On Tuesday night, my Twitter feed blew up with news about Texas State Senator Wendy Davis. If you missed it, Ms. Davis staged an 11-hour filibuster (during which time she could not eat, drink, pee, sit down, or lean on anything) to stop an abortion bill from getting passed that would essentially shut down every clinic in Texas. With some help from a group of fantastically rowdy people in the gallery, they succeeded in stopping the vote from happening.
Though the Senate voted after midnight, just barely missing the deadline, they went back and changed the time stamp after it clearly showed the vote had taken place too late. Nice, Texas Senate. Very nice. This, after they watched Davis like hawks for any violation of the rules of the filibuster so they could stop her. Apparently in Texas, only women have to follow the rules.
What Davis did was inspiring. And the support she received on Twitter was amazing.
But have you ever wondered what it would be like to NOT have your body/health up for legislative debate?
ASK A MAN.
I am disheartened by the fact that we’re STILL debating this. That people still believe they have a say in what a woman does with her body. That my daughter will find it normal that her body may not, in actuality, legally be HER OWN. That women can be raped and blamed for it. That women are treated like possessions or toys STILL, by our own freaking governments.
*Big Angry Sigh*
We need more people to stand up, like Wendy Davis did, and demand that ALL people be treated like people.
On a related note–Buh-bye DOMA! You won’t be missed. :-)
J.
This is a very sensitive debate. Im surprised you, as an author, are speaking out…
I have often wondered if I should, but I dont normally talk about my political beliefs on my author pages (website, blog, twitter, Fb, etc) because inevitably someone will get upset with my opinions, and I could, in turn, lose readers.
Just this once, though, Ive decided to talk about my opinions. I hear what you are saying. That a womans body should be her own. I am a woman. I want my body to be my own also…
But what about the baby inside? What if she is a female? What about her rights? what about her body?
What makes it okay for ME, a woman, to have control over my body, if I choose to KILL another human being inside of it? How is that ok? Why should that be legal?
what about those women that are pregnant, attacked, and then lose their baby due to the attack… The attacker can be charged with murder, due to the fetus’s death. Why then is it okay for the mother to choose to kill her own baby?
Would you still be okay with it, if the woman has the baby, and then kills the baby later on? What about 1 day after its born? Or 1 week? When does it become no longer ethical, moral or legal to kill your own child?
What about all the women and couples out there that want desperately to have children, but cannot? If a woman doesnt want her child, cannot afford to have one, etc, Then there are other options out there! Adoption is a wonderful thing! It gives parents who cannot/do not want to/are unwilling to care for a child an out. And it gives parents who feel the need/want desperately to have a child the ability to.
I got pregnant when I was 16 years old. 16!! I was a child myself. But I did not kill my child. Thankfully! She is the smartest child Ive ever met. beautiful, caring, compassionate. The best female in the world! And just imagine if I had killed her before she could even take her first breath. WHY? Because I was young… Because I made mistakes. Because I was stupid…?
With a lot of hard work and determination, I raised her. Without help. I taught her, and love her, and do everything a mother should, despite the age I started at. and I dont regret ever having her now.
If I can do it. Me- born poor, stayed poor, with nothing much to offer, a 16 year old, unwed mother- Than ANYONE can. And IF they cant, they can give the INNOCENT child up for adoption.
Anyways… Like I said, I see your point. Its my body. But… the body inside shouldnt suffer because of my choices.
Sorry for my rant. I still love your books! haha. : )
You know, I agree with you on so many of your points, Theresa. And personally, having an abortion is not something I could ever do. But it’s not my place–or anyone else’s–to tell another person what she can and cannot do with her body. It should not be up for debate nor discussion. If a woman does not want to go through a pregnancy–whether she made a mistake or was raped or whatever the reason–she should not be forced into it. Pregnancy comes with risks.
I am a HUGE fan of adoption and can’t imagine the heartbreak of couples who cannot have children, and yes, if a pregnant woman doesn’t want to keep her baby adoption would be my personal first choice of the way to go. But that’s not a reason to legislate women’s reproductive health. I am SO glad to hear that you kept your daughter and feel blessed by her. I believe every child is a blessing and that you could never regret a child. Children are the most amazing, miraculous beings on earth!
I’m not advocating that women SHOULD get abortions, I’m just saying that a woman’s body is her own and is not up for legislation. And it frustrates me that in this issue, and others, women are treated as less than people. I also don’t believe that by outlawing abortion, it will actually stop women from having them. It will just push them underground into dangerous situations that will seriously jeopardize their health.
I’m so glad you commented, Theresa! And I don’t mind your rant at all. :-)
Thanks J, for commenting back!
I guess we will just have to agree to disagree… : /
Whereas you see abortion as giving women control over their bodies, I see it as giving them free reign to kill legally.
Just as you want to protect womens rights, I want to protect ALL rights, for every human being no matter how small. (especially those small ones, the ones who cannot speak up for themselves)
I just dont think that giving women (or anyone) the right to kill a baby is giving them permission over their body… Women already have the control. Birth Control, IUDs, condoms, etc. If you dont WANT a baby, then dont have one. But that doesnt mean you should be ABLE to legally kill one.
Anyways…
Ill be waiting for Intangible # : )
I am sad that we have to politically argue our right to do what we want. I for one shared your rant and I applaud your statements.
Thanks, Renee. I’m so glad you stopped by. It’s a touchy subject, but I think our voices need to be heard.
Ms. Davis is an inspiration! I agree… this shouldn’t even be a debate. Today I’m also happy that the Supreme Court took a giant step towards equality for all. I’m straight… but I have many gay friends and I’m thrilled for us all!
