War on Abortion Rights
In 1973, Roe vs. Wade was passed. Today however, many politicians are challenging those rights.The proposals range from outright bans to simply making medical choices all the more arduous. .*" It seems the right is trying to take away women's options for safe and legal medical services.
In Texas, "under Gov. Rick Perry (R), the state has already slashed family planning funds and defunded Planned Parenthood, which has forced dozens of formerly state-funded clinics to contract their services,** says Tara Culp-Ressler. According to Amanda Marcotte at the Guardian, "the regulations the court signed off on requires a woman to take more of the drug (RU486), to endure more doctors visits than the medical establishment deems necessary***" From CNN, "new abortion clinic standards in the bill would effectively shutter 37 of the state's 42 abortion clinics. ****"
It is glaringly clear that the republican party is behind most of these laws "designed to ensure the health of women." How better to disguise misogyny? Much like Todd Atkin's view of what women's bodies can magically do in the cases of rape, these new proposals have no scientific base. Alongside other right wing republican ideals of religion and family, these proposed laws would fit in very well. How better to keep women in their place than to take away their reproductive rights? Sadly, I also think this would be just the first stepping-stone in a right wing agenda.
*http://www.nwlc.org/resource/2013-state-level-abortion-restrictions-mid-year-extreme-overreach-women%E2%80%99s-reproductive-heal
** http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/09/27/2691691/texas-abortion-law-court/
***http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/29/texas-abortion-ruling-shot-down-strategy
****http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/26/tech/social-media/texas-filibuster-twitter/index.html
