Free speech isn't free, and free speech should not be confused with hate speech. You are always entitled to your opinions, but using them to incite hatred and violence doesn't make you cool. It makes you as guilty as those who act on your words.

Think twice before posting your hatred. People can and will act on it. There is no excuse to threaten an entire population because you don't agree with them. I have a strong dislike of Republicans, but I will use my words to fight them, not incite violence towards them.

I am better than that, and so are you.



When asked by a reporter if the Romney campaign supported equal pay for women, the response was, "Um, we'll get back to you on that."

We know where Obama stands. Why can't this simple question be answered by a campaign spokesperson? The only conclusion that can be drawn from that is no, Mitt Romney does not support equality for women in the workplace. Yet more anti-women sentiment and a chilling undertone of what the GOP has planned if they take the White House this year. (1)


Roe v. Wade was not the beginning of women having abortions. It was the END of women dying trying to get abortions via self-abortion tinctures, deliberately drinking too much, coat hangers and other primitive means. It took abortion from a dangerous, often self or friend administered procedure from seedy rooms and disgusting, dangerous conditions to a hospital like environment with professionals performing a necessary, needed service.

Keep the women you love safe. Keep fighting to keep the Government out of a personal, private medical decision. If you don't think the GOP is waging a war on women, take close look at the legislation being passed in GOP states to severely restrict access, not just to abortion, but to inexpensive preventive care including mammograms, PAP smears and BC.

If you think abortion is costing precious lives now, wait until women are dying from desperation of trying to self abort with recipes from the internet or wire hangers in a back alley, underground clinic. Women who are already whole people with lives, and possibly other children to care for. Abortion is not birth control, it is a LAST RESORT for desperate women that need to take drastic action to save their lives economically, professionally, personally or medically.

I personally had an abortion at 26, when I got "oopsed" by a failure of BC pills and antibiotics. No one had warned me. I am not proud of this fact, but I am not ashamed. Given my age, my new marriage, our very tenuous financial situation and my multiple health issues that would make it dangerous to carry a fetus to term, it was the best decision for me.

That abortion likely saved my life. And it saved the child (if it had survived healthy and whole from the cocktail of steroids, narcotics and mood altering medications I had to take regardless of pregnancy) from a disinterested mother that would have carried on a cycle of abuse and neglect. My husband had no desire to be a father, and I am now sterilized.

I'm telling you, my friends, this because women, our bodies, and our right to make decisions about our own healthcare are being systemically stripped from us, state by state, law by law.

Please stand with me and with Planned Parenthood, and stand up for your rights as a woman to determine your own destiny and identity. If the GOP continues legislation on the mass scale they're doing now, all women will lose. We can't be silent. Find out your local, state and Congresspersons and Senators and send them actual, real letters by post voicing your opposition to Personhood Laws and asking them to stand against this assault on women's rights.

If your state if considering a "Personhood Law" that gives a fetus, viable or not, alive or not, the "right" to be born, even if it is dead upon delivery, and dead inside your body for months. The reasoning? If livestock can carry a dead baby to term, so can women.(2)

Please, even if you reject abortion as an option for yourself, consider how many women each year desperately need the procedure to protect themselves, their bodily autonomy, their job, income, and ability to support current or future children. Stop and think. If your daughter, niece, aunt, or mother was raped and turned up pregnant, would you not want her to have the option of aborting the clump of cells invading her like a parasite and taking over her life for at least eighteen years?

I beg of you to speak out against this war on women. And yes, this IS war because WOMEN ARE DYING due to inadequate access to medical care, birth control, and education.

Thank you for your time.

You may disagree strongly with anything I've said, or everything. but please behave respectfully towards me and the others you are speaking with and keep your comments free of personal attacks. I will not censor rational, well thought out comments, only those that demean, bully, or personally attack another poster. Anonymous commenting is disabled. If you feel strongly enough to comment, you can be identified by your LJ Name, Open ID or other means of log in.


References:

(1) http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-11/romney-woos-women-as-campaign-stumbles-on-equal-pay-issue
(2) http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/03/09/georgia-republican-compares-women-to-livestock-video/

On November 8th, Mississippi will vote on whether or not to accept the following anti-choice amendment: "The term 'person' or 'persons' shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof."

However, this initiative—known as Amendment 26 or the "personhood amendment"—isn't just a matter of outlawing abortion in Mississippi or a vehicle to challenge Roe vs. Wade. If passed, this legislation will have many other far-reaching effects such as banning most or possibly all forms of birth control, banning some forms of infertility treatment, and opening the door to bringing criminal charges against women who have a miscarriage.

