Texas Women Are Now Property
All your uterus are belong to us
Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.
Frederick Douglass
As a White male, there’s something fundamental that I’ve taken for granted my entire life. I control my destiny, my future, my body, and my existence. I’ve never feared that anyone could strip my autonomy from me…not for any reason. I can do what I want, go where I want, and experience what I want without having to answer to the State or any outside authority charged with preventing me from doing something.
Yes, I freely admit to taking that freedom for granted…because I can’t imagine anything else. When you’re White and have a penis, it comes with the territory. Being a White Penis-American does have its perks...but I recognize that the freedom I enjoy isn’t universal and that there’s a class of people dedicated to enforcing that.
For reasons that I fail to comprehend, there are those socially conservative Christians among us who believe that they and they alone have the right to determine how women exercise control over their reproductive functions. To their way of thinking, a woman’s uterus is a de facto organ of state power. Thus a woman should have no decision-making power when it comes to pregnancy-related issues.
These anti-choice zealots have been on the short end of the stick for almost 50 years. Since 1973’s Roe v. Wade established a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion services, reproductive health care has been the right of every American woman. Yet, despite the consistent, dedicated efforts of the anti-choice lobby to roll back Roe v. Wade, it has survived as states have nibbled at the margins.
On September 1st, a new law in Texas changed everything…and the way it did it was both ingenious and thoroughly evil. The Texas legislature created a system that removes the state from enforcing the law, putting it instead in the hands of individual Texans. As a result, anyone can sue anyone they believe to be associated with the provision of an abortion, no matter how tangential that involvement might be.
The idea is to terrorize anyone who might be associated in ANY way with providing reproductive healthcare services into steering clear of abortion. The law is written in a way that doesn’t require the people filing suit to have standing. So ANYONE can become an anti-abortion vigilante and sue anyone for up to $10,000, which, if it sounds as if it might lead to a few get-rich-quick schemes, you’re probably right.
The bottom line is the Roe v. Wade in Texas is effectively dead. With the Supreme Court declining (by a 5-4 decision) to strike down the law, the reproductive functions of Texas women are no longer fully their own.
Of course, those with resources and means will go out of state to obtain an abortion. However, the women who will suffer the most will be those who lack the money and/or the support to leave Texas and will thus be forced to carry their child to term.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Republicans in the Texas legislature are undoubtedly quite proud of themselves, but if they believe that what they’ve done will stop abortion, they’re delusional. In the run-up to Roe v. Wade, women did what they felt they had to do to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Unfortunately, in some cases, those methods were dangerous and even deadly…and there’s every chance those days will return.
Texas Republicans will wax self-righteous about how they’re all about protecting the unborn because that’s what being “pro-life” means. But, the truth is that they might care about the unborn, but they don’t give a damn about children once they’re born. And they care even less about the well-being of mothers, who to them are merely vessels.
If this law is allowed to stand, how long will it be before women begin to die from botched DIY abortions? Will Republicans accept any responsibility for creating the atmosphere that would drive desperate women to take such risks?
Of course not. The “party of personal responsibility” never accepts responsibility for the consequences of their policies.
Because when you get right down to it, in Texas, women are property…and sometimes that property can be damaged goods. It’s just a cost of doing business, don’tchaknow?
Once upon a time, Adolf Hitler said he’d get rid of the silly notion that women should have control of their own bodies. Tragically, Texas Republicans just made him look like a prophet.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you enjoyed it, why not pass it along to a friend or six who might also enjoy it? If you REALLY enjoyed it, please consider subscribing or donating via Venmo (@Jack-Cluth). Magnus would lick your face if he could. :-)