The new Texas abortion law isn’t about abortion, it’s about controlling women

 

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Extremist right-wing Christian men are in trouble, big trouble. They’re losing their grip on power and it shows. In a last-ditch effort to avoid the democracy they pretend to support, they are destroying every vestige of fairness, logic, and decency they possibly can—with one goal: to keep women and people of color in their place.

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It started with The Big Lie. Then came the slew of voting rights bills that do nothing to promote voting or rights. Now we have an abortion law in Texas (with far-right Governors in other states vowing to follow suit) that doesn’t ban abortion, it simply makes it impossible for women to take control of their own reproductive health by limiting their choices to a time frame that is so narrow (six weeks) most women wouldn’t even know if they were pregnant yet.

And should they decide an abortion is their best choice after this narrow timeframe has passed, it will prevent them from acting on that choice for fear of sanctioned vigilante justice against anyone who assists them.

If Texans were concerned about abortion, they would support Planned Parenthood and family planning. Since Roe v. Wade was passed, and both Planned Parenthood and The Affordable Care Act have been allowed to provide services to pregnant women, abortion rates have already dropped to an all-time low.

You’d think if abortion was their real concern, they’d be happy with these statistics. Instead, they have created an end-run around Roe v. Wade using the same tactics the Nazis employed during WWII—a sickening system that will turn neighbors into spies, leaving no one safe.

How does it even work? Do we expect lawyers to take the word of strangers when it comes to bringing lawsuits against women who seek medical help? Does a cab driver know how far along his passengers are if they ask to be taken to a clinic? Who will be able to prove the facts that will meet the “success” criteria for the $10k bounty, when such proof would require access to medical records, which are protected by law?

How do proponents of this law explain their decision to refuse exceptions based on incest and rape? According to Governor Abbott, “We’ll do everything in our power to eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas.” Hmm. A rapist, by definition, has already raped. How does Governor Abbott plan to prevent future rapes?

Texas has over 6,000 rape kits that haven’t even been processed. Does this sound like a state that is going get every rapist off the streets?

And what about incest? I guess they’re not concerned about rapists in the house—just on the street.

The men who created this archaic excuse for a law are no more enlightened than the Taliban—they just use different tactics. The Greg Abbott’s of the world are solely interested in keeping their hierarchical position at the top of the food chain. Women mean nothing to them—unless they are compliant and willing to turn on other women to keep the peace with their men.

The sanctity of life Christians so often cite as their rationale for their right-to life position (right-to-birth would be more honest) is sadly absent from the thinking that led to this new law. The life of the pregnant woman is immaterial to the group of ignorant men who joined Governor Abbott in celebrating this law.

But in a weird way, it does makes sense. These are the kind of men who wouldn’t be where they are if they’d had to compete fairly with women and people of color. They succeed only with the unfair advantage and privilege they’ve grown up with. They know if they lose control of a system that’s allowed them to flourish at our expense, they will not come out on top. So, they are fighting like rabid dogs to keep their privileged spot.

From their perspective, it’s bad enough that people of color are allowed to vote, now women want to make their own decisions about what happens to their bodies and their lives.

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Despite their best efforts, this will backfire on the Republican party. The numbers just aren’t in their favor. This could be the single biggest contributing factor in giving Democrats a solid lead over Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022.

Uber and Lyft have already promised to pay any fees their drivers incur if a vigilante accuses them of aiding and abetting women in violation of this law. Note that the law does not target the women, only those who help them. That’s how the framers can claim this doesn’t violate Roe v. Wade. “Patients can’t be sued, but those who help a patient can be.”

The law isn’t saying a woman can’t have an abortion, it just forbids her from getting outside assistance lest her accomplices get sued. So, I guess the old coat hanger is her best option now, yeah?

Can anyone explain how can it be illegal to help a woman do something that’s not illegal for her to do?

Anyone?

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While it’s true that “the wheels of justice turn slowly,” it’s also true that they turn. The hardest part right now will be finding ways to help women in Texas while maintaining respect for the sanctity of their lives.

Lilith Fund, Jane’s Due Process, and Fund Texas Choice, three local non-profits that fund transportation, abortions, and provide free legal counsel to Texas women in need, are doing what they can. Organizations like these will continue to provide help until we can change the law.

Whether we expand the Supreme Court, ditch the filibuster, or simply toss enough Republicans out of Congress, this law will not stand.

The thing the Greg Abbotts of the world don’t seem to understand is that no matter what backward men may do, women and people of conscience will rise to the occasion. We always have, and we always will. It’s who we are.

Photo by Rochelle Brown on Unsplash