Patrick Allen ... patrickwilliamallen@comcast.

net The Vagina Wars Stop The Men and Educate The Women

From the beginning of our Republic, women have often made extraordinarily difficult personal reproductive choices as the result of deliberative thought and reflection. Generally, but with a fair degree of certainty, it can be stated that every woman in the United States is Pro-Choice. Forty years ago, Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of women's rights, constitutional freedom of choice and abortion, became the law of the land. The constitutional result coming out of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision is than women have multiple constitutionally guaranteed rights available to them regarding their choice to fill, or not fill, their lives with young voices. To include, but not be limited to: a. Take no action. Live their lives without once becoming pregnant. b. Carry their pregnancy to full term. c. Abort their pregnancy. d. Foster Care Parenting. e. Adoption Following Roe v. Wade, the Pro-Life, Christian Coalition and Right-Wing Social Conservative movements have coalesced into an aggressive opposition movement to deny women the right to an elective abortion on moral or religious grounds, legislating its legal prohibition or restriction. Full-throated opposition to Roe v. Wade, using the moniker of Pro-Life, which by its very name implies that ProChoice advocates are not persons of faith or life, has controlled a forty year narrative that women who choose their constitutional right to an abortion as well as medical professionals who provide those constitutionally guaranteed services are baby killers and murderers. Roe v. Wade led to the growth of a largely religious-based anti-abortion movement even as Americans became, in the 1970s and 80s, increasingly pro-choice. The first major pro-life success came in 1976 with the passing of the Hyde Amendment which prohibited the use of federal funds for abortions. This became the starting point for gutting Roe v. Wade from the inside out. The prevailing strategy was that if Roe v. Wade cannot be repealed, then use Federal and State legislation to dismantle it one piece at a time and at every opportunity. It has taken thirty plus years for the anti-abortion movement to figure out a workable strategy, which has been defined as If we cannot repeal Roe v. Wade, then remove the ability for clinics and Doctors to perform such services.

The Old Right-Wing Strategy : Immediately following the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling the Pro-Life movement embarked on a multi-pronged strategy using the following tactics: Block : Block entrance to womens health clinics, regardless of whether the women coming to these clinics were there to get wellness check-ups, mammograms, nutritional assistance or an abortion. This tactic had limited success insofar as clinic managers became wiser and used alternative access points to get women into the clinics without them having to run the gauntlet of delusional protesters blocking the main entrance. Shame : Shame women entering these clinics for healthcare services by displaying grotesque posters and calling each woman a baby killer whether they were there for an abortion or not. This tactic also had limited success, but did draw news media attention, which forced some women to enter the clinics under the cover of darkness or forced them to return to back alley solutions in order to keep their faces off the local news. Assassinate : Publicize pictures, addresses and directions for Pro-Life protesters to easily turn out in force. Additionally, publicize wanted posters of Doctors who perform womens healthcare services at these clinics in many cases, along with their personal address information. This egregious tactic resulted in bat crap crazy members of the Pro-Life movement assassinating Doctors, such as Dr. George Tiller who was gunned down on a Sunday morning in the Sanctuary of his Church. The murdering of Doctors by right wing "pro life" extremists is antithetical to the notion of protecting life. Lets see Pro-Life, Church, Murder what a plan! The Pro-Life movement should view this as one of their proudest moments.

The New Right-Wing Strategy : This strategy is based on a very simple premise if Roe v. Wade cannot be repealed at the Federal level, then use State-based legislative processes to remove the infrastructure that provides womens health care services, denying women their constitutionally guaranteed rights. It doesnt matter to the right-wing extremists that other women will be denied fundamental healthcare assistance, such as wellness checkups, mammograms and nutritional aid. The loss of these services is simply considered as collateral damage in order to achieve the principal goal of making America an abortion free zone. Progressives, Liberals, Social activists and womens rights advocates are in agreement this strategy is way beyond absurd. However, and unfortunately, it is an extraordinarily creative approach by every right-wing controlled state legislature to gut Roe v. Wade from the inside-out. In some cases, its not the legislation that is closing the doors and putting womens health clinics out of business, but rather the financial resources required to litigate against the legislation in the courts. The key provisions to this strategy are, but are not limited to: Create legislatively backed operational / functional regulatory requirements which cannot be met by the majority of womens healthcare clinics, thereby forcing the clinics to close their doors to women. Create legislatively backed regulatory requirements that Doctors must obtain hospital admitting privilege status in order to perform womens healthcare services, even though these services would not be performed at the hospital. It is important and critical to note that clinics that provide a range of womens healthcare services, but not abortions, are exempted from part or all of these anti-abortion laws. Its completely understandable that men who do not experience menstrual cycles or menopause can be profoundly ignorant regarding womens issues. But, its absolutely astonishing to see the number of women, primarily rightwingers, who choose to relinquish ownership and decision making of their lady business parts to someone else. The battle cry of No Abortions Regardless of What It Takes whether its during the first trimester, at twenty weeks, at six weeks, at conception or even at ejaculation, directly contradicts the book that Bible-Thumpers and Bible-Chunkers so quickly hide behind. The book that defines the beginning of life at the first breath of environmental air and which devotes over twenty verses to Gods oversight of an abortion in the temple and performed by a member of the clergy.

A Progressive Strategy : When faced with the absurd, then get more absurd. Fight bat crap crazy with something the right-wing will consider even more bat crap crazy. Create legislation that is not only equal to, but far more absurd to that which the right-wing has created and is legislating against women. What do right-wingers love more than gutting / repealing Roe v. Wade? Their guns. Thats right, guns and ammunition. Lets remind ourselves that the 2nd Amendment gives every citizen the constitutional right to bear arms but there is no language in that Amendment which provides protections governing ammunition. For those who argue that ammunition protections are implied, or that ammunition is a Natural Right are nuts period. So, if you want to use a play from the right-wing anti-abortion strategy playbook, then adjust the language to create and pass legislation preserving the framework of the 2nd Amendment to keep and bear arms, but gut the ability for anyone to exercise and fully enjoy that constitutional right. Go beyond banning assault rifles and banana clips, as has been done in several state legislatures, and implement a public safety ammunition tax which is so high that ammunition cannot be purchased by the vast majority of gun owners. Does that sound silly? Not any more ridiculous than forcing womens health clinics to close because their Doctors are denied admitting privileges at a hospital one hundred miles away from where they provide womens health services. Pro-gun activists and advocates (i.e., NRA) will argue that this will create a black market for ammunition. Gun owners will resort to driving across state lines to purchase what they cannot get in their own states. That argument sounds very familiar, insofar as women who have a constitutional right to an abortion are forced to drive across state lines or go into back alleys to exercise their own constitutional right.

Summary : Abortion is an emotional issue on so many levels primarily used to nullify the result of rape, incest and / or the health of the mother. Legislating abortions out of existence by circumventing established law is egregious, deceptive and dangerous not only for our society, but more importantly for women. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Send Comments and Feedback to : patrickwilliamallen@comast.net