Uncle Sam Will Have Blood on His Hands

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

Our opinion: It’s not a matter of pro-life or pro-choice, it’s anti-woman

I hate to admit it, but aside from the Women’s March in 2017, I hadn’t attended a rally or a march since the Bush administration. Last Saturday I showed up at the “Bans off our bodies” rally with camera in hand, chatted with friends, and even chatted a bit with the five folks who showed up on the other side of the argument.

I couldn’t help but think, man, for a bunch of people who are so against “dead babies,” they sure are obsessed with waving around signs full of that stark imagery.

I asked one of the gentlemen, who happened to be holding such a sign, what brought him to the rally and he mentioned that he was there to “provide a voice to the voiceless.”

I had to think about it for a bit. This isn’t an uncommon response but there are two parties at work to reach that point and one of them doesn’t involve the “elephant in the womb.”

If this fight really was a pro-family and pro-child movement we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the midst of a baby formula shortage for one thing.

Generally, when I encounter someone I disagree with I have to think about where my bias comes from as well as the person with the opposing viewpoint. I thought about his group and acknowledged the flags they were holding. One being an American flag, another being the flag of the Vatican. I understand that their faith and their upbringing within that faith guides their moral compass.

In a perfect world, I really hope that by attending that rally they had gained a bit of perspective and thought– “I might still not agree entirely, but I never thought of it that way.”

Wishful–no– delusional thinking I know.

It’s a complicated issue, sure we all like the idealized representation of a happy family, but life isn’t a Norman Rockwell painting. Unfortunately, abuse, neglect, physical complications, economic hardship, addiction, and who knows what else can’t just be prayed away.

Why are women forced to wear these unwanted pregnancies like an albatross around their neck while men can impregnate multiple women at once? Society applauds, accepts, and even encourages men to be promiscuous.

If women get pregnant it’s “God’s will,” if men become impotent Viagra can be discreetly shipped to your home, and heck, Insurance will even cover it.

What about “God’s will” on that topic?

If women don’t want children we’re selfish, if we don’t have children society expects us to feel unfulfilled, single mothers are shamed, more mothers are shamed, and are told they’re not raising their children right…

There has to be some kind of balance… right?

Criminalizing or eliminating access to safe abortions won’t make them stop. In fact, it’s just an out of sight, out-of-mind approach to an ongoing issue. For those applauding the reversal, are you celebrating sending women to seek out back-alley healthcare? With the reversal of Roe V. Wade Uncle Sam will have blood on his hands. It’s not a matter of Pro-life or Pro-choice, it’s anti-woman and it’s a control issue. Keep in mind that a select few people are making laws regarding half of the population’s bodies and we’re being treated like brood sows.

For those treading water, this is nothing more than a boot pushing down on our heads. This is a call to arms. We need to fight for our bodily autonomy and birth control like angry white men fight against gun control. We need to let lawmakers know that women will not let their hands be tied by their rosaries and later traded for handcuffs. We lose one aspect of our reproductive rights, what’s next? Are they coming for our birth control? Are they coming for LGBTQ and civil rights? What else will they take away?

Fight like women’s lives depend on it. If we let them get away with this, it’s only the beginning.