I’m Glad I Moved Out of Virginia
I moved out of Virginia in 2009 because I just wanted to live in DC-proper to take advantage of the slightly higher state tax rate, parking headaches, and denial of a Congressional vote. I’m being facetious about those reasons, but I moved just for what I thought would be a better life in some ways. So far, mostly so good. Thank God.
When I look back at Virginia, however, I am so glad I moved. They recently voted to not allow gay couples to adopt children. Virginia already has an amendment to their constitution prohibiting gay marriage. Why any gay person voted for the people who took their rights away is beyond me. Sure, it’s nice to claim you have a balanced budget, but at what cost? It must be nice to be straight in Virginia.
Another bill that passed the VA Senate and is expected to pass the House easily and move on to the governor who will make it law is the abortion bill. Virginia has now made it mandatory for women to get ultrasounds so they will see the image of the baby they’re about to abort. The clincher in all of this is that if the woman is a victim of rape or incest, she can opt out of the ultrasound only if she reported the rape or incest to the police.
Let me opine:
1. As a Christian I find abortion abhorrent and unnecessary. It’s the wholesale slaughter of innocent lives. However, I feel that women should be safe and protected should they choose to have one (thank you, Roe v. Wade). The decision to get an abortion is most times not a casual one. I know three women who’ve had abortions (maybe more who haven’t told me) and each one cries with the story like it just happened yesterday, even though it’s been ten years later. They still have a birthday party with a cupcake in the dark on what would have been their due date. They still fight to this day with whether or not it was the right decision. They still pray for forgiveness for doing it. Now, Virginia is going to mandate that they look at what they’re giving up?
2. What is the point of doing that? That’s no different than a Pro-Lifer shoving a poster board of an aborted baby in the woman’s face on her way in to the clinic. Does it work? No. Women still go through with it. A woman can simply close her eyes and refuse to look at the ultrasound. The abortion clinic or hospital can claim “the machine is broken” and skip that step. What I think will happen is that women will grow more depressed over an already depressing decision, seek counseling, or end their lives. Virginia, get ready for more suicides. Abortions won’t stop. They’ve been going since the dawn of time. No amount of laws prohibits them. It’s a heart issue. Laws don’t change hearts (or even that many behaviors). I also think that back alley abortionists will pop up again. It’s like Prohibition and the speakeasy. That will lead to more female premature deaths.
Some Pro-Lifers will say, “Good” to that point.
3. What is the addendum about reporting rapes or incest to the police to avoid the ultrasound? Your father raped you and now you’re pregnant with his child? He’s going to make you get the abortion, but you can’t report it because you live with him and he’s threatened to kill you if you say anything about him raping you. If you’re raped otherwise and didn’t report it due to the trauma, now you have to look at your rapist’s baby before you go through with the abortion? I get that all life is precious and however you got here doesn’t negate your importance or worth, but come on! Virginia (and other states) are making an already hard decision that much harder. Orphanages might fill up. Women might go through with the pregnancy and neglect/hate their child. Women might just choose to see what throwing themselves down a flight of stairs might do. Or an herbal mixture from days of yore.
I guess I can be happy, though. At least Virginia isn’t choosing to rape women with a 16-inch pole inserted into their vagina to see the baby, as originally proposed (but other states are considering that).
Why do women mean so little to so many? Everyone is here because of a woman. Susan B. Anthony didn’t keep her hair in a stern bun with a mean part for y’all to be acting this way!
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Category: Politics
Excellent post. I thought that GA was draconian but VA is taking that to a whole new level. And apparently PA is set to go beyond VA. This is about women’s right to do what is legal in America. I could never imagine how tough the decision is to end a pregnancy. Woman do agonize over this. So do many men. Its not like folks are waking up saying, “hmmm .. let me go to work, pick up lunch, abort a pregnancy, stop by Chipotle on the way home and watch RHOA”. But then again, VA is were the Moral Majority movement started.
Thanks! It’s amazing to me that this is showing how far women have come in other areas except areas concerning their well being and independent decisions. I guarantee you if men carried babies abortion would be legal in the Constitution.