It’s Thursday, May 16, 2019, and it’s time for more news from Liberal Minded Ladies of Substance.
This feels like it should be titled the “Pro Choice Edition” or, more accurately, “Dispatches from Gilead.” Obviously, a lot of the news today is about the horrible laws passing in states that restrict a woman’s access to safe abortions. I go back to the thought that Roe V Wade didn’t create abortions, it stopped women from dying from them.
So, if it feels like these news stories aren’t as varied as usual, I am sorry. As a woman, I feel intrinsically threatened by what is going on. I feel like we have to fight just for the right to exist as human beings. We have to fight for the ability to control our destinies and our futures. And the GOP doesn’t see it that way.
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As always, there will be a thread below for new or breaking news. And please, share any thoughts you have below.
NEWS STORIES
Alabama’s Governor Just Signed a Near-total Abortion Ban She Admits Is Probably Unenforceable -- -- Yesterday, Alabama's FEMALE governor signed an absolutely misogynistic law into power. She did so knowing that it was probably unenforcable, but, like I said yesterday, the Christian extremists in power are hoping that the court is stacked enough to allow them to relegate women to a subhuman position.
Pat Robertson: Alabama 'has gone too far' with 'extreme' abortion law -- -- When Christian extremists have lost Pat Robertson, they have to know they've fucked up. Yes, even Pat Robertson, he of the "Celestial Seasonings is drunk only by baby killers and feminists" fame, is against the Alabama ban.
Tackle white supremacy as terrorism, experts say -- -- We need to stop treating white nationalist violence as though it is committed by lone wolves or people with mental health issues. We allow white men to get away with crimes that people of color have attributed to their entire race or religion. White Men are dangerous. If you don't like hearing that, do something to stop it.
US says it will not join Christchurch Call against online terror -- -- Guess what country did not sign on to stop hate speech and extremist content? They couched it as "protecting free speech" but decided that stopping the Nazis and racists that support Trump might be a bridge too far. After all, there are some "very fine people" in those groups.
We’re Suing to Block Ohio’s Abortion Ban -- -- The ACLU is taking on the 6-week Abortion Ban in Ohio. Abortion is legal. A woman should have more bodily autonomy than a corpse. We are not incubators. This is not infanticide. This is how women are killed, controlled, and dehumanized. We become little more than a walking uterus, forced to give birth.
West Michigan lawmaker: Abortion 'should be painful' -- -- This lady is already under investigation for campaign irregularities, including refusing to pay her campaign debts and the fact that her husband, a judge, used his official email to campaign for her. She's an example of money buying power, so it's not really a surprise that the lacks empathy, compassion, or basic human decency.
Missouri Senate Passes Bill To Ban Abortions At 8 Weeks -- -- Missouri passed this bill early this morning. We are seeing a raft of these come through thanks to the new Supreme Court make-up. It's only going to get worse. States are going to couch this as their right, leaving Abortion technically legal but not really. Women, we are not safe in this country.
‘The Time Is Now’: States Are Rushing to Restrict Abortion, or to Protect It -- -- Roe V. Wade set the abortion limit at "fetal viability". Since then, the Right has been picking away at the law, winnowing its protections down to nothing. Because Brett Kavanaugh is seated on the court, the GOP legislatures feel comfortable enacting the more draconian and punitive laws. It's important to note that these same people restrict access to gynocological care, birth control, and accurate sex education. This is not about babies. It's about sex and punishing women for having it. Welcome to Gilead.
'We Will Do No Such Thing': Nadler Rejects White House Demand to Call Off Obstruction of Justice Inquiry -- -- Nadler wishes Trump to remember that NO ONE is above the law. Trump is not a king or a dictator (yet.) He is still bound by the laws of the land, and the investigation will, and must, continue.
Attorney General Barr to House Speaker Pelosi: 'Did you bring your handcuffs?'-- -- No one seems to be taking the crimes committed by this administration seriously. Not the Attorney General of the United States, not the Speaker of the House, and certainly not the President.
Trump declares national emergency over IT threats -- -- Before you're surprised into thinking he did something good... This is actually a step in Trump's trade war with China. He's restricting a particular Chinese tech company without explicitly naming them. I guess Russia is still OK, though.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Breaks Down What ‘Horrifying’ Abortion Bans Are Really All About -- -- AOC echoes my thoughts exactly. It's not about babies. It's about controlling women, possessing them, their sexuality, and their actions. No one can be forced to donate an organ. If you aren't an organ donor, they can't even take it from your dead body. They can, however, force a woman to gestate cells and give up control of her body in an extremely difficult, and in America, extremely dangerous, medical condition.
Republicans in House, Senate pass anti-abortion bills after emotional debate -- -- The Blue Wave in Michigan changed the leadership at Michigan's highest levels. While Gerrymandering has made it difficult for the state House and Senate to change party control, the GOP has run into a problem with their plan to become the next Ohio or Alabama. The Governor, Gretchen Whitmer. She has promised to veto this bill once it comes to her desk. This highlights the importance of voting EVERY DAMN TIME.