Being a good little activista, I donated to NARAL, stirred up my hornets' nest of friends and wrote a letter to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. It was the least I could do to calm my blinding fury and remind those fuckers to keep their hands off my body. I'm posting my letter to Justice Ginsberg, in case anyone else wants to write her and thank her for her support, or if you just have a hankerin' for more of my voice. Plus, NARAL has started a petition and a letter to the editor campaign, both of which you can find here
Ladies, gents, please stand with me now as I salute Justice Ruth "The Motherfuckin' Truth" Ginsberg.
Dear Justice Ginsberg,
I am writing you on my behalf and that of many friends who are deeply troubled over the Supreme Court’s decision today to uphold the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. We are not only troubled but terrified at the possible implications that this ruling could hold for reproductive rights in the future.
As we all know, the religious right and fundamentalist groups have been fighting for more ignorance and less necessary healthcare and prevention for years. In my 33 years, I’ve only known our country as a somewhat progressive nation, for legalizing abortion and making several strides for equal rights for women and minorities. But the tide seems to be changing, and what was a small group of like-minded individuals has become a political force with which to be reckoned.
This group has a hard time separating church and state, clearly demonstrated in the majority opinion, in which Justice Kennedy said the ruling reflects the government’s “legitimate, substantial interest in preserving and promoting fetal life.” We can also see it in Bush's response, "Today's decision affirms that the Constitution does not stand in the way of the people's representatives enacting laws reflecting the compassion and humanity of America." (emphasis mine) This from a government which has consistently sent thousands of young men and women to die in an unnecessary war, supports torture when it’s in their best interest, and is helping to take basic healthcare out of the reach of even the middle-class. The Constitution only stands in the way of zealous groups’ and individuals’ agendas.
I applaud and thank you for your strong dissent against this ruling, and I ask your advice for productive ways in which my friends and I can demonstrate our shock and dismay over this ruling. We are all active in our local pro-choice groups, and vote with passion and conviction, but 2008 is a long way away. The reasonable, pro-choice majority needs to be heard over the cacophony of cries for our country to revert to the Dark Ages from small fundamentalist groups.
Please, continue to stand strong for our Constitutional rights, and thank you for continuing to fight for reproductive rights, and the health of all American women. And please let us know how we can stand with you in fighting the good fight.
Sincerely,
Fifi
Brooklyn, NY
1 comment:
Okay, I should know better than to disagree with a flaming hot writer bent on saving the world. I had to look up the Partial Abortion Ban of 2003 in order to better equip myself to post a comment. I can't say I'm on the bus on this one. I don't believe Abortion should be illegal, however, I think that Partial Birth Abortions sort of ride into the territory of murder. It is defined as: (1) deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living fetus until, in the case of a head-first presentation, the entire fetal head is outside the mother's body, or, in the case of a breech presentation, any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the mother's body; and (2) performs the overt act, other than completion of delivery, that kills the partially delivered living fetus.
I'm not exactly sure when it would be appropriate to conduct this type of procedure except for when it is possibly dangerous to deliver or perhaps some other random health concern. If there are situations when it is necessary then I'd be apt to consider. In what types of events would this procedure take place? Please enlighten me.
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