I'm going to start this blog today, dear readers, with an overview of where I stand. Bear with me a moment.
Obamacare has been upheld by the Supreme Court. I for one am thankful for that. Under Obamacare, my mom and I (who both have pre-existing conditions that the insurance companies would love to deny us for) will always be able to get health insurance, even if my dad lost his job. Before, we would be denied coverage. And without insurance, my mom wouldn't be able to get the diabetic meds she needs, thus shortening her life expectancy drastically.
I need my mom here with me. And no matter what I do, I'm basically pre-diabetic and will develope it fully anytime in my lifetime.
Immigration makes my head spin. Why is it so hard to let others come join our freedom? Why is it so hard to allow those who want to learn and work become citizens?
Abortion shouldn't even be an issue. It's between a woman, God, and her doctor. Not the government. Not the Christians. Not the men in her life. It's a private issue that has been blown up out of proportion. Same with contraception. The one Republican senator who said "Stick an asprin between your knees" is full of hot air; even if you deny contraception, teens and premarriage couples are still going to experiment and crave the urge to be close.
Gay marriage shouldn't be an issue either. One friend of mine said that she didn't want the gays to call it marriage because "marriage is a Christian institution." I have news folks. Every culture, every religion, every walk of life has marriage. It is not owned by one group of people. What is everyone so afraid of?
I'm so tired of turning on the news and hearing one side against another. I'm worn out from opening my Facebook account and seeing so much fear, anger, and hate towards each other.
When will we find the middle ground? When will the ones who are afraid learn to open themselves a bit?
And everyone wonders why I don't associate with a religion or political party. (For the record, I vote independently - I've been known to vote for both parties based on the kind of job I thought they would do.)
~Meaghan
Showing posts with label abortion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abortion. Show all posts
Friday, June 29, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Why I'm Becoming so Opinionated
I want to voice something here - women's reproductive rights is always a heated topic. Why on earth should I even want to become a part of the argument? I used to always take a stand along the mindset of letting things work themselves out.
Not any more.
If we don't take a stand (we being any number of people - women, men, children, gays, transexuals, etc. - people in general, really) then we will fall.
Isn't that what life is about?
I am angry.
I am angry because so many people I know are stopped by a brick wall when approaching topics such as women's reproductive rights or gay rights.
They believe their God is against it. They believe that you are sinful if you commit those things. They believe that the only right way in life is the straight and narrow and that things like Planned Parenthood are going to blow that path into smitherines.
I understand that. Truly I do. I would never be able to take the life of a child inside me. I don't particulary want a gay marriage, as I'm happily involved with the man of my dreams. Their sanctity of their religion is their right - I do not oppose fundamentalists. I don't believe like that and probably never will, but I don't hate people who believe that way and I do respect their choices.
But I don't understand why they can't see beyond the scope of their faith.
That's what makes me angry.
And sad. And frustrated. And confused.
Why would God be so judgemental and narrow? Did He (or She) not create us all unique, knowing full well how we would turn out and what choices we were going to have to face? I don't get it.
If a woman gets pregnant and the egg gets fertilized in certain a way, that pregnancy can occur in the fallopian tube. It's called an ectopic pregnancy; according to Web M.D. it happens every one pregnancy out of fifty. This is not a good situation for the mother. The embryo has to be terminated in order to save the mother. According to the American Pregnancy site, there are three ways to do this: through medication that terminates, through surgery if the embryo has already ruptured whatever area it's in (which is awful for the mother as it screws her reproductive organs up), or through surgery removing the embryo manually.
But if abortion is banned and laws are passed the way congress wants to, that woman is going to die. No doctor is going to risk their license to save a woman when the procedure is labled as murder.
Reproductive rights don't start and stop with abortion, though. They also include birth control and contraception, and the right to say "yes" and "no".
Did you know, dear reader, that women in the Middle East are not allowed to control their sexual rights? They marry as young as eight and bare children as soon as their bodies are able. Their husbands are the ones who decide how many children they have, disregarding the wishes of the woman or the health of the woman. The same is in India. And in Mexico, although the women are starting to take control of their rights there.
Why are we going to do that here? Why is congress in the process of trying to create laws that will ban birth control and morning after pills?
Do you see my frustration?
I am not about to have a minority or a group of men or (forgive me if this offends you) God telling me when I can or can not have sex, who I can or can not have it with, how I can or can not protect myself, and how I will deal with my pregnancy when it occurs.
It is my body. It is my right. Just like I demand the right to attend school and to live on my own and to marry when I want, I demand the right to take care of my reproductive rights the way I see fit.
It's the same with gay rights. Why should a certain group of people be denied rights because a minority feels that they are living in sin? What will happen if one of those people in that minority has a child who is gay or lesbian or transgender? Are they going to stop loving their child?
