Tonight (May 15th), Michigan became the third state to pass a so-called “heartbeat” bill through their legislature. Michigan’s governor has already pledged to veto the bill, but the proponents of the bill are preparing to override that veto and can you guess what the Republicans are going for? They’re going to keep tossing legislation at the wall until they get a case that goes up to the Supreme Court.
Actual, literal, I-am-not-exaggerating enemies of freedom in the United States of America are going after Roe v. Wade. In the current political climate, there’s a good chance it could be overturned.
If this doesn’t scare you, it should.
There are countless reasons why legal abortion is safe, healthy, and necessary for a functioning society- and I plan to comb over as many of those reasons as I can find. To me personally, though, I only ever needed one argument:
Bodily integrity.
In human rights, “Bodily integrity” is the idea is that you own your body and get to dictate what to do with it. Under most circumstances, bodily integrity is protected by US law. For example, if my mother needed bone marrow from me, and I was the only donor on the planet that her body would accept, it would be illegal for anyone to force me to donate, even if my reason was “I don’t really feel like it.” (McFall v. Shimp, 1978) If that idea were unilaterally enforced, abortion would be legal right up until the moment of birth.
I don’t prioritize any other argument. Rape, incest, being a teenager, being too poor to care for a child, medical necessity- each of those is a valid reason not to create or enforce any kind of anti-abortion legislation. But your body is yours. You get to choose what to do with it. Full stop. I don’t care what the circumstances are- if someone needs or wants an abortion, they are entitled to one. Or two. Or five.
Jilly and I will be working together over the next however-long to create a series of informational posts and videos on the subject. We’re going to dig in our heels and get our facts right, because the stakes are too high to do any less.
The powers that be have launched an assault on the American population. That is not hyperbole. This is an emergency, and we would be fools to treat it like anything else.
As a man, I know full well that I do not have the full picture. I lack perspective, and welcome guidance. If you have an argument you would like to make, a story you would like to share, or just something you want to say, email me at matt@mattstalltales.com. Whatever you have to say, I will listen.
-M
The following is a twitter thread sent to be by a friend, with resources on reproductive care in regions without Planned Parenthood. Consider donating to help the cause.
https://twitter.com/StephHerold/status/1128645387609309185?s=19&fbclid=IwAR348say0K8cKn9usvy4FDzV3z5lM4pGfJIWD0W5u9fQg207_V0pkrxx1SU