down in that bathroom is beyond troubling behavior and it makes me suspect that there is much more going on for this young woman than the story above states. I, of course, have no clue what the full details are, and I have no idea what should be done. But, what I can tell you is that when I hear about these incidents (which are far too frequent, look at the "related stories" on that link above) I feel like we're all implicated.

Our culture, which actively shames sexual activity and suppresses reproductive choice, is at least one factor in situations where children get pregnant, ignore and/or hide the pregnancy for nearly 10 months, and then choose to kill their babies shortly after birth rather than face the consequences of telling their parents.

Think about it. What are the chances that this type of situation would occur in a world where teens had access to full, accurate information about sexuality and contraception? Would this be so prevalent if we all talked openly about sex? If we felt no shame or stigma in it? If we were comfortable using the pill and/or condoms, etc. when we choose to have sex? And in this hypothetical world, if a teen did get pregnant, would she have any reason to hide it from her parents? I'd think it would be much less likely, at least. She could be comfortable telling them, getting their help and support, and making choices that would be best for her.

Sigh.

I'm seriously just so sad about this.

I mean, honestly, how long will we keep going with sex negativity and anti-choice policies before we will take a good, long look at what's going on and admit that this path makes no sense?

Being Viewed as Pre-Pregnant

Apparently, pregnancy testing in bars is a discussion that is being had. Personally--I find that whole thing to be a whole lot of "Huh? What?" But reading the commentary over at Feministe did get my wheels turning about something that I interact with on an almost daily basis.

You see, there's a law here in Texas that requires "establishments selling alcohol for onpremise consumption, such as restaurants and bars, to post signs on men’s and women’s bathroom doors that remind the public of the health risks posed to unborn children when pregnant women drink alcohol." Here's the sign I'm talking about:

Why Narrowly Define Rape? (Hint: Rape Culture and Being Anti-Choice)

TW rape talk.

By now, I'm sure you've heard about how Republican Senate candidate and current Missouri Representative Todd Akin said, "...from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare...If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

For further reading on this situation, I suggest you check out Shakesville's running coverage on the topic. If all of this doesn't make your head explode, I first must ask: WHY?! But I assume you are a decent human being and your head is thoroughly exploded. After you've picked your brains off the floor, I'd like to talk for a minute about why people attempt to narrowly define rape. As Ian Millhiser wrote at Think Progress, Akin (with our current republican VP nominee) has been in the business of trying to dismiss certain types of rape for a while:

Last year, Akin joined with GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as two of the original co-sponsors of the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” a bill which, among other things, introduced the country to the bizarre term “forcible rape.”

HUH? What the hell does that mean anyway? What is forcible and what isn't? And what rape isn't forcible? Furthermore, why in the hell would a representative be in the business of categorizing rape types? Does that create JOBS?

OH WAIT...as Millhiser continues:

Federal law prevents federal Medicaid funds and similar programs from paying for abortions. Yet the law also contains an exception for women who are raped. The bill Akin and Ryan cosponsored would have narrowed this exception, providing that only pregnancies arising from “forcible rape” may be terminated. Because the primary target of Akin and Ryan’s effort are Medicaid recipients — patients who are unlikely to be able to afford an abortion absent Medicaid funding — the likely impact of this bill would have been forcing many rape survivors to carry their rapist’s baby to term.

Aaaaaand there is it. This is ultimately about controlling people's bodies and forced pregnancy. Really think about that. Akin's policies and statements are made from such a disturbingly anti-choice place that they are aimed at forcing someone to carry their rapist's baby. But most people don't really like that idea, so of course he is trying to say "If you got pregnant you weren't really raped!" I mean, we all know that rape victims are really just lying hussies who wanted it. Duh.

Sarcasm aside, I've said this before and I will say it again: narrowly defining rape helps no one but rapists. It perpetuates rape culture. If we doubt and deny that women are raped unless some arbitrary standard is met (a stranger attacks a modestly dressed virgin in an alley way and she fights like hell the whole time and doesn't get pregnant) we allow for the continuation of rapes which don't fit this standard. And a majority of rapes don't meet that standard. So rape continues.

