Mostly I like to think of myself as calm and
composed, at least this was what I was before Trump took office. Every day
there’s something new to worry and seethe about, and I really don’t know how
much more I can take. The current Supreme Court vacancy just might be that
proverbial last straw.
I’m thankful that I’ve never had to make the
choice to have an abortion, but I’m equally thankful to live in a country where
it’s currently legal. If right-wing extremists have their way, that could
easily change with a new composition of the Court. Of course, they seem focused
on this being an isolated case, when it’s really not. Overturning Roe v. Wade
will open up countless other supposedly decided issues, making this a very
different and far less free country.
Roe v. Wade isn’t just about abortion, but
about whether the government has the right to control what women are allowed to
do with their own bodies. Think about that sentence for a few minutes. How many
of you, regardless of your views on abortion or contraception, would want the
government telling you what you can do with you body or your child’s? This case
was not just about being able to terminate an unwanted pregnancy; it was about
how someone chooses to live his or her life. If a government can say that you
can’t have an abortion, they are in essence dictating how someone should live
their life.
Many extremists think that the government
interfering in a person’s life is fine and dandy, that is until it goes against
their own views. That’s what they forget, that taking freedoms from one group
will just make it easier for the government to take them away from others. I’m
fairly certain that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, that Obergefell will be next,
then open discrimination will be allowed, voting rights taken away, and on and
on until we are no longer a democracy.
No I haven’t been watching The Handmaid’s Tale, but I know these
people. If you give them an inch, they will take 10,000 miles. Their support of
Trump shows how willing they are to sacrifice morality to succeed in what they
believe is their end goal. They also seem to be fine with destroying everything
to achieve this result.
I’ve already told my husband that we’re
leaving this country if Roe v. Wade is overturned because I have no desire to
wait for the end of the world to come. He nods his head; I’m sure hoping that
this hell our country’s been thrust into ends soon. I have far more doubt. Even
if the Democrats take back the House and the Senate, it could be too late.
So far I’m not doing anything too radical,
but did finally go from just signing petitions and making donations to actually
attending a demonstration. I’ve also been slowly, a little at a time, going
through my way-too-many books, clothes, and other ephemera, getting rid of bits
here and there. Perhaps it’s those small steps that help me feel like I’m doing something
productive. I think I need to do more. We all need to do more before it’s too
late.