I have been thinking about this and pondering it for some time since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Women’s healthcare, for generations, has been driven by a patriarchal system for years. I don’t think that is new news; however, it is always worth repeating, and it is worth being reminded because although male doctors have been gaslighting women for centuries, female doctors also have flippant reactions to ailments and women’s concerns as well.
I have many personal stories regarding this topic. Still, the one I will mention is when I was 37 in the late 1990s, I was diagnosed with fibroid tumors. I was surprised that a female doctor told me my only option was to have a hysterectomy even though I didn’t have children yet and was not showing signs of anemia. I had to advocate for myself and find my own endocrinologist/infertility doctor to save my own uterus. I was able to have the fibroids removed and proceed to menopause naturally without having a hysterectomy; unfortunately, pregnancy was not in my future; however, despite all of that, I became a mom through adoption. But that is a story for another time.
Present day, somehow, the government, such as judges, senators, and a former president, know everything there is to know about the healthcare of a woman; they all understand how a woman carries a baby, delivers a baby, feels the baby growing inside the womb, and know precisely what the woman is thinking and feeling during the entire pregnancy from conception to birth. WOW HATS OFF TO THE GOVERNMENT TO TAP INTO THAT!
The pregnancies I did have ended in miscarriages very early on when I was going through infertility. What I described in the above paragraph is scientific.
Yet, from a woman’s perspective, if I were ever in a precarious situation, I would like to know that Roe v. Wade was on my side as a young adult into my childbearing years. After looking at all the data, it is mind-boggling how protected I was; first off, I live in New York, so everything I am about to say is moot; however, if I lived in any of the states that ban abortions, I am not sure what my rights would have been; each state has their laws. My miscarriages happened in their 7th and 8th weeks without a heartbeat. This is truly something I cannot wrap my head around; each state has different laws –it seems critical that all women during their childbearing years need to be educated in their medical rights.
Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, our former president, Donald Trump, led the way in overturning Roe V. Wade with the help of the Supreme Court. What is mind-boggling is that it was done without considering the consequences or the rippling effect.
Women are dying, our health system is strained, and doctors and medical staff in certain states have to abide by the laws that go against their code of ethics.
Trump’s and Satan’s thumbprints are one and the same; everything he touches is tainted with chaos, greed, and selfishness.
I heard of a woman from Florida who found out that at 15 weeks of her pregnancy, her baby was diagnosed with Potters Syndrome; babies that are born with this disease will live within a couple of hours at birth. Because of the law in Florida, she had to carry her baby to full term, and when the doctors handed her son to her and her husband, the baby was blue and cold; they both watched their son suffer, gasping for air for 94 minutes, taking his last breath. What type of human beings allow this to happen to helpless souls? You can see her story and more stories like this one on Instagram called Abortion In America. Find the link here.
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24th, 2022, The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. This decision ended 50 years of federal protection for abortion rights and allowed states to create their own abortion laws.
Two years later, we find ourselves in an election year; in addition, in nine days, some will vote for Donald Trump again, where there is a good possibility that he could win. The abortion ban can be enforced throughout the country, or we can stall the movement that can dismantle Protective Women’s Health Rights.
Dismantle Protective Women’s Health rights; let that roll on your tongue for a second or two; why is that always an issue, and why did men get fixed with just a freaking blue pill. Was there ever a time that men’s health issues were on the ballot or compromised? Banning abortion is not just about stopping women from getting an abortion; it can negatively impact overall reproductive healthcare for pregnant individuals. Maybe it is because the medical term for a miscarriage is called a spontaneous abortion; that lies why women are denied help in states where abortions are banned. Yet, the lines crossed are past human kindness or the doctor’s Hippocratic oath: “First, do no harm!”
Nevertheless, can you humor me and envision the journey that made you the woman you are today? Since we were young girls, our bodies changed in front of everyone we knew and everyone we didn’t know throughout our lives. Those changes were linked with our thoughts, body image, growth, confidence, sexuality, and finally, our decision-making ability.
Kindly follow my thought process because women have a sixth sense when things happen to them or when we process certain vital events. I am not trying to put us on an ethereal platform; however, we better understand how to process changes on all levels, physically, mentally, and emotionally, which are strongly felt more often than not by females throughout their lives. Think about this: women and young ladies are wired for changes from when we take our first steps to our last breath.