And who ultimately benefits when rape is normalized? Is it women?

It's a Big Day in Mississippi

Edited to add: the decision has come down and the law continues to be blocked! YAAAAAY! Keep reading to see why I think that the judge has made the right decision.

An anti-abortion law is going before judges in Mississippi today. I'm really crossing my fingers on this one and hoping that anti-choice extremists are again put at bay by the more reasonable individuals in MS.

The law in question would require all abortion providers to be board certified OB-GYNs who have admitting privileges to a local hospital. If you don't know much about medical systems, this sounds pretty reasonable. If you dig a bit deeper you learn that this act would strategically result in the closure of MS's only abortion clinic, Jackson Women's Health Organization.

Don't Mess With Texas Women!

Tonight, a few friends and I went to Planned Parenthood's Don't Mess With Texas Women event at the state capital building. God, was it ever powerful to stand there with so many other people who are sick as hell of women's health paying the price for anti-choice extremeist views.

The War on Women (and Anyone Who Needs or Cares About Reproductive Health)

I was going to write a happy blog today about family of choice. I'll get to that another day, because today I found out Texas is banning the participation of Planned Parenthood from the Texas Women's Health Program. According to Emily Ramshaw at The Texas Tribune:

A Picture Worth a Thousand Tears

A coworker had warned me that this was going on today...but it wasn't until I saw this photo on Shakesville that it really hit me. This image is from a hearing against the Obama administration's requirement for employers to provide birth control to their employees.

Susan G. Komen Foundation: Extremism Over Mammograms

This post is a part of my “Out of the Kitchen” weekly column at The Progressive Playbook in which various news and pop culture items will be examined through a feminist lens.

My mom is a breast cancer survivor.

When she was diagnosed in early December of 2009, I was just 20 days short of the biggest transition of my young life. I was moving 1,100 miles away from everyone I knew. Of course, the idea of leaving my family at a time when my mom would need more support than ever was terrifying. That Christmas, 3 days before my departure, I gave her a Susan G. Komen shirt. I had a matching one. I wanted her to wear it and know that I was thinking about her no matter where I was.

WTF, Texas?

Trigger warning.

So Texas is in the business of rape. I know that's a pretty bold claim, so let me clarify.

Recently, in a HUGE win, the FBI decided to acknowledge what we all already knew and updated their definition of rape. It is now:

The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.

(Emphasis mine.) THEN, I see this shit from Hay Ladies:

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court Of Appeals is totally down with forcing doctors to tell women needless and harmful lies about consequences of abortion that don’t exist and have not been scientifically proven. They’ve ruled that Texas can enforce its forced trans-vaginal sonogram bill while it’s being challenged in court.

So what does that really mean? Well according to MedlinePlus, here is exactly what a transvaginal ultrasound (sonogram) is:

You will lie down on a table with your knees bent and feet in holders called stirrups. The health care provider will place a probe, called a transducer, into the vagina. The probe is covered with a condom and a gel. The probe sends out sound waves, which reflect off body structures. A computer receives these waves and uses them to create a picture. The doctor can immediately see the picture on a nearby TV monitor.

In other words, as Jessica Valenti said, "[People] seeking abortions in Texas can be legally vaginally penetrated against their wills." Because how are you truly consenting if you are coerced into having this done in order to obtain an abortion? By the very definition now accepted by the FBI, people in Texas who want an abortion but not a transvaginal sonogram can be raped.

There are no words.

All "Pro Life" Arguments Suck...Some are Worse Than Others

Seeing my recent spike in troll activity, it should be interesting to see what comments I have to filter out on this post. If you even think a pro choice thought, you're bound to get trolls. But, regardless, here goes...

I recently learned that Siri is anti choice (which is particularly sad to me because I just became an iPhone convert.) On Jezebel, I was linked through to a discussion about abortion on Gizmodo related to Siri's political stance. Of course I forgot to follow Internet rules 1-5: DON'T READ THE COMMENTS. The whole thing is, predictably, a cluster of anti choice nonsense, with some solidly logical pro choice comments thrown in to temper it.

