I mean, first of all yes absolutely show them the radio static that passes for a 12 week old embryo. But more importantly, who is getting this ultrasound? Did they consent to some kids watching it?
Does the Tex-ass Republican Party understand that their 'influence' ends at the state's borders? They can't summarily end direct election of Senators or repeal the 14th Amendment or use their own currency or repeal SOX or abolish the Federal Income Tax or anything else on that fever dream of a list.
They plumb near lost their damn minds, that is, assuming they had minds in the first place.
I remember being told that They will never Ban abortion so I was just being hysterical. They don't want to punish women, just save babies! That was another lie. Also remember how "identity politics" was not as important as "kitchen table issues"
Fuck everyone who ever even thought that shit. Do you get it now? If not pay attention, because this is the shit they want for /all of us.
Of all the absurd beliefs that religion has foisted on our societies, perhaps none is so pernicious as this idea of a "soul". This odorless, colorless (much like phlogiston or the luminiferous aether) entity somehow gloms on to a fertilized embryo, instantly, thereby endowing said ovum with humanity, with all the rights appertaining thereto.
One of the many, many awful things about this kind of crap is the complete ignorance of these fundie right-wing legislators concerning basic medical facts about pregnancy. They seem really and literally not to KNOW that pregnant women miscarry early in pregnancy - naturally, spontaneously and all the time, often so early that they don't even know they've been pregnant. Like once in ten conceptions, maybe even once in seven. And if a woman aborts spontaneously after she does know she's pregnant? Even with a child she very much wanted? Her nosy neighbour or righteous local cop could accuse her of a deliberate abortion she didn't have, and she could find herself on death row with a bloody slim chance of a reprieve, Especially in Texas.
I also can't forget Ohio House Bill 413, the one that required doctors to fix ectopic pregnancies by removing the fetus from the fallopian tube and implant it anew in a part of the womb where it would be viable - a procedure that doesn't exist and can't be performed. I very much doubt the idea was ever to save unborn embryos; it was probably yet another measure to intimidate women and doctors and make them liable to serious criminal charges if they blink.
It was rejected. But Representatives Candice Keller and Ron Hood were the walking creatures of foul primordial ooze who introduced it, and 19 Ohio House members co-sponsored it. May their names be spoken with distaste forever. And someone may introduce a very similar bill in, oh, just wildly speculating, Texas, tomorrow. When it might pass.
This is where the “Shirley problem” comes into play. A lot of people may be passively anti-abortion, and they hear about laws that severely restrict abortion but don’t understand that “exceptions for rape/incest and to save the life of the mother” are effectively total bans because other laws and policies make it extremely likely that people won’t be able to actually get an abortion. Doctors (with the hospital’s lawyers looking over their shoulder) won’t perform an abortion until the woman is in agony and potentially at death’s door instead of earlier when it is obvious that an abortion is medically necessary and safe to perform. Rape victims (especially incest victims) are loathe to report and are re-traumatized having to “prove” they were raped before getting an abortion.
Why do I call this a “Shirley problem”? Because the people who listen to the forced birth propaganda seem to always see the repercussions of these policies only after the fact and think “surely someone thought of that when they drafted the law” not realizing that the people drafting the law DID think about that and knew exactly what they were doing when they lied to make it seem like the exceptions would actually apply to the real real.
Considering the craziness post 9/11, there's probably some provision in the Homeland Security Act that allows the federal government to declare a state a rogue state and come in and take over governance while they fix the problems.
It was probably included to prevent blue states from being nice to Muslims, but, if there's anything like that in there, the Feds should be looking at that pretty damned closely.
Every conservative policy is a child's idea of what to do. "We wouldn't have money problems if we used big gold pirate coins instead of dollar bills." Shut the fuck up.
"They also want to make it legal for people in Texas to use gold and silver coins in 'everyday transactions,' which, I’m sorry, is fucking hilarious."
It's even funnier than Robyn makes it sound. It's not gold and silver coins, it's gold and silver-backed BITCOINS.
Libertarian fixation on the gold standard is already pretty funny. Dudebros, we went off the gold standard (and by "we" I mean THE ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD) because after fifty years of economic chaos, it became clear that there was not enough gold in the world to support even a medium-sized industrial economy, let alone a large or global one. Not even with the massively multiplying effect of simply backing s paper currency with a promise to redeem using gold reserves held by a central bank.
This one is the chocolate, here. Add the peanut butter of Libertarian's other monetary fetish of cryptocurrency, pretty much the exact fucking opposite of the gold standard, and this becomes the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of hilarity. No way this could possibly go wrong, amirite?
Where I grew up out in the country, this guy converted his garage into a small convenience store back in the 60's so people wouldn't have to drive seven miles into town to pick up something like a gallon of milk or a pack of cigarettes.
They have a big sign in their front window now announcing that you can buy and sell crypto through their ATM.
Having grown up on a dairy farm, most of the folks around there are the common clay of the new west.
Witnessing of a live ultrasound????
I mean, first of all yes absolutely show them the radio static that passes for a 12 week old embryo. But more importantly, who is getting this ultrasound? Did they consent to some kids watching it?
Does the Tex-ass Republican Party understand that their 'influence' ends at the state's borders? They can't summarily end direct election of Senators or repeal the 14th Amendment or use their own currency or repeal SOX or abolish the Federal Income Tax or anything else on that fever dream of a list.
They plumb near lost their damn minds, that is, assuming they had minds in the first place.
I wonder if they will execute babies who kill their mother in childbirth? Equal protection.
