Get That Boehner Away from America's Women!

Get That Boehner Away from America’s Women!

Or

America Must Rally Against GOP Anti-Choice Putsch

Emmett Doyle

            In 1973, Roe v Wade officially established the right of American women to control over their bodies and reproductive rights. Since that day, it has been under constant, unrelenting attack. This year may prove crucial in deciding its fate. As we speak, initiatives are underway on both state and federal levels to restrict access and rights to abortion.

The House has already voted to defund Planned Parenthood by halting Title X funding, which has, since 1970, allowed organizations like Planned Parenthood to provide lifesaving medical treatment to millions of women. One in five American women (including a good many pro-lifers) receive health care from Planned Parenthood, of those that do, six out of ten say it is their primary source of care.

The most ridiculous part of the defunding campaign in the continuing resolution, which also targets, among other things, teen pregnancy community grants, the Affordable Health Care Act, and the EPA’s ability to regulate air pollution, is that federal funding for abortions hasn’t happened since the 70s. All of the funding the Fed is cutting is coming out of the rest of Planned Parenthood’s services- providing contraceptive, cheap medical care, cancer and STI testing, and the like. The only way they’ll prevent any abortions with this is if they drive Planned Parenthood under- and then they’ll have done so at the expense of women’s health services. Of course, driving them under may actually increase the number of abortions, when one considers the 2.5 million people who receive contraceptives each year from the organization. Some 973,000 unintended pregnancies and 406,000 abortions are prevented each year by Planned Parenthood.

The defunding goes beyond the disenfranchisement of American women. The continuing resolution will also defund international family planning, AIDS fighting measures, the UN Population Fund, and foreign aid health services, and reinstate the global gag rule (The Mexico City Policy), forcing NGOs that receive any federal funding to refrain from performing or promoting abortion services- even if, like Planned Parenthood, their abortion services are not supported by the federal government.

In addition to the defunding, there is the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which would not only redefine rape as ‘forcible rape’ (apparently being drugged and brutalized doesn’t count anymore), and the Protect Life Act, which would allow any hospitals receiving federal funds to refuse to terminate a pregnancy- even when a woman’s life is in danger (yes, ladies, your lives matter less than the potential life of fetuses; and embryos; and zygotes).

The assault on choice is coming not only through the federal level, but through the states. South Dakota, Nebraska (where already woman have been forced to give birth to a child she knew would not survive due to the state’s ban on abortion after 20 weeks), and Iowa are all currently reviewing bills that would define ‘protection of the unborn’ as legitimate grounds for murder- effectively legalizing an open season on abortion providers. South Dakota has passed a bill that forces women to visit a ‘Crisis Pregnancy Center’ (centers run by religious organizations, infamous for their misleading claims) before getting an abortion, and Texas is about to pass another just like it. Pennsylvania, Kansas, Virginia, Florida, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Ohio are all considering ‘Heartbeat Bills’ that would make abortion illegal after a heartbeat is detected (between eighteen days and five weeks). One bill in Georgia goes beyond crazy- it demands that all miscarriages (which make up about a quarter of all pregnancies) be investigates to make sure that there was no human involvement. Rep. Franklin (GOP), the man who introduced the bill, also introduced a measure to redefine rape victims as ‘accusers’ until defendants were proven guilty (because apparently, a crime didn’t happen until the perpetrator of that crime has been identified and convicted- well, unless the crime in question is anything but rape). Here in Minnesota, four identical bills have been introduced by the MN GOP, all similarly banning state funding for abortion. This can be recognized as nothing but a concerted putsch against women’s rights.

The pro-choice resistance, however, is fighting back. Demonstrations have been held all around the countries, condemnations are flying, and petitions are being circulated. The DFL here in Minnesota have returned fire on the GOP with the Reproductive Privacy Act, which would stop government from interfering with reproductive freedom in any manner. Still, the pro-choicers need to rally! There is a nationwide battle, in the streets, the media, and the legislature, that may decide the future of reproductive freedom in this country. I urge you, readers, to be on the side of choice.