If God made each of us by hand and knew each of us from birth, then wouldn't God know who was going to be gay and who wasn't because God made them that way? Maybe I'm washed up and maybe I'm wrong, but that really doesn't make sense to me. Everyone says God is like a parent; well, a parent still loves you and takes you home no matter what.
This is why I'm fed up with organized religion.
Please, dear readers (the one's who made it this far), think about it. I'm begging you. Think about it.
~Meaghan
Not any more.
If we don't take a stand (we being any number of people - women, men, children, gays, transexuals, etc. - people in general, really) then we will fall.
Isn't that what life is about?
I am angry.
I am angry because so many people I know are stopped by a brick wall when approaching topics such as women's reproductive rights or gay rights.
They believe their God is against it. They believe that you are sinful if you commit those things. They believe that the only right way in life is the straight and narrow and that things like Planned Parenthood are going to blow that path into smitherines.
I understand that. Truly I do. I would never be able to take the life of a child inside me. I don't particulary want a gay marriage, as I'm happily involved with the man of my dreams. Their sanctity of their religion is their right - I do not oppose fundamentalists. I don't believe like that and probably never will, but I don't hate people who believe that way and I do respect their choices.
But I don't understand why they can't see beyond the scope of their faith.
That's what makes me angry.
And sad. And frustrated. And confused.
Why would God be so judgemental and narrow? Did He (or She) not create us all unique, knowing full well how we would turn out and what choices we were going to have to face? I don't get it.
If a woman gets pregnant and the egg gets fertilized in certain a way, that pregnancy can occur in the fallopian tube. It's called an ectopic pregnancy; according to Web M.D. it happens every one pregnancy out of fifty. This is not a good situation for the mother. The embryo has to be terminated in order to save the mother. According to the American Pregnancy site, there are three ways to do this: through medication that terminates, through surgery if the embryo has already ruptured whatever area it's in (which is awful for the mother as it screws her reproductive organs up), or through surgery removing the embryo manually.
But if abortion is banned and laws are passed the way congress wants to, that woman is going to die. No doctor is going to risk their license to save a woman when the procedure is labled as murder.
Reproductive rights don't start and stop with abortion, though. They also include birth control and contraception, and the right to say "yes" and "no".
Did you know, dear reader, that women in the Middle East are not allowed to control their sexual rights? They marry as young as eight and bare children as soon as their bodies are able. Their husbands are the ones who decide how many children they have, disregarding the wishes of the woman or the health of the woman. The same is in India. And in Mexico, although the women are starting to take control of their rights there.
Why are we going to do that here? Why is congress in the process of trying to create laws that will ban birth control and morning after pills?
Do you see my frustration?
I am not about to have a minority or a group of men or (forgive me if this offends you) God telling me when I can or can not have sex, who I can or can not have it with, how I can or can not protect myself, and how I will deal with my pregnancy when it occurs.
It is my body. It is my right. Just like I demand the right to attend school and to live on my own and to marry when I want, I demand the right to take care of my reproductive rights the way I see fit.
It's the same with gay rights. Why should a certain group of people be denied rights because a minority feels that they are living in sin? What will happen if one of those people in that minority has a child who is gay or lesbian or transgender? Are they going to stop loving their child?
If God made each of us by hand and knew each of us from birth, then wouldn't God know who was going to be gay and who wasn't because God made them that way? Maybe I'm washed up and maybe I'm wrong, but that really doesn't make sense to me. Everyone says God is like a parent; well, a parent still loves you and takes you home no matter what.
This is why I'm fed up with organized religion.
Please, dear readers (the one's who made it this far), think about it. I'm begging you. Think about it.
~Meaghan
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The House Has Done It Again.
Take a look at this proposed bill. Just look at it, read it through carefully. Focus especially on section 309.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3/text
It's something new the Republicans want to pass through. Basically, they want to make it so that federal tax dollars no longer pay for abortions due to all cases of rape and incest. They want to define and limit it to "forcible rape" and incest if only under 18.
There is no current definition of "forcible rape" in government documents. That means that if you were to get drugged, raped, and pregnant, the government won't necessarily pay for your abortion. Because there is no definition currently, it would be up to the judicial system to decide if it was "forcible". You would have to make a case and try to prove that you were attacked.
This is a sign of a poorly worded bill proposal.
I don't have a problem with the government not wanting to pay for abortions for everyone. Heck, you get yourself knocked up with your boyfriend then you should either pay for your own or have the kid. But the government should not be allowed to deny you because you were not "forcibly" raped. It's like punishing you for something you didn't do by making you have the child.
No, I'm not opposed to adoption. But you get raped, do you really want to carry your attacker's child for nine whole months? I wouldn't. I would never have an abortion for any other reason, but I can guarentee that if I was raped, I'd be considering the option.
I'm going to take a moment to clear something up for you, dear readers.
