Fifty years ago today, the US Supreme Court said my uterus was my business. I no longer needed to worry about an accidental pregnancy. This past June, the US Supreme Court hijacked my uterus and said my uterus is the government’s (read fundamentalist Christians’) business. Men who hate women – specifically the governors of Texas and Florida inter alia – have hijacked my uterus. My uterus no longer belongs to me the way my kidneys belong to me. My uterus belongs to the government. I can keep my kidneys, though.
Now, we can relearn what to do with a coat hanger. Now, we can relearn on which kitchen table we can take back our uteruses. If I break my leg, I have medical privacy. My uterus has no medical privacy. Now, we can keep a list of states where abortion is legal along with a price list for abortions. When I had to worry about an unwanted pregnancy, the price of an abortion was $180.00. Now, the cost is about 8 times that not including travel expenses, lodging and meals.
Life begins at conception in that the product of conception is living tissue which may or may not become a human being. Human life begins at birth. Women who have a miscarriage are denied medical care because doctors are terrified of being charged with performing an illegal abortion. A doctor has been vilified for performing an abortion on a 10-year-old child.
The part that galls me the most, is the voice that has been silenced is the voice of the unwanted child. Although I’ve submitted letters to the editors of newspapers telling what it’s like to be the unwanted, hated and abused child, not one newspaper will print my letter.
My uterus doesn’t belong to me. The abuse that happened to me growing up doesn’t belong to me. My life doesn’t belong to me.
No human should have to grow up being hated, unwanted and abused. But let’s not talk about that. Besides, all those women who don’t want to be pregnant will change their minds once the baby is born. Yeah, right. My mother sure didn’t change her mind and welcome me once I was born.
Shhhhh…..that’s a secret and we must never talk about it.
Deb's Art 