Me too, Linda! I was thrilled that the Supreme court came through. I have many dear friends that are affected–and equality is truly good for us all, no matter our orientation. Love is LOVE!
I had a whole long drawn out thing I was going to post here. All I can say is read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Pregnancy is never a mistake – God makes no mistakes. And the fact that politicians feel it is okay to sit up there and barter over what is my right for my body is down right disgusting. At the same time legalizing murder is just as disgusting and to me that is exactly what abortion is. Murder, murder of the most innocent of all – a new growing life that hasn’t even had a chance to view its first flower, the sun rising and setting, to smile, laugh, cry, but most of all enjoy the life that God gave it.
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
:) Off my box
Hey, Tonya. Glad you got on your box. :-)
I can see the other side so clearly because I wholeheartedly agree–no child is a mistake and it’s wrong to kill. I don’t think an abortion should ever be approached lightly, and I think most women don’t. But just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean I have the right to tell others they can’t do it. (I don’t like smoking, and people smoking around me harms my body, could in fact kill me, and yet it’s perfectly legal. If people want to smoke, they can. It’s their choice. And it’s not my place to dictate what they can or cannot do with their bodies.)
This may get me flamed and I’m truly not advocating for people to HAVE abortions…but it does say “a time to kill” up there in your biblical quote. Who’s to say that’s not what is meant? That sometimes it is appropriate–and the appropriateness can only be determined by the individual and the situation. And is between them and God (or their own conscience).
I will tell you something deeply personal. I said above, in my response to Theresa, that abortion is something I could never do. And that’s true, under normal circumstances. But there was a time, about 4 1/2 years ago, when I was in a situation in which I seriously thought about it. I was pregnant with my fourth child and blood test results showed that our baby might have Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder in which most babies die before birth, those that are born alive often die in the first week, and almost all of them die within the first year. I thought about my three young boys who were close to 3, 5, and 7 at the time, and what that would do to them…to have a baby brought into our family that we knew would die. And what it would do to me to hold that baby, get to know him/her, even if it was just for a day or a week, and then to watch my baby die. And I knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t put my children through it, and I couldn’t put myself through it. And even though the abortion would be traumatic for me to go through, I knew it’s what I would do if it turned out our baby had the genetic disorder. It was a stressful, emotional time.
Thankfully, further tests showed our baby did not have Trisomy 18 and I very gratefully gave birth to our fourth child–a healthy little girl.
But because I have the right to govern my body (because it is MY body afterall), I could make a choice that was “right” for us. “Right” isn’t always black and white. And what’s right for me, may not be right for others. I know there are plenty of people who would not agree with my decision in that case, would still feel it was wrong, and that’s fine. They were not standing in my shoes, looking into the hearts of my three young boys who did not need to experience death so SO close to home, so personally…and I could protect them from it. I could protect me from it. My boys would have been devastated enough by the loss of pregnancy alone, had we needed to take that step. It’s not like they would have been oblivious or unaffected. But it would have softened the blow for all of us, and that’s what felt more right, less wrong, to me in that situation.
I think so much in life is shades of grey, rather than black and white. Even when it seems things are clear-cut right and wrong. They’re not always.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Tonya. :-)
Hey Tonya.
Beautifully written!
Thank you luv – I honestly have loved everyones posts on here so nice to see people can agree to disagree and share without hurt feelings :)
First let me just say that I am very sorry you had to go through that kind of a tough decision. I would not wish that on anybody.
I maybe a Christian but I do not profess to know what every single verse in the Bible truly means. I do know that the Ten Commandments say thou shallnot kill.
I do not believe the verse in Ecclesiastes means a time to kill as in another human before it ever have a chance to breath. I believe it’s meant about war or something along those lines. but again like I said I’m not one who interprets the Bible I just see it how I see it.
I personally find the portable that our government thinks in any shape or form that its okay for them to make decisions on what is right or wrong for our own personal bodies make or female.
like your comment about the smoking I personally think it should be not allowed. I don’t think people should have the right to do something that is harmful to others if they are around them. what they do to themselves or their own body is their choice but they should not have the right to make that choice for me. and that’s exactly what a smoker does when they smoke around a person in the same room or in the vicinity. they are choosing to destroy my body. that’s a whole nother subject right lol.
I applaud you for having the courage to put this post out there just the other day another blogger that I follow put a really major post out there I was so very impressed because she is so very young our world has become so complacent always afraid they’re going to hurt somebody’s feelings the people seem to forget that everybody has a right to their own opinion and what I think and feel is good for me or my family doesn’t mean it’s good for you and your family and it shouldn’t cause an uproar.
it’s so very sad that we live in what supposed to be the land of the free get it is not very free. we have to constantly watch what we say for fear of offending somebody else for fear that our government will take us in because it may not be politically correct so how freaky is that?
I am sorry if there’s any typos as this is being posted via my phone and talk to text but I just wanted to say I’m glad that you put this post out there.
Now when’s the next book coming woman. LOL
<3 Thank you so much for everything you've said, Tonya. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Honestly, I think everyone's voice should be heard and I think we can still be friends/get along/support each other even when we don't see eye-to-eye on touchy subjects. I have dear close friends whose beliefs are very different from mine, but it just doesn't matter. And that's a beautiful thing--really as it SHOULD be, in my opinion.
And LOL on the next book! It'll be out by the end of August. And I'm ALREADY biting my nails!! :-)
<3 Now stop biting those nails girl you know the book is going to be FAN-Tabulous.
And I agree completely. I too have friends who don't always agree with me or I with them that is the beauty of free speech, free country, personal opinions, etc.
Hugs & Luv
Tonya
I agree, free speech, free country, free-will….given to us by God, whom I notice didn’t take center stage or even a footnote in the above rants.