I am pro-choice.
I am not pro-choice because I believe everyone should have an abortion. I am not pro-choice because I am heartless and don't believe in having children. It is not because I hate God, or because I'm a hippie out on the side of the road waving a flag.
I am pro-choice because I believe in women's rights. Women have come so far and we still have so far to go. It is not the government's place to decide what is right or wrong for all women. It is up to the woman to decide what is right or wrong for her own body and life. I don't want to backtrack. I don't want to give up the rights that I have. I envision a world where one day all women have the same rights as men.
Back to the bill.
This could be devastating for women's rights. By putting a definition on "forcible rape" compared to just "rape", Congress is saying that in some cases it's ok. And it's not. It is never ok.
If this passes, we have gone a step back. Before you know it, rape will be obsolete. Women will be back to being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. You can laugh - it does sound extreme - but it's true. Think about it.
And no, the government isn't saying that you can't have one. (At least, not yet; if this passes, that's going to be the next step, I'm sure of it.) It's saying that it won't pay for you to have one. What about women who can't afford an abortion? So if you're poor and you get raped but not "forcibly", then you have to be punished by having the child?
Congress, this is so poorly worded and written out. Why are you trying to pass this? Think about the women here. Think about the effect this is going to have ten years down the road. Is that what you really want?
I, for one, do not want it.
~Meaghan
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3/text
It's something new the Republicans want to pass through. Basically, they want to make it so that federal tax dollars no longer pay for abortions due to all cases of rape and incest. They want to define and limit it to "forcible rape" and incest if only under 18.
There is no current definition of "forcible rape" in government documents. That means that if you were to get drugged, raped, and pregnant, the government won't necessarily pay for your abortion. Because there is no definition currently, it would be up to the judicial system to decide if it was "forcible". You would have to make a case and try to prove that you were attacked.
This is a sign of a poorly worded bill proposal.
I don't have a problem with the government not wanting to pay for abortions for everyone. Heck, you get yourself knocked up with your boyfriend then you should either pay for your own or have the kid. But the government should not be allowed to deny you because you were not "forcibly" raped. It's like punishing you for something you didn't do by making you have the child.
No, I'm not opposed to adoption. But you get raped, do you really want to carry your attacker's child for nine whole months? I wouldn't. I would never have an abortion for any other reason, but I can guarentee that if I was raped, I'd be considering the option.
I'm going to take a moment to clear something up for you, dear readers.
I am pro-choice.
I am not pro-choice because I believe everyone should have an abortion. I am not pro-choice because I am heartless and don't believe in having children. It is not because I hate God, or because I'm a hippie out on the side of the road waving a flag.
I am pro-choice because I believe in women's rights. Women have come so far and we still have so far to go. It is not the government's place to decide what is right or wrong for all women. It is up to the woman to decide what is right or wrong for her own body and life. I don't want to backtrack. I don't want to give up the rights that I have. I envision a world where one day all women have the same rights as men.
Back to the bill.
This could be devastating for women's rights. By putting a definition on "forcible rape" compared to just "rape", Congress is saying that in some cases it's ok. And it's not. It is never ok.
If this passes, we have gone a step back. Before you know it, rape will be obsolete. Women will be back to being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. You can laugh - it does sound extreme - but it's true. Think about it.
And no, the government isn't saying that you can't have one. (At least, not yet; if this passes, that's going to be the next step, I'm sure of it.) It's saying that it won't pay for you to have one. What about women who can't afford an abortion? So if you're poor and you get raped but not "forcibly", then you have to be punished by having the child?
Congress, this is so poorly worded and written out. Why are you trying to pass this? Think about the women here. Think about the effect this is going to have ten years down the road. Is that what you really want?
I, for one, do not want it.
~Meaghan
Friday, October 29, 2010
It's the Weekend!!
Aka, happy post time.
Oh, this week. Where shall we even begin? It was long. I'll say that much. Very long.
I've been looking forward to the weekend (mainly tomorrow and Sunday) that it's made the week snail along. But hey! It's Friday!
(Insert Cure song here, if you so desire.)
I think on a whole it was a pretty decent week. We're on poetry now in writing class which is kind of fun. I, being a perfectionist who over thinks most things, am making the assignments harder than they need to be, but I'm pretty sure that if I can shut up my inner critic (seriously, critic, no one cares what you think, ok?), it'll be easier for me.
And more enjoyable.
I still have that massive history paper due in three weeks. I'm trying really hard not to think about it too much, but you know how that goes. I may tackle it today or tomorrow. Maybe Sunday, I don't know.
Music class is, well, music class. I kinda sleep through it, to be honest. That's not a bad thing - the stuff that interests me really does grab me - but it's probably not a good thing, either.
Oh! I voted this week. That's right, peeps. I vote.
