As a full-time working mom with 3 kids, my free time is pretty much non-existent. Lately I've been feeling like I live 3 different days in a 24 hour time period. My to-do list gets 5 new additions to every one accomplishment.
Because life is pure chaos, I have chosen to spend the little "down time" I have with my family taking advantage of this phase of life I've dreamed of for so long. (I say down time in quotes because it's never truly down time wrangling 3 little humans.) My time spent doing advocacy work has taken a hiatus, and I was at peace with that.
But then on January 23, that all changed. Governor Lee announced a new abortion bill that lit a fire so deep inside me my to-do list stood still and I couldn't help but feel the need to speak out.
And so here I am again: Fire lit. Gloves off.
(I've missed you)
This new bill builds upon the controversial heartbeat bill Republicans proposed last year. Details of the new bill includes:
- A ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is as early as 6 weeks
- Requiring an ultrasound to be shown to a woman seeking abortion
- A ban on abortions based on race, sex, Down syndrome diagnosis, or the diagnosis of a fetal abnormality
I want you to read the 3rd bullet one more time: A ban on abortions based on race, sex, Down syndrome, or the diagnosis of a fetal abnormality. Now let's break down the layers of deceit that lies in that statement.
To combine these 4 vastly different reasons into a single sentence is pure fear mongering. Republicans are trying to paint the picture that women are making these decisions lightly, as if women choose the destiny of their unborn baby like they would a pair of shoes.
Choosing an abortion based on race doesn't even make sense. And as for gender, you can't even find that information out until you either have a NIPT test done shortly after your 1st trimester, or until your 20-week anatomy scan. At that point, laws are already in place to prevent something like that from even happening. Not to mention, I find it very hard to believe that any mother would carry a baby for 4 or 5 months, find out it's a girl, then decide to abort because she really wanted a boy.
And then comes Down syndrome and fetal abnormality -- choicefully added to the end of that bullet pretending to bear equal weight. Down syndrome is a fetal abnormality, and specifically separating that controversial diagnosis further adds scare tactics to the bill's motive. The diagnosis of Down syndrome lies among thousands of other fetal anomalies, many of which you've probably never even heard of. Each diagnosis is unique and poses its own challenges.
A diagnosis of a fetal abnormality could have a very wide range of implications. Some diagnosis, like Grace's, would result in a baby that is incompatible with life, meaning the baby will likely die sometime during the pregnancy or soon after birth. Some diagnosis would result in a child that is disabled, either physically or mentally. Some would require a life of heavy medical intervention. What one mother and family can handle emotionally, physically or financially is not the same as another. This bill would eliminate that choice. It would force women to carry their sick children to term to either watch them suffer and/or die. It would take away the right for a mother to do the most instinctual thing us mothers were put on this earth to do: protect our children.
No one wants an unhealthy pregnancy. No one wants to be put in a position to end their own child's life. It is the hardest decision I have ever made. This new proposed bill would ban abortions for women who have chosen the hardest decision in their life because it was the best decision for them. Think about that. Then take your gloves off, and join me.
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I had the privilege of sharing Grace's story with Natalie Allison from the Tennessean, which you can read in full here. Since the Tennessean requires a subscription, I've captured a snippet of the article below.
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