i want to come right out at the beginning here and say that this is in no way, shape, or form a “bi-partisan” post. i have genuinely nothing in my heart but utter disrespect and disdain for the conservative right. full stop. this is not a “we need to work together!” utopia-building post. i’m not working with the right. i am actively and diligently working against them.
we are living in a world where laws and rights are being dictated by a book with the most fanatic book club out there. we are forcing fundamental christianity down the throats of our nation. and i’m over it.
we lost roe v. wade today due to the “pro-life” party once again doing what they do best, doing everything in their power to make life impossible and dangerous for those they claim to protect. i don’t know how many times the fact of the matter in regards to abortion access will need to be pounded into the heads of these far-right fundamentalist fanatics, but eliminating abortion access will never eliminate abortions. all this does is eliminates access to SAFE abortions. abortions always have and always will exist. end of discussion. all that will happen now is the death rate for mothers will skyrocket and those children that are now products of forced birth will have to survive in conditions that cannot support a child. and what have the “protectors of life” done to prevent this? oh that’s right, nothing.
the hypocrisy of the right is a never-ending cycle that they refuse to acknowledge. so, you want to eliminate abortion access? okay, heard. where is the funding for mothers who can’t afford to carry a child to term? where is the reduced cost of medical care for these births and life thereafter? where are the protections for the child after birth? where is the gun control legislation to protect these children once they are born? where’s the access to food, housing, and a livable minimum wage to support these new forced families? access to a free and quality education? safe communities for marginalized people to feel at ease with these new children?
they. don’t. exist.
the right wants to force their religious control to punish pregnant bodies for what they alone deem to be wrong and force them to have a child that will in turn be forced to live a life of suffering and punishment for something they didn’t do.
they don’t give a shit about the baby. they don’t give a shit about the mother. they don’t give a shit about the life they’re “saving”.
so, what are we supposed to do now?
i hate the “get out and vote” mantra because as we’ve seen, it doesn’t matter. the current state of our governmental structure as a whole is in shambles and that is another post for another day entirely. the supreme court is a joke and is a living and breathing version of an elite monarchy here in america that needs to be dismantled immediately. the corruption of elected officials in response to monetary gain and their re-election strategies formed behind following the radical and fundamental religious right is a cancer on our democracy. moderate democrats won’t do anything. hell, the democrats control the house, the senate, AND the presidency and we STILL ended up here.
so why would i tell you to go and vote and re-elect these people and move on? simply put, i won’t.
what i will tell you is to look away from putting all of your trust and value on politicians, and instead on issues that you as an individual voter can control which involves diving into my favorite thing: local politics.
being informed and engaged with local politics is the most important thing anyone can do. it’s at this level that we as a voter can have direct access to not only those officials that we do elect, but to legitimate policy and action as well.
at this point, we in kansas have in one way or another been informed of the election we have coming up on august 2nd. there is a ballot full of local issues and officials to vote on, but the biggest is the amendment focusing on reproductive rights. this small box that you’ll tick holds the entire future of abortion access in the state of kansas, as well as access to those states surrounding us that have already lost that right. so, kind of like, a big one.
this isn’t a throwaway election. the republicans that pushed it to be on the primary ballot and not the general sure would like for you to think it’s a throw away though. this isn’t a case where you can sit out and hope that someone else will take care of it. this is, quite literally, life or death.
conservative voters vote. young progressive voters don’t. and that’s a problem.
make a voting plan. are you registered to vote? do you need to vote early? do you need to vote by mail? do you know how or where to vote? check all of that right here, baby.
right now it’s okay to be mad. it’s okay to be sad. it’s sure as hell okay to be scared. think about the women in your life, especially the marginalized communities (poor women, working-class women, women of color, the transgender community) who will be hit a thousand times harder that the rest of us.
but don’t sit in silence.
now is the time to get out and demand change. demand action. don’t let a single sitting legislator have a moment of peace and remind them that they work for YOU. use this fear, this anger, this sadness, all of these intense and building emotions to fight and empower those around you. be an ACTIVE part of the movement.
now is our time to rise up and take control. i 100% believe that we are finally at the start of real change and the movement towards a better government, better control, and a better future. don’t sit on the sidelines, be involved, and if it comes to it, be ready to throw a brick or two.
link to donate to abortion funds: here
not too shabby 