The War on Women is Here, and it's From 1864.
Arizona's Abortion Ban and the Quest for Christian Power
The recent ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court has allowed for the enforcement of an almost total abortion ban from 1864, which affects 1.6 million people who can become pregnant in the state along with medical professionals. The law prohibits all abortions, except in situations where it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant person. Additionally, the law imposes a prison sentence of two to five years on anyone who "provides, supplies or administers" an abortion.
Despite several attempts to repeal this law, Republicans have blocked all efforts to do so. What's more alarming is that, on the eve before the Supreme Court's decision, Arizona Republican Senator Anthony Kern invited an anti-abortion prayer circle to seek divine intervention to ensure that the Civil War-era abortion ban would become the new law of the land. Videos have surfaced showing this dark witchcraft circle in the Senate chamber, complete with chanting and speaking in tongues.
It is haunting that in 2024 we have fanatical Christians engaging in this behavior in our legislative buildings that the taxpayer finances in a country where we have freedom of religion. Once again, Christian nationalists disregard our constitutional rights and show us exactly their agenda which is to force this country to adhere to their religion.
Perhaps Christian nationalists should mind their own business and worry about the log in their eyes.
It can be challenging to continuously remind myself to forgive those who are against women's rights, as they disregard the facts and choose to remain ignorant. Many women have shared their personal stories of abortion, rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, ectopic pregnancies, and more, which are readily available online. Despite this, anti-abortion activists and other conservatives continue to ignore these stories and prioritize their religious beliefs over the truth. It's disheartening to see them willingly turn a blind eye to the reality of the situation for the sake of power and control.
Religious power is often idolized by these individuals. The desire to control others is their seduction, and the temptation of this control sparkles and tantalizes their delusion of moral superiority. However, there is nothing moral about endangering the lives of women, and there is nothing superior about being unable to feel empathy and compassion for them. Unfortunately, the religious right movement often uses this powerful dangling carrot to keep their followers voting for the interests of the rich while feeling like good Christians, despite their actions saying otherwise.
It’s maddening and unfortunate that some people are willing to vote for anti-abortion laws that take away our rights. These laws will have tragic consequences, which will not only affect the individuals who are directly impacted by them but also their loved ones. As more and more abortion bans are implemented, the likelihood of these laws affecting those who supported them increases. The consequences of such laws can be avoided if people listen to women's stories, empathize with their experiences, and put themselves in their shoes. Humility and empathy are the answers to this issue, not endangering women or forcing birth.
Read Abortion is Healthcare: The Critical Need for Reproductive Choice
We don’t discuss enough how traumatizing it is to understand that the conservative men and women in our lives are ready and willing to vote to take our rights away. They are ready and willing to put our lives in danger all for the republican cause to enrich the 1%, falsely believing that it will trickle down into their 401K.
People who are supposed to love us don’t respect us enough to make decisions about our bodies and reproductive systems. We are still thought of in biblical terms, like property, like cattle. Our value is still placed on whether or not we reproduce to ensure the labor force continues to ensure their investments grow. These are not nice realities to think about, yet, for so many Americans, this is the truth of why they will vote to take women's rights away.
To quote Michael Jackson, “They don’t really care about us.”
Even worse, women who are voting to take women’s rights away seem not to care about themselves. There is a war on women and conservative women are waging it against themselves, their daughters, their granddaughters, nieces, friends, etc.
The good news is that the majority of Americans are pro-choice. The majority understand the science and have listened to the stories. The majority cares about women's rights, and that is what I shall focus on in this dark hour.
The majority in 2024.
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