I remember being told that They will never Ban abortion so I was just being hysterical. They don't want to punish women, just save babies! That was another lie. Also remember how "identity politics" was not as important as "kitchen table issues"
Fuck everyone who ever even thought that shit. Do you get it now? If not pay attention, because this is the shit they want for /all of us.
Ta, Robyn. I feel so bad for all the women of TX, but especially our TX Wonketteers.
Anyone who has read Dune knows that the pre-born are an Abomination and should not be suffered to live (this is sarcasm, obviously).
I hang my head in shame for not remembering that part. In my defense I read it about 50 years ago and have not revisited it since.
The abomination is the Domionist trash that wrote these unlawful laws.
Of all the absurd beliefs that religion has foisted on our societies, perhaps none is so pernicious as this idea of a "soul". This odorless, colorless (much like phlogiston or the luminiferous aether) entity somehow gloms on to a fertilized embryo, instantly, thereby endowing said ovum with humanity, with all the rights appertaining thereto.
Luminiferous aether LiBelZ! That idea had a lot more going for it than "souls" has!
Pre-heated oven and pre-born children.
Pure nonsense.
One of the many, many awful things about this kind of crap is the complete ignorance of these fundie right-wing legislators concerning basic medical facts about pregnancy. They seem really and literally not to KNOW that pregnant women miscarry early in pregnancy - naturally, spontaneously and all the time, often so early that they don't even know they've been pregnant. Like once in ten conceptions, maybe even once in seven. And if a woman aborts spontaneously after she does know she's pregnant? Even with a child she very much wanted? Her nosy neighbour or righteous local cop could accuse her of a deliberate abortion she didn't have, and she could find herself on death row with a bloody slim chance of a reprieve, Especially in Texas.
I also can't forget Ohio House Bill 413, the one that required doctors to fix ectopic pregnancies by removing the fetus from the fallopian tube and implant it anew in a part of the womb where it would be viable - a procedure that doesn't exist and can't be performed. I very much doubt the idea was ever to save unborn embryos; it was probably yet another measure to intimidate women and doctors and make them liable to serious criminal charges if they blink.
It was rejected. But Representatives Candice Keller and Ron Hood were the walking creatures of foul primordial ooze who introduced it, and 19 Ohio House members co-sponsored it. May their names be spoken with distaste forever. And someone may introduce a very similar bill in, oh, just wildly speculating, Texas, tomorrow. When it might pass.
This is where the “Shirley problem” comes into play. A lot of people may be passively anti-abortion, and they hear about laws that severely restrict abortion but don’t understand that “exceptions for rape/incest and to save the life of the mother” are effectively total bans because other laws and policies make it extremely likely that people won’t be able to actually get an abortion. Doctors (with the hospital’s lawyers looking over their shoulder) won’t perform an abortion until the woman is in agony and potentially at death’s door instead of earlier when it is obvious that an abortion is medically necessary and safe to perform. Rape victims (especially incest victims) are loathe to report and are re-traumatized having to “prove” they were raped before getting an abortion.
Why do I call this a “Shirley problem”? Because the people who listen to the forced birth propaganda seem to always see the repercussions of these policies only after the fact and think “surely someone thought of that when they drafted the law” not realizing that the people drafting the law DID think about that and knew exactly what they were doing when they lied to make it seem like the exceptions would actually apply to the real real.
Oh. And don’t call me Shirley.
Considering the craziness post 9/11, there's probably some provision in the Homeland Security Act that allows the federal government to declare a state a rogue state and come in and take over governance while they fix the problems.
It was probably included to prevent blue states from being nice to Muslims, but, if there's anything like that in there, the Feds should be looking at that pretty damned closely.
From Bluesky:
Pavel @spavel.bsky.social
Every conservative policy is a child's idea of what to do. "We wouldn't have money problems if we used big gold pirate coins instead of dollar bills." Shut the fuck up.
https://bsky.app/profile/spavel.bsky.social/post/3kto2dxmdqz2u
Sounds like Mother in The Birdcage.
And no where is there legislation making every man responsible for creating the pregnancy. Funny, that.
Last time this crowd heard about "perinatal palliative care" the called it "post-birth abortion" and freaked out.
"They also want to make it legal for people in Texas to use gold and silver coins in 'everyday transactions,' which, I’m sorry, is fucking hilarious."
It's even funnier than Robyn makes it sound. It's not gold and silver coins, it's gold and silver-backed BITCOINS.
Libertarian fixation on the gold standard is already pretty funny. Dudebros, we went off the gold standard (and by "we" I mean THE ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD) because after fifty years of economic chaos, it became clear that there was not enough gold in the world to support even a medium-sized industrial economy, let alone a large or global one. Not even with the massively multiplying effect of simply backing s paper currency with a promise to redeem using gold reserves held by a central bank.
This one is the chocolate, here. Add the peanut butter of Libertarian's other monetary fetish of cryptocurrency, pretty much the exact fucking opposite of the gold standard, and this becomes the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of hilarity. No way this could possibly go wrong, amirite?
Where I grew up out in the country, this guy converted his garage into a small convenience store back in the 60's so people wouldn't have to drive seven miles into town to pick up something like a gallon of milk or a pack of cigarettes.
They have a big sign in their front window now announcing that you can buy and sell crypto through their ATM.
Having grown up on a dairy farm, most of the folks around there are the common clay of the new west.
You mean...morons? (insert Blazing Saddles meme here)
Jfc, I've got to get the fuck out of Texas😬