Donald Trump stacked the Supreme Court that relegated American women to second-class citizenship, the Supreme Court that put the health of individual American women at the whim of medically-ignorant politicians – at the whim of politicians and politicizing police forces.
In September, Pregnancy Justice issued a “Pregnancy As A Crime” report “on the first years after Dobbs.” Wendy A. Bach and Madalyn K. Wasliczuk found:
“In the first year after Dobbs, at least 210 pregnant people faced criminal charges for conduct associated with pregnancy, pregnancy loss, or birth.” First deny women health care options. Then prosecute them when legislated emergencies arise.
Nearly half of the prosecutions (104) occurred in Alabama. Oklahoma ranked second with 68 prosecutions. And, yes, women have died because of excessive and invasive restrictions concerning reproductive health issues.
These are red state repressions. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford blocked a Senate resolution in September that would have guaranteed “abortion access in emergency medical situations,” according Oklahoma Voice.
Washington Sen. Patty Murray sponsored the resolution, “to make it clear that Congress’s intent is that women can get life-saving care when they go to an emergency room anywhere in this country.”
Lankford demonstrated the GOP’s stance that women are incapable of making medical judgments.
Trump brags to his rallies about his role in this attack on women’s rights. And lies at other times about being a champion of women’s causes, going so far as to say that, if elected, “Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion.”
The 26 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct might offer a rebuttal to such a claim from the guy who bragged about grabbing women by their genitals.
Jessica Leeds, appearing in a Florida campaign ad, recalls being groped by Trump on a flight back in 1979. “He is a serial predator,” she says.
Ten states will have pro-choice measures on the ballot next month, some advocates having to fight through both Republican legislative and state court objections to making women equal citizens.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott complained last month that the ballot measure in his state is a ploy “to try to get women out to vote and vote against Republicans.”
Well, if they have any self-respect they will.
And how hypocritical for a Republican to decry single-issue voting campaigns. The GOP has spent the past 20 years demonizing minorities to excite their bigoted base. This time, the voters are being asked to recognize women’s health care rights.
Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno took Scott’s disparagement to a lower level: “Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it. If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ It’s a little crazy by the way, but—especially for women that are like past 50—I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you.’”
Well, protecting and ensuring civil rights are issues for all of us – including childless cat ladies, women helping to raise children they did not birth, even old bachelors.
One prominent billionaire pushing for Trump to make him richer at the expense of the rest of us is Elon Musk. In September, Musk reposted the following words of venom:
“People who can’t defend themselves physically (women and low T men) parse information through a consensus filter as a safety mechanism.
“Only high T alpha males…are actually free to parse new information with an objective ‘is this true?’ filter. This is why a Republic of high status males is best for decision making. Democratic, but a democracy only for those who are free to think.”
Yep, only high status males – but, what about those relying on little blue pills? – are capable of making decisions, according to the guy Trump would appoint to head a government efficiency commission to conduct “a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms.”
According to Musk’s position, it seems, purging women from government would be a guiding principle in increasing efficiency. Musk has taken to campaigning side-by-side with Trump – as Jimmy Fallon observed, so that Trump’s followers could see a “real billionaire.”
Trump, his low-minded high court, right-wing Republican radicals and religionists whose intolerance is un-American revel in taking medical choices away from women.
Yet, women can still exercise one clear choice – their 19th Amendment right to vote.
They can choose to vote for Kamala Harris and other Democrats who consider them to be the equals of men in all aspects of their lives.
(Gary Edmondson is chair of the Stephens County Democratic Party.)