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

The hidden cost of being a woman: The Plumber

Photo from Joseph Gionone Plumbing, AC and Heating

 

I manage a 20-unit building for my family. It was built in 1965, so the plumbing is not exactly state-of-the-art. Specifically, all the original tub/shower enclosures have three-handle fixtures, which are necessary because the valve behind the tile is a three-handle valve.

Three-handle fixtures are not common these days, but they can be purchased. In fact, before I called a plumber, I bought one. I just needed someone to install it.

There are a lot of ads for plumbers online, so I’m always careful to read the reviews before calling one. I selected one with rave reviews for their efficiency and their willingness to send someone the same day. “Satisfaction Guaranteed” appeared in large font on their website.

Here’s what happened:

The plumber arrived at 5pm for an appointment scheduled between 2 and 4. (No one called to let me know he was running late.) When he arrived, I gave him the parts I had purchased and asked him to install them. I let him know that once I rent some of the 10 vacancies I have now (mostly due to people moving away during the pandemic) I will have him come back to help me upgrade some of the plumbing, but for now, I need to do the bare minimum.

Thirty minutes later he knocks on my door to tell me he’s done for the day. He explains that he replaced one of the handles, but not the other. He has to come back next week (this is Thursday). He doesn’t work on Fridays. His office will call me to schedule it.

Then he takes out his phone and shows me a photo of a single-handle faucet, one that would require him to open the tile wall, replace the currently functioning valve, reconfigure the pipes behind the tile and install a new extra-large plate to cover the tile he’ll be damaging when he replaces the valve that doesn’t need to be replaced.

He is practically glowing as he shows me this brand-new, single-handle faucet that looks like it belongs in a cheap motel. “So much better!” he tells me. He is so animated; I’m reminded of someone selling a seminar or workshop that will change my life. I tell him that’s a great solution when I need to replace the valve, but for now, I just want to make the handles match.

Now that he’s replaced one, can he please just finish the job?

Once again, he shows me the photo and says, “You really need to do this.”

Then he reminds me how late it is and says he will have the office call me to set up a time to come back and finish the job. He leaves, after reminding me for a third time, that it’s much easier to find parts for the single-handle faucet—as if he’s already forgotten that I handed him the parts he needs when he arrived.

The following morning, I get a text from the admin at this office telling me the bid for the job is $2,350.

I wondered if there was some confusion about the scope of work. This couldn’t possibly be a bid for replacing the handles, could it? I called back and asked if he could please explain exactly what they were bidding on. Instead of answering my question, the office admin (who is also a man) tells me if I don’t like the bid, I should call another plumber.

I knew there had to be some misunderstanding, so I asked for a written bid. That should clear up any miscommunication, I thought. I was told it would be sent that evening.

It never came.

Instead, the technician who had done half the job texted me. He said his boss told him that I didn’t want him to do the work. I repeated via text what I’d told the admin over the phone: it was too expensive for the work I requested. He texted back, “How much are you willing to pay?”

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Later that evening, I discussed the job with one of my regular contractors. He said that without the need to replace the valve or repair any tile, this was a pretty straightforward plumbing job and shouldn’t cost anywhere near $2350.

On Monday morning, I left the following message with the technician. “I would like a written bid for finishing the job using the parts I have on hand, as originally requested.”

I never heard back.

If this was the first time a man had failed to hear me, despite my efforts to be clear and concise about what I needed, I wouldn’t be writing this now. If it was the first time a man overcharged me or tried to persuade me to do something far in excess of what was needed, that would be one thing. But this sort of thing happens constantly.

So, when I asked myself if the plumber and the admin at the office didn’t hear me or if they actually chose to ignore me, I could only come to one conclusion. Since neither of them are deaf, it’s got to be the latter.

I can’t help but wonder how much differently all this would have gone down if I were a man.

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Fictionalized scenario: Where I am a dude

Plumber shows up, installs the handles I purchased.

Then he casually says “You know, at some point you may not be able to find parts for these, have you thought about upgrading? Might save you some trouble in the future.”

Discussion ensues. He tells me he can probably get me a deal if I want to do more than one apartment. We agree to touch base again after I’ve rented a few units and have a little more income to use on upgrades. We shake hands (or bump elbows) or whatever. End of story.

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I retired from my day job last December, but I don’t really feel retired because now I spend all my time monitoring men to make sure they’re not trying to take advantage of me. It’s exhausting.

It’s also not every man. I know a lot of great guys who are helpful, knowledgeable, kind, and trustworthy. It’s important to say that.

Unfortunately, not one of them is a plumber.

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Background on the writer:

My career as a Sr. Operations Analyst for a tech company ended on December 23, 2021. It wasn’t my first career, but it will be my last one as a corporate employee. My longest career has been in property management, due mostly to managing the building for my family, where I have lived for over 30 years.

Other areas of employment have been in biotech, where I wore many hats while supporting a handful of start-ups attempting to do amazing things like cure cancer with gene therapy and grow proteins in filamentous fungi in a fraction of the time it takes in mammalian eggs.

There were also several periods of self-employment where writing/acting/content production/desktop publishing/desktop support and other odd jobs were done to pay my bills while taking a mental health break from the corporate environment.

I’ve had a great life, but in hindsight, I can’t help but wonder if I should have been a plumber.