Females are species aware of the physical changes happening in our bodies and have to somehow accept them and not feel like a spotlight is constantly shining on us. We learn to dim the light and take all those thoughts, ideas, and feelings and internally process them or hide them. This makes us hyperaware of energy and moods, too.
Therefore, all physical changes at every age happen front and center publically. Regardless of how put together we look, we are all internalizing all these changes so much that they become not a habit but second nature. That we are mainly internalizing everything.
When I first got my period, as private as I thought it was, I could not tell if it was just me and my mom who knew. I was shocked that my mom would not let me stay home and that she had sent me to school. Among all the 12 and 13-year-old girls, I thought for sure I was the only one who had her period, and I felt that everyone knew I had gotten my period as well; to add insult to injury, I was sure they were all laughing at me behind my back and telling all the boys, too.
Physical change is inevitable. For centuries, women have been part of the cycle of transformation. I am not a doctor with a medical degree, but a woman in a woman’s body who has gone through many stages; therefore, I am leaning into common sense that these changes are also led by knowledge, feelings, emotion, doubt, fear, and perhaps shame. In addition to this quantifiable bearing, it can be a heavy load, especially for women with daughters.
The cycle continues because all the same emotions that spill over to the next generation. And so, my dear, the cycle continues.
So, I have several critical points for everyone to ponder:
• WHAT DO YOU THINK A WOMAN IS THINKING ABOUT IF SHE FINDS OUT SHE IS PREGNANT?
• DO YOU BELIEVE THE FIRST THING SHE IS GOING TO DO IS OH, ITS OK, I’LL HAVE AN ABORTION…
• I am sure THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN, WHEN faced with an unwanted pregnancy or faced with a wanted pregnancy, she is all consumed in thinking about the pregnancy and the next move.
Since Roe V. Wade was overturned
What do you think is happening to the young couple holding their baby in their arms who was blue and cold and struggling, and they had no way to help that pure soul but watch their newborn die? How is that OK?. How do they get past that? Sure, it’s grief. I watched my 81-year-old mom take her last breath; my mom was my left arm. She lived a long, beautiful life. And she was very sick, and she was ready to die. That was 4 years ago- I still get emotional (sobbing) thinking of that day. That is grief, too (but not the same). Unfortunately, this is just one story; there are so many stories like this one; furthermore, when Trump claims that U.S. states are aborting babies after they are born, he is dumbing this nation down. These babies are born as non-viable and need emergency palliative care. This affects the families, including young siblings, extended family, hospitals, and the cost.
- Banning abortion does not stop women from getting abortions.
- It doesn’t stop young couples from having unprotected pre-marital sex, either.
- It does not stop rape or incest.
- The country cannot rely on abstinence after overturning Roe V. Wade because abstinence doesn’t exist if little girls are getting raped by family members or if incestual sex is being committed in families and is not being reported.
- The government cannot hold a woman accountable if she becomes pregnant after being raped.
Moreover, if some states are banning abortions, and these laws span across other states, then as U.S. citizens, should we expect better sexual education programs? Would you agree? I would expect it if our government were a balanced, agreeable government. Still, then again, if that were the case, Roe V. Wade would not have been overturned.
Yet I’m afraid that banning abortion is not the end of the means. These players have a broader plan, and it’s time we pay attention.
I am no longer a woman concerned about becoming pregnant. Still, I am a woman concerned about other health issues that may affect elderly women. In addition, I am also a mom to a daughter who will make sure my daughter’s reproductive healthcare and rights are protected.
I am also a woman who cannot be dumbed down. I know too well that if they try to sell an idea to a particular group, it will eventually include everyone. Meaning I don’t think Texas women knew what was at stake when the abortion ban was implemented. Therefore, nothing gets’ hidden behind medical jargon. In addition, that means I must come back to my concerns and will always raise my voice for menopausal and post-menopausal women.
So, on November 5th, we must take the first steps toward taking on what is rightfully ours: our God-forsaken healthcare advocacy.
Let’s first vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and then let us tell Washington, D.C., and the Supreme Court that we need an ironclad policy better than Roe v. Wade.