As a woman, as a citizen of the United States, and as a college student, I take that responsibility fairly seriously. I vote via mail in, so I can actually sit and read the little blue book of issues and know what I'm voting for. I also watch debates and try to make an educated vote, not along party lines.
The one thing that always annoys me about elections, though, is the pro-life/pro-choice issue. Why is this even an issue, guys? Why are we making decisions for people we've never met before? Leave abortion legal. You don't ever have to get one, I don't ever have to get one, but that way it's always available. Everyone has different circumstances; we have no right to intrude on something that's between the woman, her doctor, and her God.
To me, making it a government issue is like saying that the men in Congress know better than the women actually getting the procedure done. Fuck off, government, ok? We fought hard for our rights. Same with gay marriage. You don't support it? Ok, so don't get one. But shouldn't love (no matter what kind of love) be allowed to be legal?
Frankly, the God I believe in loves everyone the same, understands what circumstances we all come from, and doesn't condemn us for it. I mean, if the same God can love me even though I am a recovering self-harmer, then can't He love the woman who had the abortion not because she didn't love her unborn child but because she had no other choice or the man who can't change who he loves? Isn't that what Grace and Love and everything else the Bible teaches about? I don't understand sometimes.
Sorry, guys, this election has me worked up. I try not to subject you to my views, but sometimes it can't be helped. Moving on...
So tomorrow I'm going to a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I am so thrilled. I'm making a list of all the things that I need to bring: toast, water guns, newspapers, etc. I'm not dressing in costume cause it's my first time, so instead I'm pulling out all the goth stuff I have from high school. It's going to be so exciting! My friend Jen is pretty pumped too.
Then I'll spend the night with her, go to church with her in the morning (I'm trying a church out, we'll see how it goes...), and then come home and pass out Halloween candy.
Halloween is such a fun holiday. I love it. =D
Anyway...
So I think I've rambled enough on here. Onwards to some homework of some sort, and beyond!
~Meaghan
Oh, this week. Where shall we even begin? It was long. I'll say that much. Very long.
I've been looking forward to the weekend (mainly tomorrow and Sunday) that it's made the week snail along. But hey! It's Friday!
(Insert Cure song here, if you so desire.)
I think on a whole it was a pretty decent week. We're on poetry now in writing class which is kind of fun. I, being a perfectionist who over thinks most things, am making the assignments harder than they need to be, but I'm pretty sure that if I can shut up my inner critic (seriously, critic, no one cares what you think, ok?), it'll be easier for me.
And more enjoyable.
I still have that massive history paper due in three weeks. I'm trying really hard not to think about it too much, but you know how that goes. I may tackle it today or tomorrow. Maybe Sunday, I don't know.
Music class is, well, music class. I kinda sleep through it, to be honest. That's not a bad thing - the stuff that interests me really does grab me - but it's probably not a good thing, either.
Oh! I voted this week. That's right, peeps. I vote.
As a woman, as a citizen of the United States, and as a college student, I take that responsibility fairly seriously. I vote via mail in, so I can actually sit and read the little blue book of issues and know what I'm voting for. I also watch debates and try to make an educated vote, not along party lines.
The one thing that always annoys me about elections, though, is the pro-life/pro-choice issue. Why is this even an issue, guys? Why are we making decisions for people we've never met before? Leave abortion legal. You don't ever have to get one, I don't ever have to get one, but that way it's always available. Everyone has different circumstances; we have no right to intrude on something that's between the woman, her doctor, and her God.
To me, making it a government issue is like saying that the men in Congress know better than the women actually getting the procedure done. Fuck off, government, ok? We fought hard for our rights. Same with gay marriage. You don't support it? Ok, so don't get one. But shouldn't love (no matter what kind of love) be allowed to be legal?
Frankly, the God I believe in loves everyone the same, understands what circumstances we all come from, and doesn't condemn us for it. I mean, if the same God can love me even though I am a recovering self-harmer, then can't He love the woman who had the abortion not because she didn't love her unborn child but because she had no other choice or the man who can't change who he loves? Isn't that what Grace and Love and everything else the Bible teaches about? I don't understand sometimes.
Sorry, guys, this election has me worked up. I try not to subject you to my views, but sometimes it can't be helped. Moving on...
So tomorrow I'm going to a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I am so thrilled. I'm making a list of all the things that I need to bring: toast, water guns, newspapers, etc. I'm not dressing in costume cause it's my first time, so instead I'm pulling out all the goth stuff I have from high school. It's going to be so exciting! My friend Jen is pretty pumped too.
Then I'll spend the night with her, go to church with her in the morning (I'm trying a church out, we'll see how it goes...), and then come home and pass out Halloween candy.
Halloween is such a fun holiday. I love it. =D
Anyway...
So I think I've rambled enough on here. Onwards to some homework of some sort, and beyond!
~Meaghan
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