Guest Post by Debbie Gardner Morrow who writes the following preface: I’m baffled with assertion that there aren’t “sides” in the ongoing war against women. Below is most of my heartfelt opinion (some would call it a rant, and yes I do feel very passionate about it!)
Treatment of women is a key question in this election. The freedom of women to decide when and if to have children is a huge determiner of their life paths – education, work, independence – and legislation to prevent these choices is rampant, all initiated by ONE SIDE: Republicans. Who thinks women should have to be celibate to be childless? Who thinks lawmakers and employers have the right to decide FOR them? Women didn’t bring this up out of the blue and pick a fight – it was supposed to be decided by still-standing decision Roe v Wade, which is being challenged in every Republican controlled state. Damn straight there are sides and every woman better realize it for the sake of themselves and their daughters.
I am all for harmony among people including among races – it would have been more harmonious for African Americans to accept that they didn’t have the right to vote or that they couldn’t patronize white establishments. And now they could accept that they’re shot, arrested, imprisoned and executed at a rate many many times greater than whites, and that more and more laws are being passed to shut them out of the voting process- as tho it were the 50’s all over again . Should they peacefully acquiesce? Should women peacefully accept that republican men are trying to assert complete control over their bodies?
Clearly, my unshakable opinion is NO. Harmony results when people respect each other, not when one side dominates the other. Women didn’t start this “taking sides” thing, but we’re not going to meekly accept aggression without fighting back.
There are those who aggressively assert that there is no war on women, that it is not a matter of “sides.” Are you kidding me?
For any woman who thinks reproductive rights are important and who notices the 100s of laws that have been pushed by Republicans and the demeaning public conversations about “legitimate rape,” that if a woman gets pregnant she must have been enjoying it (eliminating her “permission” to terminate a pregnancy- saying that she must HAVE permission in the first place) how can anyone say there aren’t clearly defined SIDES??? One party – the Republicans – have gone out of their way to initiate control over women’s sexuality and rights – hundreds of laws nationwide, more than ANY other topic. They have also blocked equal pay for equal work and held up re-approval of the Violence Against Women Act.
Can you imagine congressmen discussing whether Viagra, Cialis or any other drug which enables impotent men to have sex NO QUESTIONS ASKED?
Is he married? Is he promiscuous? Is he intending to have children or is it recreational? Would he be required to take responsibility and raise any child that resulted from any sperm of any ejaculation, in or outside marriage, and should his employer have the right to weigh all these pros and cons before deciding if he should get these drugs?
It’s crude to talk about these things, but we weren’t the ones to take it on as a single-minded topic – forcing the closure, in several Repub states, of all but 1 or 2 women’s clinics and virtually nullifying Roe v Wade.
Yeah, there are sides. I don’t consider harmony possible as long as such aggressive anti-women conversation and legislation are going on, decades after women were constitutionally granted privacy about their medical treatment. If the only “harmony ” available is acquiescing to this control, then harmony isn’t what what we need. We need Republicans to back the h*ll off and stop the obsession to treat us as 2nd class citizens.
And before anyone chimes in about the sanctity of life – my husband and I have 6 children and 9 grandchildren. Some were planned and some were unplanned – but we had choices and other people deserve the right to make choices. We had the financial ability and family support to do the best we could for all these kids, other people do not have such a luxury – not to mention those suffering risk to health; and rape, which seems epidemic today.
But if Republicans cared about the sanctity of life they would push very accessible pre- and post-natal care, nutrition, education and all kinds of support for children born and unborn – instead of just the opposite, trying to prevent care for those who can’t pay. Even fighting sex education and access to birth control to break the cycle of poverty and so many children in non-supportive-family settings.
And what about innocent refugee children, families broken up due to lack of immigration reform, or babies & children killed in war? No sympathy or aggressive action for support – again just the opposite, Republicans say, they’re on their own.
Is there one single indication that it’s NOT all about punishing and controlling women? with supposedly precious-above-all-else children the collateral damage.
Damn straight there are “sides” in this vicious assault on women’s rights and every woman better realize it for the sake of themselves and their daughters.
Guest post by Debbie Gardner Morrow.
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Debbie is a North Carolina native who ran against Trey Gowdy for Congress in South Carolina in 2012. She currently serves as the District 4 Vice President of the South Carolina Democratic Women’s Council and state Democratic Party executive committeewoman for Spartanburg County. |
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