In a further effort to gain attention and spread information, a petition directed at the Attorney General of Mississippi (who is presently in favor of Amendment 26) has been created here:

Mississippi Attorney General’s Office: Stop the policing of women's bodily autonomy - Stop Amendment 26!
From the petition: "The reproductive and bodily rights of women should not be policed. Critical birth control medication should not be taken from any women - especially since birth control can have other important health effects and benefits aside from contraception. A miscarriage should not be equated to the murder of a child. Abortion should remain legal - and safe. This amendment is dangerous, radical thinking that prioritizes the rights of a fetus over the rights of born, living women everywhere."

Show your support for a woman's right to her own body: please click the link above and sign the petition to support stopping Amendment 26!

--------------------
Further Resources:
Wake Up Mississippi - a grassroots movement started by Jackson Women’s Health Organization has information available on their website as well as a link to help donate to their efforts. Among other efforts, they are currently trying to get billboards up to help spread the truth about Amendment 26. Also, if you happen to have a Facebook account, please give them some Likes at their FB page.

Parents Against MS 26 is another good page that is particularly informative about how Amendment 26 could negatively affect infertility treatments. They also have a donation link set up.

The article Occupy My Uterus. My Ass! Fertilized Eggs Are NOT People! at the Daily Kos gives an in-depth explanation as well.

The Mississippi State Medical Association (MSMA) speaks out against Amendment 26 too!

Okay, so I don't usually do this, but this is an issue near and dear to me and this is getting very little no attention in the mainstream media.

Mississippi is voting on November 8th on whether to pass Amendment 26, the "Personhood Amendment". This amendment would grant fertilized eggs and fetuses personhood status.

Putting aside the contentious issue of abortion, this would effectively outlaw birth control and criminalize women who have miscarriages. This is not a good thing.

Jackson Women's Health Organization is the only place women can get abortions in the entire state, and they are trying to launch a grassroots movement against this amendment. This doesn't just apply to Mississippi, though, as Personhood USA, the group that introduced this amendment, is trying to introduce identical amendments in all 50 states.

What's more, in Mississippi, this amendment is expected to pass. It even has Mississippi Democrats, including the Attorney General, Jim Hood, backing it.

The reason I'm posting this here is because I made a meager donation to the Jackson Women's Health Organization this morning, and I received a personal email back hours later - on a Sunday - thanking me and noting that I'm one of the first "outside" people to contribute.

So if you sometimes pass on political action because you figure that enough other people will do something to make a difference, make an exception on this one. My RSS reader is near silent on this amendment. I only found out about it through a feminist blog. The mainstream media is not reporting on it.

If there is ever a time to donate or send a letter in protest, this would be it.

What to do?

- Read up on it. Wake Up, Mississippi is the home of the grassroots effort to fight this amendment. Daily Kos also has a thorough story on it.

- If you can afford it, you can donate at the site's link.

- You can contact the Democratic National Committee to see why more of our representatives aren't speaking out against this.

- Like this Facebook page to help spread awareness.

Okay, people. I need you to take this viral, and fast.

We know someone in upstate New York who needs a good custody lawyer ASAP. I'm not at liberty to go into details publicly, but this woman is very afraid that her abusive boyfriend is going to get sole custody of her young child.  She's presently being represented by a court-assigned lawyer who doesn't seem to care about the case, and she has very few resources left at this point. Her next hearing is on Thursday.

If you know a good lawyer in New York State who might be willing to take this case for a low fee or pro bono, or at least offer her advice or support, please let me know. If you don't know anyone, please repost this far and wide. As a mother and an abuse survivor, it makes me absolutely sick to my stomach to contemplate a child being left in the hands of an abuser.

I can be reached at kythryne@gmail.com if you have any leads or want to help.

The internet can work miracles. Let's go.

Edit, Tuesday afternoon: Huge, huge thanks to everyone who has signal-boosted, offered resources, emailed me, and otherwise been willing to help. Our friend is overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers. Amy and I are driving over to New York tomorrow afternoon so we can provide support in person, and we are working on plans to help our friend and her daughter get back on their feet once the custody case is over.

(If you would be interested in donating an item or service to a fundraising auction in the near future, please let me know. Our friend is a talented artist and a wonderful mother to a beautiful little girl who deserves a safe home, and it wouldn't take much to make a huge difference in their lives.)

Edit the second, Friday morning: we found a marvelous lawyer!  Our friend and her daughter are safe with us - with the court's permission - for the next couple of weeks, and I'm going to be setting up a fundraising auction this weekend. The lawyer has agreed to a payment plan, but it will still be quite expensive. Thank you again for the amazing help and support.

Edit the third, Sunday afternoon: Auctions are up! Thank you to everyone who has offered to contribute something for auction.