scATX: Speaker's Corner in the ATX

I saw this tweet today by Amanda Marcotte:

[It reads: "http://bit.ly/giCVhX Anyone who calls a woman a 'physical location' is a misogynist, full stop."]

On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I knew it had to do with that.

She is linking to and commenting on an article at RedState.com, titled, “We Have Drawn a Line.”  You can guess what that line is:

Here at RedState, we too have drawn a line. We will not endorse any candidate who will not reject the judicial usurpation of Roe v. Wade and affirm that the unborn are no less entitled to a right to live simply because of their size or their physical location.

Nice.  Women are now physical locations.

[I had a piece here earlier about how the equivalency of the institution of slavery and abortion rights leaves out the reality of the lives of enslaved women during slavery.  For that, click here.]

And abortion is worth having a bloody war over.  Referring to the way in which our country ended the institution of slavery via the Civil War, RedState blatantly backs fighting for the anti-choice cause with “massive bloodshed”:

Once before, our nation was forced to repudiate the Supreme Court with mass bloodshed. We remain steadfast in our belief that this will not be necessary again, but only if those committed to justice do not waiver or compromise, and send a clear and unmistakable signal to their elected officials of what must be necessary to earn our support.

I love the qualification on the “violence isn’t necessary” UNLESS anti-choicers don’t continue letting their elected officials and judges know how they feel.  I mean, that sentence is really confusing from top to bottom.  It’s like they know they have to say that they don’t believe in violence because that is politically correct right now (you know, because of that attempted assassination or whatever) but they actually do want to call for violence because the people they are talking to and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with actually believe in violence as a means to an end.

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I am prochoice.  I was prochoice before I had a kid.  I am now more prochoice than ever after having one (women having autonomy over their bodies extends past abortion and is ever-present for any woman who EVER gets pregnant).

Having a child that I planned on was scary enough.  Having a child when we knew that we had the resources to support them was scary enough.  Having a child as part of a committed partnership was scary enough.  I can’t imagine having to make the same choice without all those things.  I don’t want to tell anyone else what to do in such cases.

Today, on this anniversary of Roe V. Wade, I stand with women.  I stand with mothers.  I stand with clinic escorts.  I stand with Dr. Tiller.

Today, on this anniversary of Roe V. Wade, I pledge to maintain the fight for women’s reproductive rights in the face of the people who wish to only see me as a womb, a breeder, a physical location.  I pledge to believe women’s concerns, acknowledge their realities.

I pledge to trust women.