There was one anti choice comment in particular, which I'd like to debunk in a moment. But before I do, for anyone interested in my general perspectives on abortion, you can check out my number of other posts on the subject. Ok, back to the comment that got under my skin. In the context of replying to some of the pro choice comments, one person said:

I have a couple of kids (7 months and 2 years old) and I will say that raising kids has been the most difficult and inconvenient thing I've ever done in my life. That said, I would give my life for my kids. They are so precious, and I would punch anyone who called them a parasite or uterus intruder.

Here are other anti choice statements which hit at this same point:

1) I'm a mom! I have no idea how anyone could pass up the opportunity to have this experience!
2) Now that I'm a parent, I could never be pro choice!
3) Being pregnant has totally change my stance on abortion. Once you feel that baby kick you just know that there's a little person growing in there.
4) What if your mom had aborted you?
5) How could anyone look at their own beautiful kids and support abortion?

This is one of those cases where I just get so sad that I have to explain why this line of "logic" is flawed. There is so, so much fail going on here. The biggest thing is what I keep coming back to over and over: if you are morally opposed to abortion, DON'T HAVE ONE. It is such a personal choice, that if pregnancy or parenting has changed how you feel about life and you now want to keep every child you conceive, then by all means, please do! If you consider the 3 week pregnancy in your uterus to be your baby, than GREAT, it is so! But the fact that you feel this was has literally no bearing on the life, feelings, and decisions of other women.

I cringe almost every time someone brings up their children as having ANY relevance on the abortion debate. Of course, people who have chosen to bring a child into this world love them and can't imagine their lives without them now! (I'm very sad for children who live in conditions which are anything less.)

So many kids are planned and even when they are not they often become "welcome surprises." Because we do have legal abortion, births that result from pregnancies in non-ideal situations usually have two situations 1) the mothers decide they do want to have the baby despite the obstacles or 2) the babies are put up for adoption and placed with families that very much want them. Whatever the case, more often than not, children grow up with parents who love them and don't say, "I should have aborted him/her."

All of this is grand, but it still has no relevance on the situations where the mother truly does not want or cannot carry a pregnancy to term. What about the implications of forcing a woman to carry a child to term? Or, to speak in "pro life" terms (since they don't seem to care about the life of the woman involved) what are the implications for a child born into that situation?

So when the commenter says they would give their life for their kids, that's FANTASTIC! That's their choice as a parent, but it, again, means nothing in the wider context of the abortion debate. It's a personal opinion, not an analysis of the policy. And for the record, no one is calling your kids parasites or uterus intruders. Those kids came from wanted pregnancies and they grew into the people they are today. It was never about whether or not those kids should exist. But what happens inside another woman's body really isn't up for us to mandate. Besides, frequently, women seek abortions because they have other children that they love and want to provide a full life to. That's a point which can also not be overlooked.

YAY Mississippi!

There's something I never thought I'd say...

It's looking good! I'm sitting here, watching a real time election results and it's too early to call it as I'm writing this. BUT should this post see the light of day, it means that the personhood amendment was defeated in Mississippi. That means that a (small?) majority of people in Mississippi understand at least one of the following things:

1. A fertilized egg is not a human being. It is a grouping of cells with the potential to become one. 
2. A fertilized egg should not have the same rights as actually born citizens.
3. Forcing a woman to carry a child robs her of 9 months of her life and produces yet another child into the world that the right wing wants born, but immediately ceases to care about once they are here. 
4. A small government stays out of uteruses. 
5. There are not many things more heinous than forcing a woman to carry her rapists' child. 
6. This amendment is misogynist.
7. There would be an EXTREMELY chilling affect of a law of this nature. Extremely.
8. Choice is a deeply personal thing that should be up to individual women, discussed under sound medical advice, and not legislated by the government. 

And by the time I finished writing this not even exhaustive list of things wrong with the personhood amendment, the site I was watching officially called it! YAY indeed!