An Honest Conversation

…about abortion is not possible. Because if it were then we’d be able to have the conversation around things that are objectively (or at least reasonably) true.

The phrase “Reproductive Rights” is most honestly about the fundamental right to reproduce. If we, society, were trying to tackle the issue of whether certain members of the population, in certain situations ought to be prevented from getting pregnant (or carrying a pregnancy to birth) then we’d be having a conversation about Reproductive Rights. Otherwise, if we are talking about whether or not abortion should be legal then we are talking about “Abortion Rights” or the right to get an abortion that is safe and legal (and affordable).

If we were looking at the abortion procedure in an honest way then it would barely matter if we agreed whether the fetus or baby was a “person” as defined by law. What would matter to us most in this regard was whether there were any amount of consciousness and, crucially, whether the small entity suffered any pain during the abortion procedure. If we had any humanity on the matter we’d all be keenly interested to know and to investigate this question ~ regardless of our position on abortion itself.

This is something that could be studied and the outcome of such study (if we were conducting a sober investigation) would be openly shared, vetted, and considered. Then, in any outcome where it were found that a fetus/baby did have some amount of consciousness, or could feel pain during the abortion procedure AND we decided that this procedure should still be allowed …then everyone (regardless of their political view) would take whatever reasonable measures we could to mitigate the suffering of the fetus/baby during the procedure …and we’d be able to have an open dialog about what measures are taken (and why).

If it is morally good, if it is just and humane that a woman or a girl should be allowed to have an abortion, then, as a matter of human dignity and compassion of spirit, it is imperative we prove to ourselves that in so doing the fetus/baby that will be disassembled and removed during the procedure should in no way suffer.

For the People

There are many things that we could point to as indication that America may be (and probably is) broken. But the simplest of these is this: that we let Capitalists decide who gets healthcare…

…and who doesn’t.

A Safety Net made of Tissue paper

What good are the most well-meaning Public Health measures when they decimate people’s livelihood in the process?

Persuasiveness versus Coercion

I might be inclined to observe that political correctness is the new power currency, but it has already been for some time now.

An America to be proud of

The United States of America may not be able to fix its broken two-party political system, or the intense polarization that it breeds among its own citizens, but there is a paradigm shift that this country is capable of achieving that would improve the quality of life for every person living in this country.

When we are able to see drug addiction as a health problem rather than a crime problem, and treat it accordingly, ever so much will change for the better.  When homelessness is viewed as wholly unacceptable in all circumstances, because we decide to care about our own safety and well-being as much as we care about having a competent military, and we start actually doing something about it on a national and systemic level, that will be the start of a new America that we can be proud to live in…

…an America that protects its people and takes care of its people.